Greetings rail fans,
Ive been into HO trains for sometime and have recently switched over from American prototype (NKP) to European (reichsbahn era II) I'm thinking this is my mid life train crises..LOL
Im wondering if thier are any euro fans stalking these forums or anyone with info for someone like myself now that Ive gone to the dark side. Thanks
Hi, have you looked at possible manufacturers for rolling stock for this time frame? Since it is between 1920 and 1948 there is very little diesel activity, an awful lot of steam and some electric locomotives.
Here is web page from a forum in Germany that deals with buildings from your era http://www.miniatur-wunderland.de/community/forum/deutsche-reichspost-t7943.html. It is actually from the forum from the Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg.
Also how good is your german?
Frank
"If you need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm."
Hi Rommel,
I am from the Netherlands and I read German quite well. If you need help with translation feel free to PM me.
Any idea what you are going to model?
Branchline end station or mainline with branchline (in German its called "Paradestrecke mit abzweigendem Nebenbahn" to show of those expensive steamers) are the usual popular options over here.
greetings,
Marc Immeker
GTX765 wrote:I am glad tax season is here.
You're not sick, are you?
I usually get some money back but those forms, bah!
I speak German quite well and can also offer help on translation if you don't mind that the English is far from perfect. If you need any help with German manufacturers, online shops or other sources, feel free to contact me - though I myself don't model a German railway right now. Do you already have an idea for a track plan or an area and scenery?
Ordering from a German store (like Lokshop) might be an option in spite of the shipping cost. However, I don't know if you have to pay any taxes on the models.
Harry
Rommel wrote: Greetings rail fans,Ive been into HO trains for sometime and have recently switched over from American prototype (NKP) to European (reichsbahn era II) I'm thinking this is my mid life train crises..LOLIm wondering if thier are any euro fans stalking these forums or anyone with info for someone like myself now that Ive gone to the dark side. Thanks
Why not check into the ETE (European Train Enthusiasts). There's a link to active chapters here: http://www.ete.org/
Turns out, there's on in NH.
Andre
marcimmeker wrote: Hi Rommel,I am from the Netherlands and I read German quite well. If you need help with translation feel free to PM me.Any idea what you are going to model? Branchline end station or mainline with branchline (in German its called "Paradestrecke mit abzweigendem Nebenbahn" to show of those expensive steamers) are the usual popular options over here.greetings,Marc Immeker
I have a few ideas Im working on,
The plan is a basic dog bone with a passenger station at one end some rolling countryside leading to a port or harbor. a shelf type layout along the walls of a 16 x 12 room with no duck unders I like to just let the trains run for guests and also be able to do some point to point switching, trains leave station and runs to Port. The port provides freight and passengers back to the station with a nice scenic country side in between.
This picture is one end near the entrance of the room rest needs to be planned and built, Im currently reading or just looking at two books for inspiration,
Marklins Das Gleisplanbuck by Klause Eckert all in german but the pictures are cool! LOL
And Almost Real -Fast Wie Echt (josef brandls astounding model railroads) by Markus Tiedtke
This book is AWESOME cause its in German AND English the scenery is the best Ive ever seen!
These are helping me get a feel for how to model things and its also interesting how differently the hobby is produced by our euro friends
Hello, I am a fellow Euro modeler. I am doing Era III with vintage Marklin equipment. A buddy and I have matching layouts that we connect with a central yard module when we set up at train shows. Both layouts are a work in progress, mine being the errection of overhead catanery wiring. Both main layouts are quite small as neither of us have much space for anything larger at home. The advantage with Marklin, is even thier larger heavy freight steam locomotives like a class 44 will go around the tightest curve without slowing down! We both use the older tinplate M track with stud contact and the trains are mostly from the late 50's to mid 70's production. There is a European only train show on the east coast each year, but I havent made it to one yet. Even if your not using Marklin, check out the marklinusers website as it has a great forum with layout ideas, pics and good general info on modeling the DB or the DR. http://www.marklin-users.net/index.html First pic is my half of the layout, second is the hole set up at the winter show here in Erie, PA, third is my buddy's half of the layout. The genuine DB tail lantern that is electified is mine. Cheers Mike and Michele T
LHS mechanic and geniune train and antique garden tractor nut case!
