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Press Information 02:
Summary of Model Railway Layouts at IMA 2014 Cologne
Gauge G (IIm): Club of LGB Friends Rhein/Sieg
The Meckenheim layout, constructed in gauge G (aka gauge IIm), depicts a narrow-gauge railway in an appealing landscape. The catenary system for the operation of electric locomotives was completely developed and constructed by the club. The landscape includes a large number of attractive timber-framed houses also all designed and built by club members. Interesting little scenes catch the eye: Near the station a fire drill is being held, and on a large farm the daily work with cattle is in progress. On the busy platforms of the large station the joy and pain of arriving and departing passengers are evident. Steam, diesel and electric locomotives add to the appeal of this model railway layout with a variety of different freight and passenger cars.
Operator: Club der LGB-Freunde Rhein/Sieg
Size of layout: 30 x 3.80 metres
Theme: Railway operation on a narrow-gauge line with catenary
Gauge G (IIm): Railway Work Group Königslutter e.V.
This layout has a three-track railway station on each side, with a fourth line adjoining the two. Around the "Annen Hohne" station, a collection of houses are based on Kirchstrasse in Wernigerode. And at the rear are "Alexisbad" station, a signal box and the Werningerode narrow gauge railway depot. On the right hand side you can see the Kirchberg mountain rack railway. Detailed scenes include a wedding with bells ringing and photographers' cameras flashing, or a barbecue with smoking grill, and a running fountain. These and other eye-catching scenes such as a children's playground and a restaurant come from the club's own workshop and are unique.
Operator: Arbeitsgemeinschaft Eisenbahn Königslutter e.V.
Size of layout: 15 x 3 metres
Theme: Landscape depicts the Harz mountain region
Gauge 1: Model Railway Work Group Spur 1 Hannover
The basic form of this layout is a triangle, with an additional loop. There are approx. 150 m of track, a turntable, a diamond crossing and 25 sets of points. The minimum radius is 1650 mm, with the entrance into the curves greater than 2000 mm. The layout represents a station on a double track in northern Germany. Trains can run not only in a circle but can also shunt between the station and the depot. The landscape is rural and the work group are constantly adding new features. Picturesque details such as a stream with a small lake and a farm inside the loop liven up the overall impression, without overloading the layout. It is run digitally with Motorola and DCC Protocol. The rolling stock from Märklin, Hübner, Kiss, Benecken and KM1 is privately owned.
Operator: Modellbahn-Arbeitsgemeinschaft Spur 1 Hannover
Size of layout: 12 x 16 metres
Theme: Double-track station in northern Germany
Spur 1: Franz Stellmaszyk, Brakes yesterday and today
Franz Stellmaszyk is going to surprise visitors at IMA in Cologne with his 24th world record. Having taken on the Sisyphean task of installing 16 brake shoes on a four-axle Märklin carriage, the model now brakes in the exact same functional way as the original. "Brakes yesterday and today" is Stellmaszyk's favourite topic. Those who know him also know his passion for detail, and that for some time he has being adding the special feature of fully functioning brakes to his engines and wagons. The accuracy of his work has been certified by both the technical inspection authority and German Rail. "Brakes yesterday and today" is a special dimension in gauge I. Designed after the marshalling yard at Cologne-Gremberg, the most modern yard of its kind in Europe, the scene shows a modified Märklin goods wagon with brakes that operate accurately thanks to the world’s smallest ever chock. The wagon fitted with 16 brake shoes comes to a halt in accordance with today’s standards, and as an absolute highlight the shunting operation of the Märklin diesel engine is slowed down by retarders on the track. The discreetly used radio control is sure to astound spectators. Franz Stellmaszyk himself will demonstrate and explain the layout.
