Coronavirus / COVID-19 update
Due to the on-going coronavirus situation, Mark’s Trains is introducing some necessary changes to the way we operate.
We are still working normally where possible, although there may be some delays owing to possible supply issues or illness – which as you can appreciate, is still too early to ascertain the possible affect this virus may have in the long term.
Mark’s Trains does not have a retail outlet and is mail order only, however we feel it is important to stress that we do not accept visitors wanting to drop off or collect models. We are practicing social distancing measures, as Mark is at a high risk with his Diabetes.
We have also made some changes to all outgoing mail and parcels. All mail and parcels will now be collected by Royal Mail once a week on a Thursday, so that they will be delivered to customers on Friday*. *This applies to all ‘1st Class Signed For’ and ‘Special Delivery 1pm’ mail.
We are aware you have probably seen no end of notices regarding COVID-19, but we thank you for your attention and support in this matter. We would like to wish all our customers, colleagues & trade partners the best of health during this difficult time.
New office & workshop phone number
01733 609 414
Due to the increased demand in phone calls over the last year, we have taken the decision to install a professional phone system so that calls can be handled in a more effective and professional manner.
Mark was finding it difficult to manage customers work in the workshop and take on calls at the same time. We have also found that whilst speaking to one customer on the mobile number, another would call meaning we would either not be able to accept it unless we cut the first customer short, or lost the call entirely as it wasn’t answered in a timely manner – which in our opinion isn’t very professional.
The mobile number worked well in the earlier days but now we have established ourselves, we need to look to the future for our customers benefit.
Our new number is 01733 609 414. All incoming calls during business hours are forwarded to a call holding facility, as soon as one of us are available to accept the call, customers will be put through in turn.
Out of office hours incoming calls will be diverted to our answer phone, we will then contact you when we are next open – normally the following morning.
Changes to our payment methods
We are moving over to a new payment processing provider as the business has evolved a lot since our humble beginnings in 2016. We have used PayPal for a number of years but found their website was very slow when trying to process card payments over the phone.
We now have a Chip & Pin terminal supplied by our new payment processing provider ‘WorldPay’. All invoices will have the option to pay by Bank Transfer, or to pay by card over the phone.
Rest assured we have all the necessary and mandatory safe-guarding systems in place when handling personal data and card details. Your card details will not be written down or stored in any way, we will simply key the card details in to the card terminal at the point of payment whilst customers are on the phone. The customer’s card receipt will be attached to their invoice and placed inside their parcel.
Payments by card can be made by calling our new office number on; 01733 609 414.
Current sound projects
Diesel:
Class 3 / 4 / 7 / 8 / 17 / 20 / 22 / 24 / 25 / 26 / 27 / 31 / 33 / 35 / 37 / 40 / 42 / 43 HST / 43 Warship / 45 / 47 / 50 / 52 / 55 / 57 / 66 / 67 / 101 / 105 / 107 / 108 / 121-122 / 128 DPU / AC Railbus / D16-2 / Derby DMU / HS4000 Kestrel
Electric:
Class 71 / 73 Cummins / 73 English Electric / 73 MTU / 74 / Met BoBo
Steam:
BR: 3MT / 4MT / 5MT / 7MT / Standard 8
GWR: 45xx Prairie / 49xx Hall / 57xx Pannier / 4073 Castle
LMS: 3F Jinty / Princess Coronation / Royal Scot / Patriot
LNER: Thompson B1 / L1
SR: West Country / Battle of Britain
New – Class 50 sound project & speaker
We have added some new product lines to our existing range. The newest is the creation of our Class 50 sound project using recordings taken a few years ago at a diesel gala. The creation of the project was initially put back owing to the amount of work we’d had at the time, updating the existing projects to work reliably on the new ESU version 5 LokSound decoder.
The sound project has been specifically created for the new Dapol N scale Class 50, taking advantage of the full lighting functions available on the new model.
It is now possible to install the decoder into the Next-18 socket and have full prototypical lights, with some quick switch settings on the chassis PCB. Installation instructions for this model will soon be available on the website.
To coincide with the new sound project is the release of a new speaker design, designed specifically for the Dapol N scale Class 50. This new speaker has a cut-out section on the enclosure so that it does not rub against the drive shaft.
We created this speaker after installing a speaker driver to Dapol’s pre-fitted enclosure, which simply clips in to place. We were not entirely impressed with the sound quality during testing, it was very distorted and quiet. The new speaker makes a massive improvement in terms of clarity and quality.
We would like to thank all of our customers for their continued business and support over the last four years, we have seen the business grow stronger year after year. This has only been possible with the great customers that we have, so thanks to every one of you!
Before we sign off, we’d like to wish you all the very best. If you are self-isolating or practicing social distancing; make a brew or grab a beer and operate your layouts. But most of all stay safe and strong..
