Rails of Sheffield
No selection of retailer reviews would be complete without including the internet behemoth that is Rail of Sheffield. `At the time of writing Rails are just about to open their second physical store. Based on Sheffield station it is due to open in a couple of weeks time. Rails say that the new outlet will be a one stop shop for railway aficionados, with model railways, railwayana, merchandise and more, all with their unique look inspired by the existing shop.
These stores are the foundation of their business. They have been at their store on Chesterfield Road in Sheffield since the beginning back in the 1970s.
The business is now run by John Barber, having been founded originally by his father. Rails currently employ 40+ staff, a number which is sure to increase with the opening of the new store.
As well as in store, unlike some internet retailers you will also find them with a physical presence at many exhibitions up and down the country. Rails are a corporate partner, and proud supporter of the National Railway Museum (NRM) in York
Online Presence
As well as their physical store presence, Rails of Sheffield also have two huge internet stores. Their main website contains their full catalogue, including many items that are available on pre-order or special order.
The ebay store has many thousands of pre-owned items a proportion of which are also available on their website. Although, not everything in the pre-owned range in on the website. There are currently circa 8500 items on the ebay store.
Opinion
Both online stores offer a good service and good value for money. Delivery from both is principally made with Royal Mail / Parcelforce. Despatch from the main Rails website tends to be faster than from the ebay store. But even so, it is still not slow. Parcels are invariably well packaged, although boxes do tend to be a bit larger than you might expect. Presumably this is down to only a select number of sizes being available which can lead to some interesting choices.
I won’t pass comment on service in store, as I’ve not managed to arrange work travel to allow a visit. And at an 8 hour round trip it’s a bit too far to go for leisure. However, from the photo below, it certainly looks to be a good experience with the number of items on show
Widely available reviews backup my opinion that service quality is good from Rails. A quick look tells you that they are currently rated 4.6/5 on Trustpilot and 4.7/5 on Google. These ratings certainly back up my experience.
In addition to the wide product range, Rails of Sheffield also offer an in-store DCC Decoder Fitting service. Their skilled technicians will happily fit DCC decoders to your locomotives. This ensures that they are ready to use straight out of the box for you. Also, saving you time and effort, and allowing you to have hassle free enjoyment of your model railway.
Whilst I am a big fan of supporting your local model shop, there are occasions when you just have to turn to Rails. Their bargains section on the website does offer some very good deals, and their pre-owned offering gives access to a lot of items that are otherwise hard to find.
