Frequently Asked Questions FAQs | Railwayscenics
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FAQs

FAQs
If your question is not answered below please use our contact form to ask your question.

Note: Click on the linked question text to expand the box to see the answers.

General Questions

YES. We are looking into installing a guest checkout type system on the site, but cannot find one that currently works well and offers the features that we like.
Railwayscenics now encrypt all pages on the website so all details and information is secure. We only pass some of this data to our carriers to enable them to complete the delivery of your orders. We do not store, or see, your full card information. To check that this is working as it should you should see https in the page address bar, rather than http.
This is a common problem, and is generally caused by not entering the correct details in the create account form. The email address you enter is also your user name, so you may also have problems logging in to the site. If you think that you entered the correct details then you should check your junk mail folder or your spam seeings.
We can now accept orders over the phone as long as an account has been previously created on the website and the items are in your shopping basket.
It is only possible to buy the items listed on our website from our website. This allows us to keep our costs and overheads low and therefore our prices low.
Unfortunately, once an order is complete and paid for, we are unable to modify the information. All we can suggest is that you either give us a ring for further information, or you place another order for the missing items, and we will combine the postage costs and refund any difference.
We currently do not have any retail or storage premises where orders can be bought or collected from. We work from home, and hope customers will respect our privacy.
Ordering is as easy as 1 - 2 - 3. 1 - Select products from the site and add them to your shopping basket. 2 - Create an account and complete the order process. 3 - Pay for your items. We will do the rest and keep you informed along the way.

Downloads Questions

All of our downloads are sent as PDF documents in zipped folders. PDF (Portable Document Format) is the current standard for transferring, viewing and printing high-quality documents on the web or via email. These files are zipped for ease of delivery. You will need specialist software, which can be obtained for free, to open these types of files. At present there is a folder that contains the instructions, and another that contains the model parts. On our newer models we are adding a third file that will contain the parts of the model that only require printing on lower quality paper, as these require to be stuck to card for internal strength. All of our kits and papers can be printed onto A4 paper.
We have tried several types of glue, and had good results with them all, except superglue. We have used PVA glue with excellent results, and also contact adhesives. We tried with glue stick type glues and had very poor results. Using a glue similar to UHU, we had the best results.
We have a free test page for you to download. This will allow you see what the textures look like, and to allow you to see the quality of the print out. You are more than welcome to download our free kit or texture sheet to see the quality. The final quality of the printout really depends on the resolution set on your printer and the quality of the paper used.
All of our kits we believe to be easy to construct. All techniques used are very basic, and easy to master. As the kits and papers can be printed off as many times as you require, if you make a mistake, just print off another copy, and try again. Download our free models to learn the basic techniques needed to produce a model.
Yes you can resize the kits between most scales. Almost all printers have a scaling option, and detailed instructions on how to do this can be found on our scales and gauges page. Please note that when enlarging the kits to larger scales some page tiling maybe required. There may also be a slight loss of resolution of the printed page which may be improved by adjusting the printers settings.
Unlike conventional pre cut cardboard kits, you are able to just print the parts from the pages that you need again.
All of our models are based on 1.5mm thick card. This thickness card is used by picture framers to mount pictures. It is widely available from a range of suppliers and outlets including ourselves. If you are unable to obtain this thickness of card, it is possible to use a thinner card, but you must use more than one thickness. You will need to print out the templates pages again. Use a good quality glue to laminate the card pieces together.
We have had instances where our customers have had trouble opening the Zipped folder once the download is complete. A warning message appears that the file is invalid or corrupt. This kind of error can occur when part of the Zip file content becomes corrupt during an interrupted download, file copy or move etc. We have looked into this, and it appears to be a fault with the users computer or internet connection. We have checked all the files on the hosts server, and they are correct. We recommend that you try to download the files again by entering your account orders, and clicking the download link. If this should fail, use the contact us form and we will email you the folders that you require.
There are two reasons for this. The first being that we like to show our models as they were designed. Secondly, some customers want to spend time and weather there own models so they fit in to their location.
All of our kits are designed to have transparent windows, but if you prefer you can print the window glazing sheet onto plain paper and colour the windows to your preferences. If you are printing the sheet onto a clear product, make sure that it is compatible with your type of printer and correctly inserted into the printer.
If you contact us with the invoice number, and date of purchase, we will send you replacement files by email once we have confirmed the original purchase.
All of our kits and texture sheets are designed to be printed on to A4 sized paper. For those customers in the U.S. or Canada the nearest paper size is Legal. If you use the smaller letter size you will find the bottom 13mm of the page will be missing

