Train-Tech Joins The Gaugemaster Stable

Gaugemaster have announced their acquisition of another quality brand. This week Train-Tech was purchased by the Sussex based company from its parent company DCP Microdevelopments Ltd. Gaugemaster are proud to be at the forefront of the model railway accessories business. As part of this they are widely recognised for the manufacture of their own range of controllers. Gaugemaster also act as principal distributor for many other international brands.

DCP Microdevelopments is 40 years old this year. David Palmer started the business as a young man, and was run as a small part time business from his bedsit in Cambridge in 1981. It started by developing interfacing and control products for the home and schools computer market. As a business, it then went on to designing and manufacturing the LogIT range of dataloggers and sensors for Science Education through the 1990s until 2018.

2012 saw Train-Tech initially launched as a business. It started life with a fairly modest range of products. A single A4 folded sheet was initially used to promote it’s product range. Something that contrasts to the current range of over 250 products in their 32-page catalogue.

Over the nine years Train-Tech has been given by 3 awards for ‘Innovation of the Year’. Their DCC fitted signals, Automatic Sensor Signals and Smart Screen animated display all winning great acclaim.

Gaugemaster Controls Limited have been a manufacturer, retailer, and distributor of model products for over 40 years. In this time, they have produced their own range of popular British-built Analogue Controllers. They look forward to keeping production of new and existing Train-Tech products within the UK. Gaugemaster are seen as being a perfect future fit for the Train-Tech range. Both businesses share a common vision of making well engineered products that are easy to use.

Completing soon…

Train-tech will be transferring over during the first week of November. At this time Gaugemaster will also take over the direct support and sales of the Train-Tech range. This will be both to modellers, as well as continuing to distribute the range to the model railway trade.

Andy Rouse has been the Design Engineer at DCP for over 20 years. As part of the deal Andy will be transferring to Gaugemaster with the Train-Tech business . He will be working to continue developing innovative and exciting new products. David and Tammy Palmer will also be there as consultants for the handover. And, both will continue to offer new ideas for new products and future developments…

Commenting on the acquisition; 

Gaugemaster’s Managing Director Ian Fowler said:

“We are thrilled to be able to add Train Tech to our portfolio of brands particularly as it is such a perfect fit for us on so many levels. We are looking forward to showing you all the new products we have already been working on together prior to the formal coming together of both businesses”

Commenting on the sale, DCP Managing Director David Palmer said:

“Train-Tech has been a wonderful and exciting business to develop and build over the past 9 years, and through it we have met many wonderful people and hopefully helped inspire and bring layouts to life with our ideas and determination to design products which use technology to make them easy for people to use”.

“Whilst we realise that it may be disappointing to some people that Tammy and I will no longer be on the Train-Tech exhibition stand or answering the phone every day, we hope that they will understand as we take life at a slightly gentler pace and also hope that everyone will continue to support Train-Tech under Gaugemaster and designer Andy on the next stage of its life, because it is a major part of our legacy and future Train-Tech products will continue to include our ideas and DNA”.

Concluding David said:

“The sale of Train-Tech was never going to be easy when you have put so much of your heart and soul into it, but after we decided that the time was right to slow down and step back from the day to day running of  a business there was no doubt in our minds that Gaugemaster would be the perfect new home for Train-Tech’s future, having already distributed the range to the model trade since the early days and having a wonderful team of people who share the same principles and ethos for well-designed products and excellent customer care”.