Every one of the large commercial layouts that I have ever seen are usually based on loops of track. Continuous running is what the general public wants to see. Consider the layout at the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, it is a series of loops also. I have never been to Hamburg, but I think what is more impressive is that the team at Miniatur Wunderland have been able to build a substantial business from a model. It really is a lot more than a model train layout as it is loaded with scenes that people will recognize and relate to that have nothing to do with MRR.
I would assume that something on this scale would influence a lot of people getting into MRR? Does Hamburg have a high density of modellers?
Actually, I would expect just the opposite to be true. In europe, dwelling space is at a premium and the cost of model trains far in excess of that found in the States. After having viewed it and having a place like Miniature Wunderland nearby, why would you want to build a small shelf layout, or a 4x6, at a cost of some thousands of Euros, for your home? The results would be pretty discouraging by comparison.
On the other hand, perhaps the locals don’t even visit the location more than once…it’s really meant for the tourists!
I for one am impressed at the scale of the layout. Whether or not you like the operating style of this layout, the builder obviously had a dream and built his vision. the fact that he/she also makes money at it is a testiment to his/her greatness. How many of us have actually taken our dream to the point where we live it?
You can cut down what you don’t like about the layout. I choose to admire the person who created his vision.
I agree with the last post. Even if you do not like to operate something like this, you have to admire the modeling, artistry and technology that went into what is there.
Yes, this may be the largest, but again, is the biggest always the best?? the layout seems to be cluttered with thousands and thousands of little items, far too much “stuff”, but I have seen layouts here in North America that are depicting a certain era or specific scene only to have it ruined by filling every nook and cranny with “stuff” cars, trucks, people, animals, wagons, baggage, boxes, containers, poles, wires, trees, buses, etc etc etc etc, until there is not one square inch of space anywhere, it then becomes very unrealistic, much like the scene in Europe.
While I think we must be careful to check ourselves for any taste of ‘sour grapes’ , I’m pretty underwhelmed by it overall. I agree completely that it’s more like a diorama with trains than a model railroad set. It’s far too overdone for my taste. Too many lights, too many gadgets and gimmicks. The overall effect is far too “toy” for my taste.
In the “credit where it’s due” department, the size of it is impressive, the amount of work, time, money, etc. are all quite stunning. I wi***he operators tremendous success and believe that anything which helps promote this hobby is essentially good.
In the end, what I can say with complete certainty is this: If I had $7 MIL that was going to go toward model railroading, I would have something very, very different than this. I’d do something MUCH more geared toward trying to model a prototype realistically. E.G. I wouldn’t use all that space to have 11 different dioramas/scenes, but to try and have something approaching prototypical level runs… I already have far, far less tracks and buildings per sq. ft. than many layouts, and I’d just extend that to the nth degree.
I must agree with you tatans. Almost every Euro layout I’ve ever seen are in that style. Another thing I don’t like, of what I can see in the pictures, is the plastic and shiny look everything has. Some of us fall in the mistake of craming our layouts with models and tracks, no matter if they don’t have any operational use, or are just out of context.
General public like anything that moves by itself, loop or not. The loop thing, I beleive, is for practical control reasons. It is easier to leave 10 trains running on a loop all day, that having those same 10 trains interchanging tracks, waiting at sidings, switching and everything. The risk of derailing or crashing is reduced to a minimum, and when running 700 trains at the same time, I think loops are safer.
I will not criticize the Miniature Wunderland for it’s “crowded” appearance. It’s Europe, and Europe IS crowded. Miniature Wunderland is a TOURIST ATTRACTION, as is Northlandz, Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and Balboa Park to name but a few. ALL, I’m sure, can be faulted for this and that.
There are also things I’ve seen on THIS forum which cause a serious “Hmmmm,” but criticize another’s idea of what THEIR railroad should look like? I don’t think so.
This is a HOBBY, and therefore, there are many interpretations…
I thought that layout was based on U.S. railroads?(not European) I’d love to know what they used for the side marker lights on the emergency vehicals.
I’d love to go see it. Thanks for posting the stats on it. (90,000 figures WOW!)
[#ditto] I lived in Germany for some 25 years and urban Europe is indeed much more crowded than the US. The track density of the layout is, while somewhat exagerated, representative.of the density in Europe. In urban areas, the traffic, population, stuff,etc, is a lot more like Manhatten than Denver or other US cities.
A lot of things are also pretty colorful and new looking, afterall we did nearly level much of Germany during WW2, so much of the infrastructure and buildings and roads are newer than in the US (less than 50 years old). The Europeans are also “greener”, they’re very anal about keeping everything clean and fresh. You realy wouldn’t see very many weathered and dirty buildings. Real life there really does look like those Faller and Kibri models!
Their cities and towns are also very well lit. You can’t find a street, residential or commercial that doesn’t have street lights. Where ever there is a house, there’s a street light, whereas here in the US most housing developments have only a few if any street lights, (mine has one for 50 homes).
So, one would expect a European style layout to be dense, colorful and well lit.
And as others have said before me, it’s their layout and they can build it any way they want.
BTW, when I was 15, living in Heidelberg, Germany, i
fron what i know the fire engines are running on a modified faller car system with a postionsdevice so that the computer knows where each car is and therefore can controll them… the car system is like a railroad in a railroad…
each car has the following functions:
i will try to translate
Indicator left,
Indicator right,
Hazard lights on/off,
Lights on/off,
Emergency lights on/off - There are 4 variants (Round, double-flasher, etc)
Front flasher on/off (the blue lamps, modern fire engines have mounted in the grille) - 7 variants here.
10 speed steps,
Automatic engine off, if involved in an accident
Load control,
Brake lights, self -contained “watchdog” for the battery (the result is “transmitted” to the PC by changing the speed)
supporting functions for charging the batteries, which is done automatically via the outside mirrors (the vhicle reports the status of the battery to the computer-controlled charging lane using controlled “cuts” of the charging voltage. The charging lane in turn qualifies these informations and sends them to the PC).
8 additional functions are available which may be used as is applicable per vehicle (i. e. fog lights, cabin lighting, sound, beam, stage lighting in the Love-Parade truck, fire-flickering with up to 40 LEDs,…)
In american fire engines, all in all 14 contacts are reserved for emergency lights / flashers.
i am not an electronic fan but the leds can be looked up with the following Part Numbers.
Item-# Type Color
153363 0603 green
153352 0603 yellow
15336
i met the two brothers… the orginally owned a discothek… and then started i believe in 2000 this layout… the borrowed money and rent the space… since it grew so fast… they now have 120 employees and are open 365 days a week… we once had to wait 2 hours in line to get in… more then 3 million visitors in 5 years… yep it is a business… what makes it worthwhile is that it still has several innovative ideas… and some real modelling… just the car system is a treat…
they are now building an operating airport based on the car system… and the new alps will be two stories high… they are opening up the basement of one floor and you will be able to walk from the top floor through the alps to the mediterean ocean… the alps will be 7 meters high. that is 21 feet…
you can see the faller car system slider beneath the fire engine…