Rails Of Sheffield Reviews 365

This was my first time using Rails of Sheffield's trade in service having used other companies in years gone by, and I was very impressed by the efficiency of their service and the communication that I had with Ben and Jake throughout the process. Having received a prompt response and offer to my initial submission, the agreed price for the items was in my account within a matter of hours of the items being received at their end. In fact the longest and slowest part of the process was the delivery transit time between my dropping the parcel off and its delivery at the other end.

In respect of the delivery aspect, the only slight disappointment from my point of view was the fact that a home collection service is only offered for trade-ins which total £250 or more whereas others that I have used in the past have offered other options to drop parcels off etc. rather than having to pay and arrange postage myself. In the grand scheme of things though this was a minor issue and I was impressed overall.

I have dealt with Rails of Sheffield over many years and have just sold my entire layout, very impressed with their efficiency and paid within 24 hrs of receiving them.

Just sold my OO gauge items and the whole process worked extremely well with good communication from the staff and prompt payment for the items.

I have just sold some second hand N gauge stuff to Rails of Sheffield. They were very helpful all the way through, the items were picked up promptly by ParcelForce and with a couple of days I received the expected payment for he items. All round a very pleasant experience, I would throughly recommend them.

Just sold all my n gauge locos and rolling stock to Rails of Sheffield and I have to say I was very impressed. Their offer was provided quickly and I was very satisfied with it. They arranged and paid for collection by Parcel Force and the money was in my bank within 24hrs of the kit arriving with them. Communication was very good. I can’t see how they could improve the process or make selling to them any easier - 10/10!

Unfortunately, very disappointed with the service provided by Rails of Sheffield.
Looking to build a new DCC layout from scratch and was hoping to obtain some expert advice from RoS.
On 18/03/25 emailed RoS with my Peco Track/Point list and a couple of questions on whether I should be using Electrofrog or Insulfrog crossing/slips etc.
Received response from Joe on 19/03/25 saying "passed to technical colleagues for a bit of advice about the crossing options, and controls. Once I have a more definitive list of what is required, I will approach our directors and see if we can work out a better price for you."
Received email from RoS Tech Support (Shane) on 24/03/25, asking for more details of the proposed layout, number of loco's to be run etc. Responded with all the necessary information the same day (24/03/25).
As of 01/04/25, I'm still waiting on:
1. Definitive list of track/points etc.
2. Price of track/points.
3. Suitable options re: DCC controller, point motors, polarity frogs etc.

14 days and counting from initial inquiry, no real progress, disappointing customer service.

A great company to deal with. Response times in both communication and execution were excellent. I highly recommend them.

I’ve always had a good experience with Rails of Sheffield, but this time was disappointing. I placed a pre-order for 10 Bachmann BR Mk1 TSO coaches. I know that’s a lot, but I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the chance again, considering how quickly items sell out and end up being resold by scalpers on eBay. I’ve seen it happen too many times—popular models sell out almost immediately, only to show up on eBay at ten times the original price. It’s frustrating because it feels like genuine enthusiasts are being pushed out of the hobby due to opportunistic resellers.

After placing the pre-order, I contacted Rails of Sheffield to ask if it would be possible to use PayPal Credit to pay in installments. They reassured me that this option would be available when the payment was due. Since buying 10 coaches is a significant investment, I wanted to spread the cost over time, and having that assurance gave me the confidence to go ahead with the pre-order.

However, when the time came for the payment to be processed, I was charged the full amount without any option to use PayPal Credit as I had been promised. This was incredibly frustrating because I had planned my budget around being able to pay in installments. I immediately contacted Rails of Sheffield to express my frustration and asked if there was any way to correct this or switch to an installment plan after the fact.

Unfortunately, I was told there was no way to apply PayPal Credit after the payment had been processed. The only option they offered was to return the items and place a new order, but given how quickly these coaches sell out, I wasn’t confident that I’d be able to get them again if I went that route. I was left with a difficult choice—either keep the coaches and deal with the unexpected financial strain or return them and risk losing them altogether.

