ESTABLISHED toy manufacturer Hornby is making tracks to the internet with the launch of an online toy auction website.

The 100-year-old model manufacturer in Ramsgate commissioned Folkestone-based creative agency Sagittarius to design and build the website, which will give online auction site ebay a run for its money.

The new site – www.model-auctions.com – is open to any model or toy over three-years-old and which is not listed in the manufacturer’s current catalogue.

Products including Action Man, Barbie, My Little Pony and Sylvanian Families are expected to retail alongside Hornby’s own products including trains and Scalextric.

Hornby’s chief executive, Frank Martin, is enthusiastic about his organisation’s move into e-commerce.

He said: "We like to keep abreast of sales and marketing trends, and just as importantly we like to give our loyal customers what they want.

"In setting up this auction site we’re doing just that, providing our customers and model enthusiasts generally with the opportunity to expand and evolve their collections in a global marketplace.

"We have conducted careful research into the arena of electronic marketing, and feel that with our market leader status we are well positioned to take the lead in establishing a dedicated forum for the enthusiast."

Paul Stephen, director of Sagittarius Marketing, added: "We’ve been working with Hornby for seven years on the Hornby and Scalextric sites and this new move is an eagerly-awaited event offering ordinary users the opportunity to buy and sell backed by a trusted corporate name.

"As Hornby itself points out, purists may lament the passing of steam, but railways must modernise to stay alive – and Hornby has modernised with them."

To bid or post an auction, users must register. Registration is free and basic sales listings cost the seller just 5p with a choice of upgrades available.

The site uses the number one online payment solution PayPal to ensure safe real-time payment.