If you’ve looked in on us lately, you’ll have spotted that we haven’t just tidied a shelf or two — we’ve rebuilt almost everything at the same time: the look of the site, the shop, the documentation, a fresh introduction to System2, and a layout planner that does a good deal of the head‑scratching for you. That’s a lot to land in one go, so we thought we’d explain why we did it this way rather than dribbling it out a piece at a time.
The honest answer is that the pieces only really work as a set. Someone new to System2 doesn’t need one of these things — they need the introduction to explain it, a shop they can actually browse, documentation to follow along, and a planner to turn their layout into the right boxes. Change one and leave the rest, and the joins show. So we changed the lot.
A friendlier, clearer website
We’ve rebuilt the site from the ground up with one simple aim: make it easy to find your way around, whether you’ve been with us for years or have just stumbled across System2 for the first time. Cleaner pages, plainer language, and a lot less hunting about.
System2, explained from scratch
If you’re new to all this, our new System2 introduction sets out — in plain English — what System2 actually is and how the wireless boards and vPorts fit together. It’s the gentlest possible introduction to cutting the addressing cables, with no assumed knowledge.
A shop you can actually browse
We’ve broken the shop into sensible categories — System2, starter kits, accessories and the classic range — so you can find the right board without needing to know our part numbers off by heart.
Documentation, all in one place
We’ve improved the guides for both System2 and the classic range, and gathered them into one tidy documentation section instead of scattering them about. Less searching, more building.
A layout planner that builds your order for you
This is the one we’re most pleased with. The layout configuration tool lets you lay out your track plan on screen — or import it straight from AnyRail or JMRI if you’ve already drawn it — and then tell it where your points and signals are. From that, it works out exactly which System2 boards, cables and accessories you need, and drops the whole lot into your basket for you. No cross‑referencing part numbers, no guessing how many of each — you describe the railway you want to control, and it sorts the shopping list.
We didn’t rush it
We could have released all this one bit at a time. But we wanted it to fit — and we wanted it right — so we’ve been quietly testing the whole thing for over a month before opening the doors. Plenty of cups of tea went into it.
And there’s more to come
This is a foundation, not the finishing line — we’ve several more improvements already on the workbench. As ever, if something doesn’t make sense or you’ve an idea to make it better, we’d genuinely love to hear it: choose Contact on any System2 board, or drop us a line.
Dave & Sheila