What made the situation worse was that I had specifically asked about this ahead of time and was reassured that everything would go smoothly. To be told afterward that there was nothing they could do was extremely disappointing. This experience left me feeling let down by a company I had trusted, especially after so many positive interactions in the past. I hope they take steps to ensure better communication and clarity about payment options in the future so that other customers don’t find themselves in the same frustrating position.

I've had only 1 dealing with rails Of Sheffield & I would highly recommend them. All my emails were with Ben as I was selling off all my 00 gauge railway items & they were 1st class in all my communications & transfer of funds.

I received a gift from a friend today. Unfortunately they ordered a loco (£230) that is not inkeeping with the era of the rest of my models. Naively I assumed I would just be able to exchange this item for the one I would like (given I have all the order info and it was shipped to me) . I was however informed that I could not exchange it and in order to get a refund or credit note I would need to get my friend to request it (which I did not wish to do as I did not want to upset them given they tried to purchase a really thoughtful gift). To add insult to injury I was told my best option was to sell the brand new loco and if I wished to do so through RoS resale process they would only be able to offer £100-£150 even though I literally have the receipts/shipping doc.

I have never had this issue with any model purchase from RoS' competetors previously and it's safe to say I won't be purchasing from them in the future if this is what they deem as acceptable practice in relation the such high value items.

Really disappointed and frustrated!

This is now my second time selling some models to Rails, & as per the first time the service has been second to none. Communication between me & Rails was great through the whole process & the money was into my account less than 24 hours after the models arrived with them. Exquisite service, would fully recommend to anyone.

I routinely use Rails for my purchases and have always been impressed by their service. Recently I decided to focus on oo and sent a list of o gauge stock and received a fair price, the parcel was collected by parcel force at no cost and I received the cash within a few days. Well done to the staff there. Would recommend.

I sent an inventory of some items I no longer required. I was quoted a very fair price. Rails arranged for the large cardboard box to be picked up by Parceforce. They reassured me that the box had arrived safely and everything was intact. I received the money directly into my account the following day. I have nothing but praise for the excellent service provided by Ben and Jake.
Rails will receive my complete layout when the time comes when it has to be dismantled!

Given excellent advise and contacting Rails of Sheffeild.
Being a novice surrounding model trains, I found Rails excellent and very proffesional guiding me through the selling process.
Following simple instuctions with no stress or hiccups.
Prompt with payment and fair price.
Very happy with all the staff at Rails and would recommend them.
Many thanks,
Geoff

I’m in the process of selling my n gauge railways. The service from Ben and Jake is brilliant and the process is very simple. The database for creating a list is brilliant

Very helpful

Rails have made thinning out my rather large collection of OO model railway rolling stock a very easy and smooth process. Email them a list of items and they promptly reply with a fair offer that includes collection. Parcels collected by Parcelforce. Once received and checked payment is always made quickly. Can highly recommend their service.

Faced with the daunting task of selling my late father's model railway collection, we came across a magazine advert for Rails of Sheffield and I'm so glad that we did.
Not being that familiar with the stock we had, the ability to put together a list through the website by simply entering product codes was a fantastic tool. It could not have been simpler.
Great communication, with a quick response. Once we'd accepted the offer, collection of the items was arranged. Payment was very prompt once the items had been received and checked.
The whole experience was smooth and easy. Thanks.

I recently bought an item from Rails and was very pleased with it, so I put my trust in them to purchase my model railway collection. They gave me a fair price and I’m happy with the outcome. A great company manned by enthusiasts. I’d truly recommend them to anyone. It was sad when Hattons shut shop but Rails are certainly as good a deal as Hattons ever were. Good to do business with.

I am in an unusual situation in that I am unable to continue as a railway modeller and was looking to sell all my O gauge equipment in one lot. I contacted Rails of Sheffield with my list, they made an offer which was acceptable and then arranged collection. A very prompt,efficient and sympathetic transaction.