[ebaykal]

I was invited yesterday to a gathering of modelrailroaders ( all Maerkliners) at a place which is regarded as the Mecca among all Maerkliners in Turkey.
The layout is still under construction and is " all around the loft " , a massive 300 square meters with an entrance to the loft from the middle.
An Esu Ecos command station via PC is controlling 25 trains in one go.

Below are some photos that I have taken :

The Main station area along with fiddle yard which is still under construction, left portion ; Faller car system:

The mountains which has a restaurant tower which rotates of which the customers climb up by a teleferique system ( Brawa):

Army Barracks:

Ice running as it should be:

East area, still under construction:

..and the bonus of the night ; a Maerklin Franco Crosti 42, insider edition in photo gray. ( a beautiful ugly beast )

It was truely a lovely night, and being able to see the capability of Maerklin, if it weren't that middle third rail I would have converted long ago...

Cheers
Baykal

 

[adecoaches26point4]

Nice photo's of a good looking layout

David

 

[woolwinder]

Looks OK, but if you want to see a REAL model layout, pay a visit to Hamburg, Miniature Wonderland. The Turkish model would fit into one small corner of it.
Hamburg. Been under construction since 2002. Estimated completion, 2012. Reputed to be the largest HO layout in the world. Present control centre consists of some 25 computers. On completion, will consist of some 33 computers. Already larger than anything comparable, and only 60% finished.
Sections built to date are all completely sceniced, and fully operational. Spend all day, and still not see everything.

woolwinder

 

[ebaykal]

Hi Woolwinder,

I know the one in Hamburg very well.

This layout is just done by 1 guy as his hobby, whereas Hamburg is a whole institution, now a museum.

By the way I tought the layout in the Chicago science museum was the largest

but I might be wrong.

Baykal

 

[goedel]

ebaykal I think the Franco Crosti 42 looks quite scary...but not as much as a BBÖ 214!

QUOTE (woolwinder @ 25 Aug 2007, 13:50) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Looks OK, but if you want to see a REAL model layout, pay a visit to Hamburg, Miniature Wonderland. The Turkish model would fit into one small corner of it.
Hamburg. Been under construction since 2002. Estimated completion, 2012. Reputed to be the largest HO layout in the world. Present control centre consists of some 25 computers. On completion, will consist of some 33 computers. Already larger than anything comparable, and only 60% finished.
Sections built to date are all completely sceniced, and fully operational. Spend all day, and still not see everything.

woolwinder
That does round rather good woolwinder, I shall put a visit on my (long) list of things to do! If they had done it in N it would be absolutely huge...

Goedel

 

[Brian Considine]

QUOTE (woolwinder @ 25 Aug 2007, 13:50) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Looks OK, but if you want to see a REAL model layout, pay a visit to Hamburg, Miniature Wonderland. The Turkish model would fit into one small corner of it.
Hamburg. Been under construction since 2002. Estimated completion, 2012. Reputed to be the largest HO layout in the world. Present control centre consists of some 25 computers. On completion, will consist of some 33 computers. Already larger than anything comparable, and only 60% finished.
Sections built to date are all completely sceniced, and fully operational. Spend all day, and still not see everything.

woolwinder

Come on - it's a little unfair to compare an excellent "loft layout" to a large commercial venture !

Miniature Wonderland is a business with many full-time staff with what appears to be a huge amount of funding, so you are not in any way compairing apples with apples.

Let's have a couple of pictures of your efforts for comparison (unless, of course you work for Miniature Wonderland).

 

[Johan de Villiers]

QUOTE (woolwinder @ 25 Aug 2007, 14:50) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Looks OK, but if you want to see a REAL model layout, pay a visit to Hamburg, Miniature Wonderland. The Turkish model would fit into one small corner of it.
Hamburg. Been under construction since 2002. Estimated completion, 2012. Reputed to be the largest HO layout in the world. Present control centre consists of some 25 computers. On completion, will consist of some 33 computers. Already larger than anything comparable, and only 60% finished.
Sections built to date are all completely sceniced, and fully operational. Spend all day, and still not see everything.

woolwinder

Any effort by a railroad modeller to build a layout should be regarded as a REAL model layout. It should be seen in context and as already mentioned one should not compare the efforts of a single private modeller with that of a business organisation with enough funding and staff to do the layout building. As far as I know Miniature Wonderland Hamburg do charge an entrance fee and in so doing raise some funds to maintain and expand their layout. I have yet to come across a private modeller who charges an entrance fee to visitors to his layout.

We must be careful not to degrade the efforts of our fellow modellers. Although we do not all have the same level of skills we can still build our layouts and assist each other with information and tips and tricks through this forum. Every effort by fellow modellers to build a layout should be acknowledged in a positive way and I am happy to say that this is almost always the case on this and other similar forums.

