Video tour of the totally amazing Miniature Wonderland, MiWuLa in Hamburg, Germany. This is the largest model railroad in the world!!!
This video covers the high-lights of the entire installation, including the new Italian section and also a Behind the scenes your. Bachmann engines and coaches in the US area. Welcome onboard!
https://youtu.be/1oKoA3zVAHA (https://youtu.be/1oKoA3zVAHA)
I really like the animation on the water and at the airport.
Quote from: Terry Toenges on November 18, 2016, 01:52:14 PM
I really like the animation on the water and at the airport.
Yes. It was a really cool layout with 100s of gallons with real water. They had a water cleaning system and a complex pumpsystem for it too.
While I admire the modelling and details, I don't think is deserves the "model railroad" designation.
As their own title suggests, this is a "Miniature Wonderland" and railways are just one part of it.
It also has working roadways, working shipping, an airport where planes take off and land so it could be called a model airport, or model road system, or a model harbour, all where the trains are just part of the scenery, as they are now. After all, all the trains do is mindlessly circle around designated loops, it's not really a working model railroad, just part of a larger, very well done, model landscape.
Cheers
Roger T.
Regardless of what one calls it , it is a modeling work of Art . It embodies all the disciplines that model railroading employs to generate a scene to operate in miniature . Wish I had the money & the time to build something similar . John2.
They're own web site http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/ (http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/) calls it:
QuoteMiniatur Wunderland Hamburg
The largest model railway in the world, and one of the most successful permanent exhibitions in Northern Germany.
Len
Quote from: Jhanecker2 on November 22, 2016, 08:44:26 AM
Regardless of what one calls it , it is a modeling work of Art . It embodies all the disciplines that model railroading employs to generate a scene to operate in miniature . John2.
Agree! Don't know why anyone would expend the energy to state or even think, otherwise. ::) ???
I have a bunch of questions.
Who owns it ? Who paid for it? Who built it? What kind of facility is it located in? How many square feet is it ? Who maintains it? How is maintenance access gained to the middle of those half mile or more vistas? How do they keep their track clean? Is that operating catenary?
Who operates it? Is it a club? Is there any attempt to replicate prototypical operation or is it only (as it appears to be) non-prototypical continuous running? Is there any adherence to any era? (not familiar with European prototypes.)
Am I the only one who wonders about this kind of stuff?
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exhibit/wunderland/wunderland-story/wunderland-story/ (http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exhibit/wunderland/wunderland-story/wunderland-story/)
Some good reading for inquiring minds.
Sid
The website touches on some of the points. Not all. The biggest surprise is that it is a private enterprise.
Man. Those guys must have flipped a whole lot of houses. Or had a fortune that needed spending. How many of you have a wife that would let you do something like this?
I'm curious. Would someone please covert the cost in euros to good old worthless American dollars?
Man, you got a hard time finding anything for yourself........so here ya go.......
http://x-rates.com/ (http://x-rates.com/)
You can convert your US dollar into anything you desire.
Sid
Thanks Sid. I'm old and not very good on computers, and don't like them much, though I had to learn a certain amount for the job. I still call up places on the phone to order things by phone, they don't like it but keeps my internet exposure down.
How about an update on your layout? You had some very cool and well
detailed period stuff.
My layout has been sitting all summer. Damn race car took most of my time....and money. Momma says if we lose another engine, she's gonna sell the car for me...lmao.
I've been working on that crazy cab forward conversion.....got it up and running with sound but still need to tear it back apart for paint and final detail and reassemble it. Had to get it running to work out the bugs. Got an old structure kit under restoration.......fixed 3 Riv Heislers......waiting for parts on a BLI Mikado........tried to fix a guys Climax and sent it in for replacement....basket case. I'll post pics soon.
I really need to clean some track and get trains running again......winter is here and I'm not ready.
Sid
Quote from: Trainman203 on November 24, 2016, 04:37:55 PM
Man. Those guys must have flipped a whole lot of houses.
That doesn't work out so well for everyone, 'member?
Maybe they just learned to save their dough and then they pooled their resources....?
Quote from: Trainman203 on November 24, 2016, 04:37:55 PM
worthless American dollars
What makes you say/think that ???
However whoever got the money, it was a great way to
spend it.
there is also a large layout in Rotterdam , the Netherlands.
http://www.miniworldrotterdam.com/ENGindex.htm
Ton
Yes they spent a lot of money, but they take in a lot of money.
Having looked at layouts across the world - well, a few parts of it - US, UK, Europe - I find very, very, VERY few layouts are operated as a Model Railway (or railroad) - that is, as a railway in model form. Because if we did, it would be so complex (think of the paperwork for a start) there would be hardly anybody doing it. Do you set out your front- and rear-end brakemen before switching? Allow time for air lines to pump up? Stop at water points for steam long enough to fill a tender? Etc. We all compromise, some more than others. Here's a link to my compromise, though it has detailed up a bit since most of the pics were taken:
http://www.nmra.org.au/Layout_Tours/Magee/index.html
And yes, in my travels in Europe I did visit Miniature Wonderland. I thought it was amazing. In the hours I was there, not one derailment, no uncoupling, no failures. I would have killed for their work bench. I enjoyed every minute of it, though I wish my then one-year-old grandson was just that bit older to really enjoy it, and help sway him to the path of the Light, even if its a Mars Light.
Financing Miniature Wonderland? True story, I am told. The two principles involved went to a bank in Hamburg, and told the manager they were going to build a big model train set and all the world would come and see it, and asked for the money to build it. "OK", said the manager, "Here's x million Euros". Sigh.
Steve Magee
On30 Lumber Mountain RR
Newcastle NSW Aust
Steve do you recall what it cost to get into wonderland?
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/visit/prices/entrance-fees/ (http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/visit/prices/entrance-fees/)
Sid
I was wondering if it is bigger than Northlandz so I figured it out. Northlandz also has a small doll museum and art gallery included in their building.
http://www.northlandz.com/ (http://www.northlandz.com/)
Northlandz building is 52000 sq ft. That's 3831 sq meters.
Wunderland building is 6800 sq meters. That is 73194sq ft.
Track N - 50450 ft
Track W - 50524 ft.
Trains N - up to 100
Trains w - 1040
I guess I can deduce from that that Northlandz trains' have longer runs that Wunderland(?)
That's about all the stats that can be compared with the figures they both give.
http://www.northlandz.com/stats.html (http://www.northlandz.com/stats.html)
http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exhibit/wunderland/wunderland-facts/ (http://www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exhibit/wunderland/wunderland-facts/)