View Full Version : Model railways your thing?
Skybird
10-19-07, 07:34 PM
This, they say, is the biggest model railway in the world, scale 1:87 (H0), placed in a hall of 3000 m2 in size:
http://www.loxx-berlin.com/en/index.html (English). Check "Pictures and Videos" and switch between both categories.
German (slightly bigger website): http://www.loxx-berlin.com/de/index.html
The model railway is located in Berlin, has just moved to a new, greater location at Alexanderplatz, and gives an image of a miniaturized Berlin in scale 1:87. In order for a new A380 model to be presented (animated during taxing and take-off !! ), the whole airport section had to be reconstructed, due to the weight of the new model.
It has been on German TV repeatedly, and I once saw it years ago, in real life. It is a giant monster. The control centre now has over 50 computer terminals. Total length of all cables build into the model installation is over 70 km, all cables needed to control it all are 700 km. They construct all models and buildings themselves, and all trains needed manual reworking and constant maintenance due to the constant use, they also built vacuum-cleaner trains and camera trains. 400 trains simultaneously running. 5 km of railway tracks. 55.000 figurines, 1200 buildlings, and countless moving cars and trucks and airplanes. Manual workers for example spend up to 3 weeks to equip a single model truck with up to 300 mini-LEDs. For full operation, a staff of 40 people is needed.
For the recent moving to a new location, 240 huge truckloads were needed.
NiclDoe
10-19-07, 07:37 PM
Very cool stuff and i have some train hobbies so this is cool. :up:
Wow! that's so cool! What's not to like? I thought every bloke liked playing with trains!
Gotta love the tiny model of the couple getting it on in their flat next to the railway line, adds a whole new meaning to 'Going like a train':rotfl:
:D Chock
This, they say, is the biggest model railway in the world, scale 1:87 (H0), 3000 m2 in size:
There is another crew in Hamburg ...
and each few month for the last years the other one claimed "NOW I am bigger" ... this stuff is ...***erased***
But their work is outstanding great! I will visit both within the next 12 month!
Skybird
10-19-07, 07:53 PM
Ah, so Hamburg is for real, I did not remember if I mixed it up in my memories, or if there really was a second monster railway in Hamburg.
they have a 30 min video on their site (Berlin), exclusively from the perspective of their camera trains running over the compelte setting. It currently is not active, but it is a good idea to chekc back every week if they have uploaded it again. the link is the last in "Videos". Saw it once on TV - fascinating, and like travelling in real life!
I just checked for the webpage of those guys: http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/
(Hamburg folks)
Something still on my todo list
It's perfect fo a weekend trip: Hamburg -Berlin is under 1,5 h by train
Saturday: first city, sunday: the other one :D
The only thing i don't like about it is it's way too clean. Looks like the team that built the layout needs a good weathering person.
Skybird
10-19-07, 08:13 PM
From the installation in Hamburg:
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/anlage/video/zugmitfahrt/aktuell/
These are videos of cameras installed on the trains.
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/anlage/video/carsystem/aktuell/
These are two videos of cameras mounted on cars.
NiclDoe
10-19-07, 08:30 PM
:damn: :damn: Skybird your making me drool over my new keyboard with this stuff.:damn: :nope:
From the installation in Hamburg:
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/anlage/video/zugmitfahrt/aktuell/
These are videos of cameras installed on the trains.
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/anlage/video/carsystem/aktuell/
These are two videos of cameras mounted on cars.
That is very cool!
TteFAboB
10-20-07, 03:11 AM
Where's my Godzilla costume?
Skybird
10-20-07, 04:48 AM
While we are at it, Kujo has released the successor to MS train simulator, named "Rail Simulator". Originally planned to be released by Microsoft, it now comes under the EA label. Graphics look fine:
http://www.google.de/imgres?imgurl=http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/e/ee/Rail_Simulator_Editor.jpg/300px-Rail_Simulator_Editor.jpg&imgrefurl=http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_Simulator&h=225&w=300&sz=20&hl=de&start=27&tbnid=hT82DOCx3feNdM:&tbnh=87&tbnw=116&prev=/images%3Fq%3DRail%2BSimulator%26start%3D20%26as_st %3Dy%26ndsp%3D20%26svnum%3D10%26hl%3Dde%26sa%3DN
http://www.simhq.com/_commentary/all_037a.html
Too bad for me, I have half a dozen of german route-addons for TS, for all the routes that I know from real life, and rail station that I happen to have used often, plus nice packages focussing on Berlin subway and city railway. It will take years until these get all replaced, so I am doomed to stay with Train simulator much longer. Don't play TS often, though, only when getting home sickness :D.
Since all this build-a-world-stuff is always a festival of imagination, it isn't that bad, though.
My grandfather had build a model railway in his cellar, a Minitrix, mounted on a plate of size 4,5 x 6,5 meters. It was very huge, considering that the models are much smaller than H0. He had to break a wall to build the thing into the neighbouring cellar as well (the house is ours). He built the landscape and everything else all himself and alone, and constantly changed it, over roughly 16-17 years. the control podest had switches for over 200 points, around 50 switches for special functions and light effects, and 7 transformer boxes. I never was in model railway building myself, but as a kid i loved to stand and watch of course (controlling it all was not possible due to lacking knowledge of the layout and switches).
What happened to it, you ask? A tragedy. the marriage was not happy, and was pure war. After he died, my grandmother took an act of final revenge and did not even try to get an interested customer, she called some craftsmen, let them separate it with saws, and had them taken it away with the garbage.
Well, what to say. I have had my problems with both of them after having become old enough to understand some things from the past.