Payment and Delivery Questions

Yes you can. We now offer several payment methods to suit most customers, who wish to pay using most major debit and credit cards. Stripe is a small processing company and will accept all major cards without the need to sign up to anything. We also use PayPal. You do not have to open a PayPal account to use the service, just make sure you click on the guest checkout option when you are sent to the PayPal website to make your payment. We can also take phone payments but the items need to have been previously added to a shopping backet on the website and a customer account created.
Our prices DO include VAT as we are now VAT registered. Our VAT registration number is GB373295476. A VAT invoice will be included with your order, or you can download one from your account section on the website.
We do try where possible to post items ordered before 9-00am on the same day. We also post by your chosen method, but do not guarantee that 1st class postage will arrive the following day, nor will 2nd class postage arrive within two days. Should your items not arrive in a reasonable time, please get in touch. We keep copies of any certificate of postings for 30 days.
We do not encourage this. We work from home, and are an internet based business and do not have any shop premises or facilities for personal callers. We also do not want to cause any disruption to our neighbours. Sorry.
We can send to any address that you specifiy when checking out as long as that address is in the UK. The website allows you to save two delivery addresses. If we are sending to a non UK address then we will only sent to the address registered to the payees account with our payment processor.
We are able to accept debit and credit payments by using either the Stripe or PayPal options at checkout. Both methods are secure and we do not see any of your entered information. The only other method of payment is online banking transfer. the details for this method are given during the final checkout stages. Items will not be sent until we have confirmation from our bank that the payment has been completed.
Yes we do. All our international postage is priced based on the weight of the items purchased up to 2kg as that is the maximum that our international carrier, Royal mail, will accept. A signature will be required on delivery as proof of delivery.
Full tracking is only available on Royal Mail guaranteed deliveries and courier deliveries. Apart from those two options there is only a signature required at delivery and a delivery confirmation on orders where available and where paid for. If a tracking or notification number is available we will send it to you when we update your order. Our shipping pages fully explain what is available.
Yes. An invoice/sales receipt will be included with your packaged goods. You will need your copy in case you wish to return goods to us. If your invoice/sales receipt is missing then please Contact us or alternatively please log in to your account to view your invoices.

Product Questions

We are able to order parts from our suppliers which include next day delivery as long as they have stock. Should you require more items than we have in stock, contact us and we will let you know of availability and any special prices available.
The quick answer is yes, in most cases. Contact us, and we will let you know if we can get your items.
The images shown on the product pages reflect the image of the product either taken or provided by the manufacturer during the time of uploading the picture. It may differ slightly in colour, packaging or text than the stock we ship as the stocks are refreshed and updated more often than images.
We do not produce a catalogue as our range is constantly growing and a printed catalogue would be out of date almost as soon as it was printed. You can view all of our products, the full product descriptions and order all of our range of products on our web site. There is even a basic downloadable price list available from the downloads section.
Yes. We include an invoice/receipt with every order. You will need this in case you wish to return goods or make a claim at a later date so please keep it safe. If your invoice is missing then please contact us.
No is the simple answer. We have no minimum or maximum order value, but it may help you keep costs down if you can buy in one order rather than in several as we do have a minimum postage charge.
Please read our page on basic DCC wiring. It will explain most things. The information can be found on our DCC bus wiring page