If you're into model railways, you'll probably understand something about us already – we love this hobby.
HobbyTrax Australia isn't just about selling products. We want to build a place where model railway enthusiasts can find useful products, practical advice, ideas and inspiration for building better layouts.
Whether you're building your first small layout or you've been modelling for decades, there is always something new to learn, try, fix, modify or improve.
Why HobbyTrax?
One of the frustrations we regularly see in the hobby is finding those little things you need to actually build and maintain a layout.
Wire. Connectors. LEDs. Switches. DC or DCC accessories. Track-cleaning products. Stay-alives. Tools. Scenery. Power distribution.
They're often not the exciting purchase that gets shown off on a layout, but they're the things that make everything work.
That's an area we want HobbyTrax to specialise in.
We're also continuing to expand our range of pre-loved locomotives, rolling stock and accessories, giving good-quality models another opportunity to get back onto a layout rather than sitting unused in a cupboard.
And we're expanding beyond trains, with specialised vehicles and other products that complement both layouts and collections.
Introducing the HobbyTrax Blog
This is the first article in what we hope becomes a useful resource for the Australian model railway community.
We'll be covering topics such as:
- Building and wiring model railway layouts
- DC and DCC tips and troubleshooting
- Installing LEDs and layout lighting
- Stay-alive installations
- Track cleaning and maintenance
- Building realistic roads, yards and scenery
- Weathering locomotives, wagons and structures
- Buying and restoring pre-loved models
- Product demonstrations and reviews
- New HobbyTrax products
- Projects from our own layouts
Most importantly, we want to show how things are actually done.
That means plenty of photographs, diagrams, short videos and step-by-step guides rather than simply telling you that something can be done.
Built by Modellers, for Modellers
A lot of what you'll see here will come from things we're doing ourselves.
We'll show the successes, but we'll also show the experiments that don't quite work, what we'd do differently next time and some of the inexpensive tricks we've picked up along the way.
Model railways don't need to be perfect and they certainly don't need to cost a fortune.
Sometimes a little paint, some weathering powder, inexpensive electronics and a few hours at the workbench can completely transform a scene.
That's the side of the hobby we particularly enjoy.
What's Coming Next?
We've already got plenty of ideas.
We'll be looking at layout wiring, track cleaning, DCC, scenery and weathering, as well as taking you behind the scenes of some of our own modelling projects.
We'll also be using the blog to introduce interesting new products and, importantly, explain what they do, why you might need one and how to use them.
So welcome to the HobbyTrax Blog.
Whether you run DC or DCC, model Australian, British, European or American railways, or simply enjoy building miniature worlds, we hope you'll find something useful here.
Happy modelling!
HobbyTrax Australia