Not even a single photo survived. You would have loved the sight! Since it was a much smaller scale than H0, it really was HUGE.
Jimbuna
10-20-07, 07:21 AM
Where's my Godzilla costume?
LMAO :rotfl:
sunvalleyslim
10-20-07, 03:50 PM
Always liked Lionel trains and their scale "O" better than HO.........
NiclDoe
10-21-07, 12:44 AM
the largest Lionael makes is the G gauge which i have. I also have the O guage Blue Comet the one that was in NJ where I live.
bookworm_020
10-21-07, 09:07 PM
Nice!:up: I was into the HO scale trains for many year, but gave them away and helped my dad with his N gauge trains.
We went to one of the largest model train exibits in Australia a month ago. Had a ball, we're planning in the future to take my nephew along. He already love's Pa's trains, but can be a destructive force on nature when near the layout!:roll:
Dmitry Markov
10-22-07, 09:09 AM
Model railways rulezzzz :rock: I am planning to build N-gauge, but of course I do not have a room for 4,5x6.5m one ;) So I think it would be nice small German/Swiss/Austrian railroad of epoche I about 1,5x2m. I have already bought a Minitrix start set. Plus I have some HO stuff. My daughter is another trains fan though she's only five years old.
Best Regards!
Model railways and grown men :o very disturbing.
Model railways and grown men :o very disturbing.
Boys NEVER grow up! Girls grow up.
Boys just learn how to earn some money and feed themselves between playing with toys and games. So they can get more expensive toys than before.
Jimbuna
10-22-07, 11:58 AM
Model railways and grown men :o very disturbing.
The difference between men and boys is only the price of the toys ;)
SUBMAN1
10-22-07, 12:17 PM
Model railways and grown men :o very disturbing.About as disturbing as grown men playing video games! :D Besides, children can't afford model trains these days anyway. A decent N scale engine will cost between $100 to $300 alone. Then you need to spend gobs of cash on cars and accesories. It is not to be taken lightly, from a wallet perspective.
I made the mistake ONCE of saying that they looked kind of cool while looking through some magazine, and wound up getting a ton of it for Christmas one year. Careful what one says during Christmas time. I know I am a hard person to buy presents for, but that was a bit rediculous. I did set it up once, but that tiny track is too fragile. Looses connection easily. Maybe one day I'll get around to making a permanent setup for it in some room, but for now, it sits buried in storage bins for the last 10 years.
I'm looking for a bigger house right now anyway, so maybe I'll make sure I have a dedicated hobbie room, and dedicated computer room this time. Right now, my computer hardware eats up an entire room so I have no room for anything else.
-S
Model railways and grown men :o very disturbing.About as disturbing as grown men playing video games!
Polar neck jumper smoking pipe and a nice soft pair of slippers. :D
Jimbuna
10-22-07, 12:42 PM
Model railways and grown men :o very disturbing.About as disturbing as grown men playing video games!
Polar neck jumper smoking pipe and a nice soft pair of slippers. :D
Hey...stop looking at my pressie list :lol:
You forgot the underwear and socks ;)
Thermal long johns in this weather. :D :rotfl:
SUBMAN1
10-22-07, 01:17 PM
Whoosshhhh! Right over my head! Didn't get that one....
-S
Whoosshhhh! Right over my head! Didn't get that one....
-S
It's a British thing. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
SUBMAN1
10-22-07, 01:22 PM
Whoosshhhh! Right over my head! Didn't get that one....
-S
It's a British thing. :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol:
Figured.
http://www.1950s-fashions.co.uk/fashionpictures/man-fashion-top.jpg
Jimbuna
10-22-07, 01:52 PM
Thermal Long Johns :p
http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/5058/thljzq5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
My heater has packed up, man I could go for them right now.
(Shivering)
Where's my Godzilla costume?
LMAO...weee good one.:up:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=MVKySmZ-nPk
Jimbuna
10-22-07, 02:31 PM
My heater has packed up, man I could go for them right now.
(Shivering)
What ya mean :o ...there yours...you can keep em :p
My heater has packed up, man I could go for them right now.
(Shivering)
What ya mean :o ...there yours...you can keep em :p
I wish they were, I'm bloody freezing here shame I haven't got a model railway set I could sell it for a new heater. :rotfl:
Time for another hot drink. :yep:
Jimbuna
10-22-07, 02:52 PM
My heater has packed up, man I could go for them right now.
(Shivering)
What ya mean :o ...there yours...you can keep em :p
I wish they were, I'm bloody freezing here shame I haven't got a model railway set I could sell it for a new heater. :rotfl:
Time for another hot drink. :yep:
Your in fine form this evening Victor ;)
The SubSim Two Ronnies
http://www.bbc.co.uk/comedy/content/images/2007/08/03/tworonnies_1_396x222.jpg
Skybird
10-22-07, 04:04 PM
http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/8418/muppetsstatlerwaldorfzm9.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
Guess who of the two is me :smug:
Jimbuna
10-22-07, 04:16 PM
@STEED
I've certainly been referred to as worse :p
Can I be the one that's still alive ;)
@Skybird
The one with little hair :lol:
@STEED
I've certainly been referred to as worse :p
Can I be the one that's still alive ;)
If you like I'm the other. We're have to do a thread some time and crack everyone up with it. :D :lol: :rotfl:
Jimbuna
10-22-07, 04:23 PM
@STEED
I've certainly been referred to as worse :p
Can I be the one that's still alive ;)
If you like I'm the other. We're have to do a thread some time and crack everyone up with it. :D :lol: :rotfl:
Your on :yep:
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