What I have been up to..., ...besides the occasional train simming... Options

[sstyrnol]

Quite a while ago, I started an N-Scale US-themed layout, which I unfortunately became frustrated with due to the difficulty of getting stuff for. But I still wanted a small-ish layout to do some switching and run my favourite trains.

Meanwhile I became interested in digital control for model railways. So I wanted to have a small layout with all the bells and whistles (quite literal actually (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif) ) of modern electronics.

So I went back to my roots and started planning an H0 scale Märklin layout. This is what I came up with ultimately:

(IMG:http://img402.imageshack.us/img402/6797/110223illustrationwaldb.png)

The theme is the end of a branchline "somewhere in the foothills of Germany" in the 60s/70s. On the line is a small gravel loading facility and the station also features the German equivalent to a farmer's coop.

The model railroad is integrated partially in the furniture of my study to save space. There are two levels with the lower level featuring a staging area with four tracks.

Trains will be pulled by a variety of locos ranging from 2-6-2t steamers, 2-10-0 steamers, diesel rail cars and diesel locos.

I started putting together the first modules:

(IMG:http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/6325/img1440800.jpg)

Provisional track to see how it'll turn out:

(IMG:http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/8504/img1452800.jpg)

And it kept on growing:

(IMG:http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/3614/moba002.jpg)

...and growing...

(IMG:http://img859.imageshack.us/img859/7885/110317baufortschritt.jpg)

...and still growing...

(IMG:http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/1673/img1537800.jpg)

...this winter featured the first scenery, a custom-built tunnel portal:

(IMG:http://img823.imageshack.us/img823/7137/modellbahn004.jpg)

Little things (laser cut construction kit of a weir):

(IMG:http://img546.imageshack.us/img546/3932/modellbahn005.jpg)

The signalling gang is putting up semaphore signals:

(IMG:http://img515.imageshack.us/img515/1972/img7288f.jpg)

The first greenery is being put down:

(IMG:http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/1930/img3175m.jpg)

(IMG:http://img11.imageshack.us/img11/360/img3176fb.jpg)

The construction season (aka winter) was finalized by a big locomotive parade in the still unsceniced station:

From left to right: Class 23 (a medium 2-6-2 passenger steamer), Class 64 (a 2-6-2t light multi-purpose steamer), Class 50 (a medium 2-10-0 freight steamer)

(IMG:http://img716.imageshack.us/img716/7818/lokparade1.jpg)

(IMG:http://img594.imageshack.us/img594/1064/lokparade5.jpg)

A Class 52 medium freight engine. This class of locomotives was built in the thousands during WW2. They were simplified Class 50 steamers that should help in the war effort. After WW2 they were indispensable and well-loved by the crews because they were rugged and simple and with low per-axle weight could even run on light branchline tracks.

(IMG:http://img839.imageshack.us/img839/5683/lokparade4.jpg)

A Class 215 diesel-hydraulic engine, which with its 3,000 hp could pull anything from heavy freight trains to passenger trains. It was equipped with steam heat generators, which starting in the 1980s were removed, when electric train heating became common-place. Some still remain as Class 225 freight engines.

(IMG:http://img703.imageshack.us/img703/1897/lokparade3.jpg)

On the left, a rail bus, a small diesel-mechanical vehicle, which much like the RDCs saved passenger service on many branchlines. They were actually a derivative of road vehicle technology.

(IMG:http://img528.imageshack.us/img528/548/lokparade2.jpg)

More to come later... (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)