A huge thanks for the overwhelmingly positive reponce, I can't thank you all enough. (Follow up video in the works) Some of you will be pleased to know we have now put US Code 83 and HOm rail aligners into production and they should be avilable in the next couple of weeks.
Yes, there are patent thieves everywhere, especially now that there is RU-vid, where stupid people post potential inventions that could be worth millions for nothing. 😏
I've bought and used the OO/HO size and very impressed! Much better than using individual copper sleepers. Recommend these to anyone. Just what the market needed. Well done!
Been out of model railways for a while now sadly but I’m eager to get a layout sorted with my first house next year. It’s great to see innovation coming from real people who are passionate about the hobby! All the best mate!
Hi Gwion, Great additions for Model Railroaders. The Rail Aligner is a fantastic help to build 'modular' & 'lift out' section layouts. Thanks for sharing!
Hi Gwion, I saw these in a recent edition of Model Railway mag - had to try them, so I've ordered a set from a supplier in UK who ships to Australia. I reckon these are literally a game changer for so many of us who have to life/separate track on our layouts. Finally, someone has come up with an idea to make re-joining track easier. I can't wait to get my set installed. Good luck with your business, I hope you get an Australian retailer on board. Best wishes, Angus.
This is such a good idea! There are more and more modular layouts these days, running over multiple boards and on my own boards these will be incredibly useful!
Hi Gwion. I remember the great innovations you developed for The Great Model Railway Challenge. These products look excellent and of high quality, so will be ordering some today. I hope your new business is very successful, and look forward to more products in the future. Best wishes, Chris
Great product Gwion, a simple solution and FR4 is very strong being a glass-fibre laminate so should handle knocks well. I guess also a nice fast (permanent) way of making an electrical connection would be to panel pin through the plated holes and then solder at both ends, or bend the bottom end and slide a terminal block onto them.
I saw the rail alighners advertised in one of the model rail mags thought they looked just what I wanted so going to order from1 of the shops. The power indicators look really useful as well again just what I need in my storage yard. Great products atb Andy
I've been looking at ways to show the power polarity on a Fleischmann turntable - I think the ProTrack Power Indicators will be perfect for this. By installing one at each end of the turntable and under the approach track/s it will make sure the track polarity is correct. Am looking forward to the order arriving and installing on my layout. Big thumbs up for this.
Well done on starting your own business with your own products. Not easy to do that, this is very impressive. I will keep an eye out, as I have my own 00 layout.
Fantastic idea. Patent it if you haven’t already. I’m just beginning to consider a shelf layout which will go around the house and therefore need several module sections in the guise of bridges and I think these will be just the ticket.
Diolch yn fawr matey. Just stumbled across this video in my recommended section and I'm literally making a start on my track laying this weekend which includes a hinged board to allow access to the workbench. I'd not really put much thought to aligning the rails, but this ticks all the boxes and I shall certainly get a pack. I'll share the work 👌🏻
Best of luck, looks like a great product, well packaged, What would be a killer version of that is if there was a way of not only aligning the track but making electrical contact cutting out the wires between baseboards. Don't get overwhelmed by the odd requests for unusual scales and track, You need to get what you've already done out to as many retailers and fast and build up a network that is big enough to take you forward.
Great idea for the rail joiners GRD and they look like a good starter point for your business venture as Model-Tech. I am about to build a 00 scale end to end layout using 3x BRM small board modules (2 per pack). As yet a track plan isn't fully fleshed out to how many I would need. Though I'm aiming for three lines and four long sidings across the 5x joins, with further modules that could be added later. These rail joiners seem to be the ideal solution for this project, as you have shown here for crossing the gap from baseboard to baseboard. They seem to make a superb alternative way to do it other than using the copper clad sleeper or brass screws under the track to solder too. Any way good luck in these uncertain times with Model-Tech and thank heavens we have our modelling hobbies etc to stop us from going off the rails.
Excellent idea. I hope you patented them or are there similar on the market. Best of luck and I'm sure you will come up with ideas for other rail material.
AWESOME just waiting for someone to make a PLUG and play electrical system with points like connecting with a CAT 5.6.7 cable where you just plug in and away you go points signals etc I mean i know we are there but surprised HORNBY did not jump into something that is even more EASY PEASY but this it the best thing i have seen for the dreaded joining base boards its slick clean and at distance I would not even know there was a join.
nice products Gwion, I am starting a new project in N scale and the pro track rail Aligner may be the thing im looking for so I will order two packs and try them out. Tim
Welcome back, hope you're doing well. So you now you run Simnation & modeltech, you're going to be very busy I suspect. Good luck with the model railway business!
I’m sure I’ve seen on one of your previous videos that you are a member of Swansea Modellers Group. I was a member there once. It’s great to see someone close to home getting reward out of their passion
If you enter the US markey, I hope you would investigate having them made here. Still plenty of companies that can etch glass epoxy or phenolic boards.
That's actually a great thing, especially this, I believe would fit to the up-lift parts of bridges or swing bridges. The only sad thing for me is that there's nothing for the 3-rail system (Marklin)...
Gwion, I've been installing the HO aligners onto my layout. As the layout is modular and multi level and the room has two access doors, I have a challenge. The first things I have learnt are, don't install a joint on a curve in flexi track.!!!! Unless you Solder and secure the curve before cutting the rails. Far better is to place a section of set track at the postion of the joint. Then cut and postion the Modeltech aligner. There is none of the spring and tension that comes with flexitrack. Great product, thanks.
This is such a great idea. Unfortunately, living in the US and doing three-rail O-Scale with Atlas/Ross track, I can’t use these. I hope this works well for you. Good Luck!
I'd Love to bring these to the club I'm with and advertise them. Really cool. I just finished creating a modular setup with my long N scale layout. Had to cut it in half and use copper board segments on the rails where the edges are. This product would have come in handy! Very nice. Let me know !
An interesting product that I am sure will be popular. Not much use to me currently as I'm modelling in p4 currently, but the 009 might be of interest in the future.
I would really like to import some of these into the US as I think I could use some of the Code 83 track you mentioned (by some I mean a lot), however, college is quite stressful right now so my wall mounted railroad is on hold. speaking about that I need to 3d print some stuff for an Ahearn band drive my neighbor gave me a while back.
Amazing stuff, and just in time for me as I've designed my first module but haven't laid the track yet! Out of interest, what were the boxes you're using for your baseboard? They look like they could be very handy, especially as I'm modelling in N!
nice work.. good luck. Defintely be good to see the rail aligner things for HO code 83 (Peco US track) .. quite a few people in UK/Europe use it too :-)
Would be interested in seeing a how to video on how to install the pro track aligners. Any plans to do such a video? Great product idea and will definitely try them out
The grab tool looks really good for lots of annoying jobs on my motorbike etc where you can't hold a small screw that you then drop and lose in the black hole. Not sure about the alignment as just putting first track together so will watch again. Well done.
I think the US market would be good for you.Contact Walthers or another supplier to see if they are interested. Code 83 is now the major size rail now in use here. You have some neat ideas.