Operator: Franz Stellmaszyk, Cologne
Size of layout: 7 x 3 metres
Theme: Brakes yesterday and today
Gauge 0e: Museum railway Broichhausen
This is the only portable 0e layout operated exclusively with Märklin MINEX. Märklin MINEX was manufactured only between 1969 and1972 and is therefore exceedingly rare. The layout presents a different motif on each of the four sides. From a coalmine to a panorama of the Alps, spectators can view the almost square layout in front of four different photo backgrounds. On the layout there are approx. 200 figures and animals, about 50 cars, trucks, tractors and motorcycles. On the museum railway in scale 1:43 three steam locomotives, a sound generator, a diesel locomotive, four passenger carriages and 6 goods wagons can be seen in action.
Operator: Josef Broich, Troisdorf
Size of layout: 4.70 x 4,10 metres
Theme: Museum Railway Broichhausen
Gauge 0e: The Stadtoldendorf Gypsum Railway
The 0e model of the Stadtoldendorf Gypsum Railway shows the mining, processing and transport of gypsum from the quarry to the gypsum works right up to the loading of the finished product. All these operations comply with the actual events on the line which ran until 1958. Buildings as well as the vehicles were, where possible, reproduced using the original construction drawings or copied and scaled from old photos. A special feature of the layout is a replica of the brake incline with which the narrow-gauge wagons are drawn up to the level of the federal railway tracks. Four or five engine drivers will control the locos digitally, while the crossover points and coupling have to be operated by hand.
Operator: Modellbahn-Club Holzminden
Size of layout: 11 x 8 metres
Theme: The Stadtoldendorf Gypsum Railway
Gauge 0: Mike Bisset (Scotland), Steam train operation in the 60s
Mike Bisset is bringing his gauge 0 layout from Scotland. He designed and built his "St.Marnock Engine Shed", an imaginary railway layout showing train operation in the 1960s in and around Kilmarnock station (which does exist). The shed itself is a three-track structure, featuring the cathedral style architecture typical of the ex G&SWR sheds such as Ayr and Hurlford. It boasts an unusually large turntable, capable of handling the biggest express locomotives. This layout brings the good old days back to life - with live steam!
Operator: Mike Bisset, Ladeside, Scotland
Size of layout: 7.50 x 2.50 metres
Theme: Steam train operation in the 1960s
Gauge TT: Modellbahn-Club Guben
The special feature of this layout is a self-constructed video train with a 5.8 GHz transmission path, where the live image is transmitted to a monitor, so that spectators get the impression of riding in the engine cab. Another train is packed full of electronics, such as a VW transporter loaded at the end of a car carrier with beeping and flashing alarm system. Around the layout are 10 function buttons that can be activated by spectators themselves. The diversity of the layout includes not just trains but also road vehicles, and the clever electronics can differentiate between buses and trucks, so that only the buses start and stop at the bus station. The police can be seen stopping speeders alongside the lake by means of a random generator. There is so much to see and do on this layout that goes far beyond the usual level of entertainment thanks to its exceptional electronics.
Operator: Modellbahn-Club Guben e.V.
Size of layout: 3,20 x 5,00 metres
Theme: Video train and spectator involvement
Gauge N: N-Bahner Cologne
The Cologne N-Bahner club operates a gauge N module layout in scale 1:160. The digitally run layout enables all formats compatible with Selectrix. The landscape depicts summer scenes in a hilly region of Germany with town and village flair. The trains shown are from eras 3 and 4, for example long freight and coal trains pulled by steam or diesel engines, also the legendary Rheingold, classic E + D trains, but also an Intercity with the famous E 103. There's plenty of action on this layout, whether rolling stock or functional models - swings and roundabouts, windmills and cranes. The N-Bahner club makes a point of keeping close to the original, setting a fixed scale for their modules and their hobby.
