The list below is the kit a typical Australian T-TRAK builder ends up with after a couple of modules. None of it is exotic. Bunnings, Jaycar, Altronics and a handful of model-railway specialists between them carry everything you need, often at prices comparable to or better than international online sellers once shipping is factored in.
Prices are guides only — current to the most recent club survey, in Australian dollars including GST. Treat the ranges as a sanity check rather than a quote. A budget Ozito drill at the lower end of the range will build a perfectly serviceable module; a Makita at the upper end will simply outlast it.
Where a tool is genuinely optional we mark it. The starter kit at the bottom of the page is the bare minimum — everything else is a quality-of-life upgrade you can add over time.
Cutting and woodworking
The module box is the foundation of everything else. Most Australian builders use 9 mm or 12 mm plywood for the sides and ends, with a 3 mm or 4 mm ply top. Hoop pine, birch and radiata are all fine — pick whatever your nearest Bunnings or hardware specialist actually has in stock that week.
You don't need a workshop. A panel saw with a clamped straight-edge, or a Japanese pull saw with a square, will give you cuts that are easily clean enough once corners are screwed and glued. A drop saw makes life easier on repeat cuts but is a luxury, not a requirement.
| Tool | Approx price | Australian source |
|---|---|---|
| Hand saw (panel saw or Japanese pull saw) | $25–$80 | Bunnings, Total Tools |
| Drop saw / mitre saw (optional) | $200–$500 | Bunnings, Total Tools, Sydney Tools |
| Engineer's or combination square (150 mm) | $15–$40 | Bunnings, Total Tools |
| Sandpaper assortment (120, 240, 400 grit) | $10–$20 | Bunnings |
| Cordless drill / driver | $80–$250 | Bunnings (Ozito, Ryobi), Total Tools |
| HSS drill bit set (1–10 mm) | $25–$60 | Bunnings, Total Tools |
| Steel rule (300 mm) and pencil | $10–$15 | Bunnings, Officeworks |
If you can borrow a drop saw for a single afternoon, do — it will rip your timber to length in minutes and the cuts will be square enough that the rest of the module practically assembles itself. A clamped panel saw is a fine substitute, but expect a little more cleanup with sandpaper and a block plane.
Track work
T-TRAK uses Kato Unitrack throughout — that decision is baked into the standard, and the track itself is consistent enough that you do not need to ballast or weather it for a module to look the part. The most useful single accessory you can buy is the Kato re-railer, which doubles as a coupler height gauge and lives permanently in your tool tub.
Australian Kato stock comes through a small handful of importers and the model-railway specialists below. Stock levels move quickly when a new release lands; if you see what you need on the shelf, buy it.
| Tool | Approx price | Australian source |
|---|---|---|
| Kato re-railer #24-000 | $10–$15 | Frontline Hobbies, Aurora Models, Eureka Models, Trains Trams & Trolleys |
| Small Phillips screwdriver (PH0, PH1) | $10–$25 (set) | Bunnings, Jaycar |
| Track pins (N scale) | $5–$10 per pack | Frontline Hobbies, Aurora Models |
| Small hobby screws (4g × 12 mm csk) | $5–$10 | Bunnings |
| Pin vice / pin push | $15–$30 | Frontline Hobbies, Aurora Models |
The re-railer is also the de facto height gauge for Kato Rapido couplers — pop a wagon on top of it on flat track and the coupler face should sit centred on the matching face of the gauge. If it doesn't, that wagon is going to be trouble at meets.
Electrical
T-TRAK Australia has standardised on Anderson PowerPole connectors for the inter-module bus. They're cheap, polarity-keyed and effectively indestructible — but they only work properly if they're properly crimped, and a proper PowerPole crimper is the one tool on this page worth not skimping on. A pair of pliers will get you a connection that fails halfway through your first meet.
