The following links are to one of the best public display models, I’ve seen.
I don’t often post on the MR Forum, but I thought this was the most appropriate place to share the two videos of the miniature railroad and a working model of an airport
( Flughafen) and model railroad, in the same venue.
( I do not speak, or read German, but I think the venue is in Hamburg(?)
The videos are a bit long ( about10+ minutes,each) but the way the movement on the airport are choreographed is amazing, and the railroad and scenery is well worth the time, IMHO.
I hope everyone will enjoy them. If someone knows any more information, please post it.
Yes, Sam - as it says in the text immediately under the video in the youtube page you linked to, Miniature Wunderland is indeed in Hamburg, German.
These videos are posted to the Model Railroader forum on average about once a month by someone who imagines that he is the first to receive the much forwarded email or facebook link
Years ago, I was really, heavily into modeling and layouts; not so much any more. But I still appreciate a layout like that one at Hamburg. A cousin who retired from Delta Airlines, after three plus decades with them, sent me the airport part of the video. It really blew him away!
It is amazing to me the smooth operations that demonstrates, and the way they make the planes taking off, and disappearing. [wow] The scenery construction and the way the towns are populated, not to mention how well the urban parts seem to function, lighting effects and all.
Like many ‘discoveries’; first, you want to keep and enjoy them for yourself, and then second, you know you must share them with folks who can appreciate that level of workmanship, and quality of operation. [bow] I have no idea how much money it would take to build something like that, and then keep it functioning! My bet is that it would boggle the mind.[:-^]
Stay cool everybody, I am gonna take about 25 minuten, and watch bo
I think it is great. Minatur Wunderland has done a huge amount to promote the hobby and I think it is neat to see so many folks get excited about their display. I have every intention of going to Hamburg one day, to see the attraction. Just because there are a bunch of regulars on here that see the same threads pop up on a regular basis, does not mean that there are new subscribers that have never seen the links. So don’t feel bad about posting it, you may well have opened it up to a bunch of folks who otherwise would not have seen it.
I have the pleasure of living only a half-hour train ride from Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg and I have been there a number of times.
It is a fantastic show layout, with a lot of attention to detail, sometimes a little too gimmicky for my taste, but that´s OK for a commercial display. And commercial it is, indeed. It has proven to be a great success, providing a big boost in publicity for our hobby.
But it is not a model railroad, as we understand it.
So far, construction has cost about somewhere between 12 and 20 million Euro (i.e. between 14 and 24 million US dollars) - it was at 12 million Euro in the summer of 2010.
Didn’t see anything on operating costs per year straight away, but they have quite a few skilled people working for them, and are operating a multi-floor building in a city - it ain’t going to be cheap.
These guys are pushing the edge in layout automation, adding things like planes and boats to stuff that is automated, using 40-50 computers to run the various sequences among the 8 parts of the layout.
Sorry, but I have to correct you. It is all about trains. In your defense I have to admit that the videos mainly focus on the non-train related effects.
