I didn’t set out to write about Bluetooth train control. I just wanted to see if someone was using bluetooth, so I could promote the Wrist Rack as a great way to operate trains handsfree. Once I delved into things, the possible impact of the brilliance and simplicity of bluetooth model train control became apparent.
As TrainTalk TV host I’ve spoke to literally thousands of model railroaders over the years. One common subject amongst them all is the decline of the hobby in recent years, and the lack of ‘new blood’ joining the hobby or train clubs to bolster the numbers.
Might I humbly suggest that the answer is here, is quite simple, and is very easily promotable to an audience that should be somewhat more receptive than it’s been in the past. I’m going to skip over all the great stuff that bluetooth train control does or is being developed to do, and focus on two criticaly important facts.
1. Bluetooth train control drastically reduces the cost of entering the hobby of model railroading while making it simpler than ever to get involved.
2. Bluetooth is easily accepted by younger generations. They understand it already, there’s no education or ‘hard sell’ required.
So what does this ‘Bluetooth Train Control’ mean for existing hobbyists? Well, you might actually love it! I shot this at Canada’s largest Train Show, Supertrain.
As the video shows, Bluetooth is an obvious choice for simplifying operations at train shows. My ‘run it anywhere’ experiment was an outstanding sucess.
So, what is Bluetooth train control and why is it different? Here’s a simplified graphic and some explanation of what I’ll call 2nd generation Bluetooth Train Control. Have a look at for the rest of the article!
BlueRailTrains.com Smart Train Control
BachmannTrains.com EZ-App Train Control