Jaycar and Altronics between them carry everything else: irons, solder, multimeters, hookup wire and connectors. Both have stores in every capital city and ship next-day to most regional addresses.
| Tool | Approx price | Australian source |
|---|---|---|
| Temperature-controlled soldering iron | $60–$300 | Jaycar, Altronics |
| Solder (lead-free or 60/40, 0.7–1.0 mm) | $15–$30 | Jaycar, Altronics, Bunnings |
| Digital multimeter | $25–$120 | Jaycar, Altronics, Bunnings |
| Side cutters (flush cut) | $15–$40 | Jaycar, Bunnings |
| Wire strippers | $15–$40 | Jaycar, Altronics, Bunnings |
| RCA crimp connectors and crimp tool | $10–$25 connectors / $30–$60 tool | Jaycar, Altronics |
| Anderson PowerPole crimper (genuine ratcheting) | $60–$150 | Jaycar, Altronics |
| Hookup wire (red/black, 18–22 AWG) | $15–$25 per roll | Jaycar, Altronics |
Cheap unbranded "PowerPole" crimpers from online marketplaces often produce crimps that look fine but back out under load. Buy a genuine ratcheting crimper from Jaycar or Altronics, or borrow your club's. A bad crimp on the bus is the single most common cause of intermittent power problems at meets.
A 60 W temperature-controlled iron from Jaycar's house brand will solder feeders, decoders and bus joins for a decade if you keep the tip clean. You don't need a Hakko or a Weller — but you do need temperature control. Avoid the fixed-temperature pencil irons sold for stained-glass work.
Painting and scenery
Paint the fascia and module box before you put scenery on it — masking later is an exercise in frustration. Most Australian modellers use a black fascia, which hides minor surface flaws and reads cleanly as a layout edge under exhibition lighting.
For scenery itself, basic supplies (PVA, brushes, primer, ground foam) are split between Bunnings and the model-railway specialists. Static grass kit, fine ground cover and Australian-prototype scatter come from the hobby shops.
| Tool | Approx price | Australian source |
|---|---|---|
| Spray primer (grey or white) | $10–$20 per can | Bunnings, Frontline Hobbies |
| Hobby brush set (sizes 0, 2, 6, flat) | $15–$40 | Frontline Hobbies, Aurora Models, Eureka Models, Officeworks |
| Airbrush and small compressor (optional) | $200–$500 | Frontline Hobbies, Aurora Models |
| Static grass applicator (optional) | $80–$300 | Frontline Hobbies, Aurora Models, Eureka Models |
| Fine tweezers (straight and curved) | $10–$30 | Jaycar, Frontline Hobbies |
| PVA / scenic glue and matt medium | $10–$20 | Bunnings, Officeworks |
An airbrush is a luxury, not a necessity. A rattle-can primer plus two or three hobby brushes will get a first module looking entirely respectable. Borrow a club airbrush for backdrops and weathering before you spend on your own.
Transport
A T-TRAK module needs to survive a car boot, a venue load-in and being stacked on top of three others in someone's garage. Most damage to modules in Australia happens in transport, not on the layout — so the tub matters.
The 57 L plastic storage tub with a clip lid is the de facto Australian choice. Bunnings, Kmart and Officeworks all stock something close enough that single modules will fit comfortably with a layer of foam under and around them. Doubles benefit from a slightly taller tub or a custom plywood crate.
| Tool | Approx price | Australian source |
|---|---|---|
| 57 L plastic storage tub with clip lid | $15–$30 | Bunnings, Kmart, Officeworks |
| Foam padding (high-density or convoluted) | $15–$40 | Bunnings, Clark Rubber |
| Small cable / accessories bag | $10–$25 | Officeworks, Kmart |
Label the outside of the tub with the module name and your contact number. At a busy meet load-in, half a dozen identical 57 L tubs will be standing in a row, and yours will be the one stacked on top of the wedding cake.
Starter kit
If you only buy what is on this list, you can build a single T-TRAK module from raw plywood to running trains. Everything else above is an upgrade you can add later.
- Hand saw and a 150 mm square
- Cordless drill with small Phillips bit and 3 mm wood bit
- Sandpaper (240 and 400 grit)
- Steel rule and pencil
- Kato re-railer #24-000
- Small Phillips screwdriver
- Basic soldering iron, solder, side cutters and wire strippers
- Cheap multimeter
- Anderson PowerPole crimper, housings and contacts (borrow from your club if you can)
- Spray primer, two hobby brushes, tube of PVA
- 57 L tub with sheet of foam
Total outlay for a builder starting from nothing is roughly $300–$500 if you buy at the budget end of every range, and you will have most of the kit on hand for your second and third modules without further purchases. Borrowing the PowerPole crimper from a club member for an afternoon is a normal thing to ask, and saves the largest single line item.