I think the efforts of the Turkish modeller is commendable and would like to see more pictures of his layout.

At the same time I would also like to have an opportunity to one day visit Miniature Wonderland Hamburg.

Thanks for sharing with us ebaykal.

Enjoy and share our fascinating and rewarding hobby.

Regards.

Johan

 

[ME 26-06]

Hi Baykal,

great layout, it looks like it´d be a lot of fun to operate trains on, and judging from the photos, those who built it did a magnificent job.

The Franco-Crosti 42 is not in photo livery, but rather iirc it ran in grey paint the first few years before it had been repainted to black. I read before (... in a library book, which is why I cant double-check) that the Franco-Crosti 42s were based on class 52s, which at the time were still painted in wartime grey livery - after the lost war, painting engines was one of the lesser problems in postwar Germany, and since basically only the boiler was new, it was easier to paint that part grey than repaint the entire engine in black-and-red. This was subsequently done when the engines had to go to their shops for maintenance.

 

[Dennis David]

I don't think woolwinder was trying to degrade the private layout but rather he was just trying to share his impression of the Hamburg layout.

Now as far as that loft layout I can see many places where you can have some additional fun creating some moving parts like a roadway etc. If I had a loft layout like that I may never come downstairs.

 

[woolwinder]

Hi Ebaykal,

Sory if I gave the wrong impression, but in the first place you did not say that this was one man's layout. Indeed, the text led one to believe that this was a group product. Certainly, if it is a one-man model, then it is extremely good.

Dennis,

You are quite right.

woolwinder

 

[ebaykal]

QUOTE Hi Ebaykal,

Sory if I gave the wrong impression, but in the first place you did not say that this was one man's layout. Indeed, the text led one to believe that this was a group product. Certainly, if it is a one-man model, then it is extremely good

Hi woolwinder, it was my fault all the way, should have said was done by one chap in the first place.

Its the gentleman on the up right corner of the below photo. A ship broker by trade and one of the most entusiastic modelrailroader I have ever met in this hobby.The one on the upper left is his electronics master who is doing all the wiring of the layout and PC and hopefully will chip all my analogue loco's one day

. Below right, is yours truely.

QUOTE Now as far as that loft layout I can see many places where you can have some additional fun creating some moving parts like a roadway etc. If I had a loft layout like that I may never come downstairs.

Dennis, thats actually what he is doing, never going downstairs, even sleeping next to the layout, funny thing is, his wife is'nt complaining at all, she says "at least I know where he is.."
There are lots and lots of moving bits and pieces on the layout. Shall photo them on my next visit.

QUOTE I think the efforts of the Turkish modeller is commendable and would like to see more pictures of his layout.

Johan, thanks for all the nice wordings, I agree with you, its a fascinating hobby and brought us all together and we are now all lifetime buddys.

Here are a couple of new pictures for all to enjoy: ( remember the layout is half finished has a long way to go for completion..as if there is any completion in a layout

)

Tha arched bridge which has a dam behind it, real water flows beneath.

The west portion, notice the faller car system on far right

The north side, unfinished, loved the backdrop.

The west side seen from the other side.

Now a little bit of show off..... Notice the devices on the bench?....Yes our Esu Ecos's have arrived...Susshhhhh the wife does'nt have to know about it.

Cheers to all

Baykal

 

[Johan de Villiers]

I agree with you, its a fascinating hobby and brought us all together and we are now all lifetime buddys.

Baykal
[/quote]

This is what our hobby is all about. It is a lifelong hobby where all tracks lead to good friends.

Enjoy!!!

Kind regards.

Johan

 

[ebaykal]

Hi Tom,

QUOTE (ME 26-06 @ 25 Aug 2007, 22:56) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>The Franco-Crosti 42 is not in photo livery, but rather iirc it ran in grey paint the first few years before it had been repainted to black.

What is iirc ?

Baykal

 

[goedel]

QUOTE (ebaykal @ 26 Aug 2007, 12:47) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>What is iirc ?
Baykal
If I recall correctly
If I remember correctly
Interdictor Iago rues coldly
Ineffectual Iraq relishes chaos
etc.

By the way that layout looks very impressive - how typical that a shipping magnate should be a train-obsessive. I hear that Steven Byers enjoys running down overcrowded model yachts in his spare time...and you can guess what Alistair Darling might do with some overcrowded model planes, a shot gun and a clay pigeon shooting machine?

Goedel von Oxford English Dictionary

 

[steventrain]

Very cool, Thanks for sharing the pictures.

 

[neil_s_wood]

Thanks for showing the photos. very nice.

I see the ECoS has landed.