Owner Richard Rix first came up with the idea for Trax Controls while working in his Norwich hi-fi repair shop in the early 1990's.

He had always dreamed of running a mail-order business, and having an interest in electronics and railway modelling, decided to marry the two by running a part-time business alongside the full-time one.

Having studied the ads in the model railway press, he realised that there was a market for analogue model train controllers. He had been building electronic projects as a hobby since the early 1970's, so with this wealth of experience behind him, he decided to test market a new product: it was the FC-1 Feedback Controller (still available and selling well today!).

The FC-1 sold well, and after the introduction of more electronic units such as the SWM-1 Steam Whistle and DHM-1 Diesel Horn, he decided it was time to take Trax to the next level. The hi-fi repair shop was closed in 1993, and Trax Controls subsequently became the full-time business we now know.