I can not think of any german publications that come over here, but maybe try this site, it deals with german railroads and is an english speaking forum:
http://www.altezeitgruppe.com/
It deals with your era as well.
I am aware of the following German magazines:
Eisenbahn Kurier: http://www.eisenbahn-kurier.de/, it has a good current news section, historic information and a modeling section. The company also has books (including a book about just every steam class that was in service with DR(G) or DB) and special issues.
service@eisenbahn-kurier is the email for info on subscriptions (abonnement in German)
http://www.ianallanpublishing.com/home.php?cat=1013 is one of the foreign stores that handles the magazine and books.
Miniaturbahnen (or Miba for short): http://www.miba.de/. Here are the shops in the USA that handle the magazine: http://www.miba.de/haendler/haendler-anzeige.php.
It is mostly modelling with historic information as it relates to the modelling (very interesting!). The special issues are grouped around a theme and usually have historic info, modelling info and layout design (often with innovative design for our small European homes). Special issue 75 has just nbeen published and if i am correct the first 60 or so are avilable on cd or dvd.
Alba Verlag publishes Eisenbahn magazin: http://www.alba-publikation.de/zeitschriften/eisenbahnmagazin/index.lasso, it has bothe a prototype section and a modelling section. Alba also publishes a special n-scale magazine: http://www.alba-publikation.de/zeitschriften/n-bahn-magazin/index.lasso and has some special issues.
Merker Verlag publishes Eisenbahn Journal: http://www.merker-verlag.de/mh.html. I am not familiar with that magazine. Its special issues are about modelling and show layouts that are top of the line, I am especially impressed by the scenery of those layouts. I have seen some of there brochures in the Report series. Lots of historical info on the former State Railroads like those of Prussia or Saxony. Also a seriesabout the workings of a steam engine.
There are many more magazines but they are more specialised. Just about any magazine should be able to handle requests for information in English, especially about foreign subscriptions. Some make it possible to order via creditcard.
Hope this helps you some.
Thank you very much, that was very helpful!
As Im new to Euro modeling my need for info will be greatly satisfied with those awesome links!
Thanks again
Rommel wrote:Hey Guys wondering what magazines you might know of that cover german railroading and have subscriptions for US ???
I think Peco in the UK publishes a mag named Continental Modeler that covers German railroading. It may only be modern era, though.
I am a Belgian and modeling Nscale american prototypes since more than 20 years.
My Maclau River RR is in a completiting stag; the port is nearby finished as the engines terminal (steam).A big city is on the starting block. In the planning is a big yard with all the commodities modeled.
I am largely inspired by the work of the late John Allen and Georges sellios.
See some picks of my railroad at www.Nscale.org and choice private album at the letter "M"
Even I'm modeling in Nscale, I will be happy to help you.
Some weeks ago I publish on the forum a topic about a electromagnetic uncoupler which work with Kadee couplers.
See you later.
Marc
HeavyDuty wrote: I think Peco in the UK publishes a mag named Continental Modeler that covers German railroading. It may only be modern era, though.
I have a subscription and I like the magazine for its wide variety of articles. My taste in railroading is very catholic and side by side you can read articles about a model of Swiss narrow gauge (by someone from, say, New Zealand), pictures from a trip to Canada (by someone from Japan) followed by drawings of a steamer from India and a product review of a diesel loco from Australia. What you won't find are articles aboutthe British Isles (for those you need Railway Modeller also by Peco), including Ireland and Isle of Man. The German content is therefore relatively low and mostly modern (post 1980) or period 3 (say 1950-1980). If you love railroading in general and modelling then that magazine is just fine. If you want to concentrate on Germany, stick with the German magazines.
I'm European so I do have an interest in European trains. For a time I did consider modeling either the Swedish railroads or Germany. But my love for America made me turn to that. Well that and the fact that everything is much cheaper in the US.
But I do collect Swedish engines. So far trains that are a part of the iron ore mining in northern Sweden but I'm going to get some more, if only for display. Here are some pics on an IORE and a DM3:
DM3:
IORE:
HeavyDuty wrote:Those DM3s are amazing! Do you happen to have any pictures of how they looked in earlier paint?
I love them to. They used to be painted brown.