Operator: NBK - N-Bahner Köln
Size of layout: 15 x 8 metres
Theme: Depicts a double-track electric line with stations, platform stops, industrial and goods areas
Gauge N: Japanese high-speed railway line
The motive is a part of a city with historic town centre, surrounded by modern buildings and a station. The high-speed railway (Shinkansen) travels through rural Japan with agriculture, tunnels and bridges. On a lower level a passenger train runs on a branch line. Both lines use the station, with stops controlled independently by timers. Using oscillating controls the branch line locomotives run first right then left around the track. The automatic layout combines various Japanese motifs without depicting a specific region. Young visitors will love the long high-speed trains, while adult visitors are impressed by the exotic Japanese theme. When KATO introduced gauge N models of the Shinkansen to the German market the club had the idea of building this layout, although no one had ever been to Japan. So a great deal of internet and film research was necessary before construction was able to start.
Operator: Modelleisenbahn und Eisenbahnfreunde Halle-Stadtmitte e.V.
Size of layout: 6,30 x 1,80 metres
Theme: Japanese high-speed line
Gauge Z: Six layouts at IMA Cologne 2014
Two clubs have got together to present their model railway gauge at IMA 2014: The Z-Club International and the Z-Freunde International are bringing no less than six layouts in the smallest of all model railway gauges: gauge Z, in scale 1:220. The layouts include a fully functioning model of the Hamburg-Altona depot with its famous double turntable and strikingly large roundhouse, a replica of railway operations in Berlin's legendary Anhalter station before the war, two large module layouts showing King Ludwig's Neuschwanstein Castle and other German landmarks, and the smallest layout of all which includes a television and is likely to attract the youngest visitors...
Operator: Z-Club International and Z-Freunde International
Size of display: 15 x 4 m
Theme: various
Gauge H0: Norwegian mountain railway
The H0 model railway layout 'Finse Station' was built by Modellbau-Team Cologne. The original station can be found on the line from Oslo to Bergen at an elevation of 1,222 metres, making it the highest situated station in northern Europe. The layout depicts a Norwegian fjord with a small two-track station. And of course as in the original setting, no trees will be found growing on this model railway. The wooden 'tunnel' that can be seen in pictures and a video serves as winter protection for the switch points, as normal switch heating would not work under up to 6 metres of snow. Finse evolved during construction of the railway line and consists of the station, a hotel directly opposite the platform and a small museum showing the history of mountain railways. On the layout everything complies with the original from the track system and tunnel entrances to the rolling stock and buildings. The depth of the layout is quite impressive, not just a couple of metres to be able to rescue derailed trains, but more than twice as deep giving a striking optical effect.
Operator: Norsk Modell Jernbane A/S, Schweden
Size of layout: 14 x 5 metres
Theme: Norwegian mountain railway
Gauge H0: Fredensborg (Denmark), Danish railway scenery
The module layout in H0 is shaped like a dogbone with Fredensborg station in the middle and two loop modules. Lille Nord is the name used for the route between Hillerød and Helsingør. Fredensborg castle is the summer residence of Denmark's Queen Margrethe II., and so the station building sets the scene for the Queen's arrival by train in meticulous detail. A new module depicts the Svea ferry, which operates between Helsingør and Helsingborg. Movable landing bridges allow shunting operations to and from the ferry. Trucks and buses drive around the layout with the Faller car system and can even drive onto the ferry, where automatic barriers and warning lights control the traffic. The scenery is typically Danish and includes all trains that ever ran in Denmark - from era I up to the present day era VI. The layout is digitally controlled. Up to five trains can run on the layout at the same time.
Operator: Fredensborg Modeljernbaneforening, Dänemark
Size of layout: 18 x 2 metres
Theme: Typical Danish model railway scene
Gauge H0: Niedertal railway (Netherlands)
The "Niedertal railway" layout consists of a railway line somewhere in mid Germany with trains from era III. The models are true-to-original replicas of trains that ran in that period (it is important to the operators of the layout that the definition 'era' applies not only to time but also place and activity). Their target is to create a harmonious overall impression for the spectators.
A ten-track station in a small town is the starting points for the trains. At the nearby railway depot locomotives are being overhauled and filled up with coal and water - to be ready for the next assignment.