Heres a pic:
Magnus
HeavyDuty wrote:I'd really like a set of DM3s, but they're around US$600 locally. Thanks for the pics in brown - I much prefer it to the new image blue!
I agree, the brown was better.
600 dollar is cheaper then they usually go for around here. I was lucky to get mine for that recently which was cheap and on a sale, before that sudden cost reduction(I believe Roco is clearing them out) they where about 1200 dollars. European trains are VERY expensive.
If you need one I would suggest you get one as soon as possible since I believe they will disappear. Do you know if there are any brown ones available in the US somewhere? They are out here since a long time ago and I would love to get one.
The one you got available locally is it brown or blue?
Check out the new DA engine that Roco will be releasing soon. That is a very nice engine and I will be getting one. We call them "Brun lok" around here.(Brown engines)
http://www.tee-usa.com/store/product6470.html
Hello, and welcome to the world of European trains.
As evidenced by your response there are many more Euros in these fora as one might guess. I wouldn't consider it the dark side by any stretch, no more so than US prototype modeling is (or should be) the dark side for a Euro. So, where to begin... I'm going to assume you're sticking with DC (as opposed to AC/Märklin).
In terms of organizations, I can heartily recommend European Train Enthusiasts (ETE). At $20/ year a bargain, and they have a very active Chapter in New England. Get in touch with them, they'd be more than happy to talk with you. Perhaps you saw them at the Amherst show in Springfield, MA. You might even want join.
Manufacturers that would fit your period interest: Fleischmann, Brawa, Roco, Trix.
Publications: Sounds like you've started. There really isn't much in English specific to German railways. I get MIBA, and pay from the here in the US with my creditcard. Most German sites do not seem creditcard friendly, but if you click on contact to ask the question will almost always be helped very quickly. If you want, I can send you the emails of my contacts at MIBA and VGBahn (distributors of MIBA, Eisenbahn Journal, Modelleisenbahner, and Rio Grande (videos)). They get far too much of my money, especially given the exchange rates. Eisenbahn Kurier has some great books. Yes, almost all of these will be in German only, comes with the territory of wanting to model something in a foreign land. That said, the pictures are often great and say more than the words. Yes, I'm fluent in German (native) but I find myself spending more time looking than reading. Of course it also depends on what you want to depict or learn about.
Online: While German is dominant, they are tolerant of non-German speakers and even indulge by answering in English. Google's translation tool does a passable job. For more context specific translation I really recommend Leo. VERY good. But, let's start with the English sites (I'm being specifically manufacturer agnostic):
German:
Vendors:
Don't be afraid to order from Germany though.
In terms of other resources check out my web pages.
Please feel free to contact me if you have further questions. In the end, modeling European trains aren't that different from American. Same layout design, wiring, ... issues. Even many of the structures are interchangeable, especially industrial (just change windows/doors/roof details). Looks like you're good at helping yourself along too in terms of scratchbuilding.
Best regards,
Peter
-|----|- Peter D. Verheyen-|----|- verheyen@philobiblon.com -|----|- http://www.philobiblon.com/eisenbahn -|----|- http://papphausen.blogspot.com/-|----|- http://www.youtube.com/user/papphausen2
Loving the responses Im not feeling so alone now LOL thanks Peter!
Ive found a railway Im going to model but am having a bit of a hard time locating info about Sylt during WW2 so the basics are,
Sylt is connected to the German mainland by the Hindenburgdamm, a causeway with a railway line on top -this is crying to be modeled do a searce for pictures -very cool!
This should be a great thing to model with standard and narrow gauge and the trains servicing the island ( naval and airforce)from the main land...WOW Im in heaven.... since I dont speak german (but picking things up now) Looking on sites for more info is tough THANK GOD for the translation sites.
Anyone with info or ideas Id love to hear from you!
Hi guys,
My name is Barry Kriegsman, I am president of the Eastern New England Chapter of European Train Enthusiasts. We are one of the most active chapters in the United States. Or next regular chapter meeting is on Saturday Febuary 16th in Foxboro, MA. If you want to meet fellow Euro train enthusiasts please do yourself a favor & contact me at bjchoocoo@aol.com or call me at 508-543-6804 or visit our web site http://www.ete-ene.org/ . I am also modeling IORE & LKAB & plan on building a operating underground IORE layout & have received info from LKAB in Sweden. Our mission is to help fellow enthusiasts in the hobby. Please do yourself a huge favor & contact myself or visit our web site.
bjchoochoo wrote: Hi guys,My name is Barry Kriegsman, I am president of the Eastern New England Chapter of European Train Enthusiasts. We are one of the most active chapters in the United States. Or next regular chapter meeting is on Saturday Febuary 16th in Foxboro, MA. If you want to meet fellow Euro train enthusiasts please do yourself a favor & contact me at bjchoocoo@aol.com or call me at 508-543-6804 or visit our web site http://www.ete-ene.org/ . I am also modeling IORE & LKAB & plan on building a operating underground IORE layout & have received info from LKAB in Sweden. Our mission is to help fellow enthusiasts in the hobby. Please do yourself a huge favor & contact myself or visit our web site.
Thanks Barry I was going to give up trying to contact you guys Ive been to the web sites and have sent three emails to three differant people, I also went to the show in Mass. to see that awesome layout but the table was so mobbed I didn't have a chance to talk with anyone heck I even had the application for membership on me all filled out but you poor guys where swamped.
I was thinking membership was closed glad its not .
Gordon Hollis NH adlerhobby@yahooo.com
Rommel wrote: Loving the responses Im not feeling so alone now LOL thanks Peter!Ive found a railway Im going to model but am having a bit of a hard time locating info about Sylt during WW2 so the basics are,In the 19th century, tourism starts; Westerland replaces Keitum as the capital During World War I, Sylt becomes a military outpost, but does not suffer from war damage In 1927, a rail causeway to the mainland is built, the Hindenburgdamm, named after Paul von Hindenburg During World War II, Sylt becomes a fortress, with concrete bunkers built below the dunes at the shore, some of which are still visible today.Sylt is connected to the German mainland by the Hindenburgdamm, a causeway with a railway line on top -this is crying to be modeled do a searce for pictures -very cool!This should be a great thing to model with standard and narrow gauge and the trains servicing the island ( naval and airforce)from the main land...WOW Im in heaven.... since I dont speak german (but picking things up now) Looking on sites for more info is tough THANK GOD for the translation sites.Anyone with info or ideas Id love to hear from you!
Nice choice for a model, be ready to model grassy fields, dunes and ugly seaside resort buildings. The following publishers have published a book about the island railways of the North Sea and Sylt is in it: Alba Verlag (Hans-W. Rogl: Die Nordsee-Inselbahnen. 6. Auflage, alba, Düsseldorf 1996, ISBN 3-87094-230-4) and GeraMond Verlag (Malte Werning: Inselbahnen der Nordsee. GeraMond Verlag, München 2003, ISBN 3-7654-7245-X). Other books of interest: Hans Bock: Die Marschbahn von Altona nach Westerland. Boyens, Heide 1989, ISBN 3-8042-0458-9 (Altona is in Hamburg and westerland is the main town on the island) and Jan Kirschner: Blumen pflücken während der Fahrt verboten. Geschichte der Sylter Inselbahn. Schleswig-Holsteiner Zeitungsverlag, Flensburg 2002, ISBN 3-926055-29-4. I have not seen the last to books myself.
Sylt had 2 narrow gauge railways (1000mm) running north and south from Westerland, the terminus of the standard gauge from the mainland. The lines merged before WW2 and were closed in the 1960's. After WW2 the narrow gauge lines were dieselized with a wide variety of cars, some converted streetcars from mainland West Germany and a combination of truck and special trailer (build by Borgward of Bremen).
To get an idea what ran on North German narrow gauge lines check out this site : http://www.carocar.com/html/triebfahrzeuge_2.html
This site has pictures of this North German Galloping Goose: http://www.luftschutz-bunker.de/vergessene-orte/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=15&Itemid=38 , I only got the first few pictures but it seems to have more pictures about the narrow gauge steam and diesel engines and railcars.
Info on all German Island railways, including pictures: http://www.inselbahn.de/index.php?nav=1000011 click on the pictures for larger versions.
WOW Marc do you work for the Railroad gods?
THANK YOU VERY MUCH lots of stuff I needed