Piko 2013 New Items Preview

This year's Nuremberg Toy Fair (or 'Spielwarenmesse') runs from January 30th to February 4th but many of the new items announcements are made public during the month leading up to the Toy Fair. The first of the major manufacturer announcements this year comes from Piko. With new product announcements in rolling stock and structure kits for G-scale, HO scale (DC and Marklin AC), as well as N scale, Piko's new item announcements have something for just about everyone.  Click here for the 2013 Piko New Items on the Piko.de website.

We will be adding all the Piko New Items to our store website once we have more details and pricing information from Piko.

New Photos of Al Fisher's Amazing Marklin HO Layout!

Our long-time customer Al Fisher just sent us some amazing new photos of his large Marklin C-track layout and they are stunning.  For earlier views of the layout and Al's layout track plansee his other galleries on our main photo gallery page. With the photos Al reminded us "pretty cool...remembering that all this merchandise came from Euro Rail Hobbies!!!".  What we think is even cooler is that Al had never built a model railroad before he started on this layout. It is a great demonstration of how the products we sell can allow any level of experience to create a photo-worthy layout.

For a larger view of each image you can click the 'full-screen' icon in the bottom right of the gallery.

2013 Marklin HO Museum Wagon Pictures

The first preview of the 2013 Marklin HO Museum Wagon has surfaced.  The set 'appears' to be based on the Albrecht Braun Stone/Concrete company from Lonsee. Founded in 1875 the company was honoured by the Wurttemberg crown, hence the crest on the wagon. It includes a lidded wagon and a truck with what looks to be a concrete block or stone load.  Once we have the final details from Marklin we will update this post.  Usually the Marklin Museum Wagons are only available to visitors to the Marklin Museum/World of Experience but we are generally able to bring in limited quantities into our store.  Stay tuned for availability and pricing as details emerge.

Building an N-Scale Layout - Risers and Sub-Roadbed

Risers and roadbed over the staging area

With the helix complete on my N-scale layout it was time to start putting in the risers and sub-roadbed for the main line up to the Hauptbahnhof level.  For the most part the risers supporting the sub-roadbed will be the same lightweight SPF 1x4 wood that the layout frame is made of. For stability they are all screwed into the main layout frame where possible.  Over the lower staging yard, I used risers at the front and back of the layout and then added 'bridge' pieces over the yard to provide the best access to the trains in staging.  Along the back of the layout I used tall support rises that would be approximately the final height of the branch line track.  Some may have to be carefully trimmed later on but it is easier to cut off than graft additional height on.

Watch the Real DB work on the Bahnhof Plattling Webcam

The holiday season has kept us busy so we have not had a lot of time for posting here lately but we did want to take a break to share one of our favorite websites. Years ago we posted on our Latest News page about the MySwitzerland.com web cam which was located in the cab of an SBB Re460 electric locomotive in MySwitzerland.com tourism advertising.  That cam seems to still be active but the site has fallen into a bit of disrepair.

This year we have been following the webcam at Plattling Bahnhof on webcam.deg.net which overlooks Bahnhof Plattling in Lower Bavaria.  First opened in 1860, Bahnhof Plattling is the hub for a number of lines and sees a wide mix of passenger and freight traffic.  Perched high above the main station area and updating every few seconds, the webcam allows you to watch the shunting moves and passing trains at all hours of the day.  The time difference and short daylight hours this time of year can make viewing daylight images a rare sight (and snow occasionally blocks the lens) but the camera works surprisingly well at night and you can always browse the archive gallery.

And if you enjoy the cam please consider sending a small donation to the firm who hosts and maintains the camera so it can continue to operate.

2013 Insider Model News from Marklin/Trix/LGB

Marklin, Trix and LGB have all announced the new Insider & Profi Club models for 2013 at the Modellbahnmesse in Cologne. Full English details will follow shortly on our store website but here is a sneak preview of the new models. Click any of the images for a larger view!

Marklin & Trix HO - BR 58 Steam Locomotive (ALL NEW tooling! a set of matching freight wagons will be available)
Marklin Z - V200.0 with F-Zug train set
Minitrix N scale - BR 18 612 Steam Locomotive with Sound, Smoke & Cab Lighting
LGB G Scale - Feldschloesschen Beer Car

 

Product Feature - Noch Laser Cut Minis for HO and N

Some of the most popular elements of our store layouts, both on our Noch pre-formed layouts in HO and N and our Karl Gebele built display layout, are the finely detailed plants and vegetation. Many of these details are created from the Laser Cut Minis line from Noch.  First launched in 2009, these amazing products won a Product of the Year award from Eisenbahnmagazin for Model Railroad Scenery that year and are one of our best sellers for scenery products.

Made from blends of tear-proof paper and cardstock and easily affixed with a drop of white glue, Laser Cut Minis can add a level of detail not previously available to any HO, TT or N scale layout.  Add amazing flower boxes and vegetable gardens to your towns and reeds, ferns, and lilypads to riverbanks and woods. Noch has recently expanded the line to include small laser cut structures such as a bee-keepers hutch, a railroad signal box, a bus-top as well as non-vegetation details such as patio slabs, lumber, marker posts and more!  Click here to see all the Noch Laser Cut Minis on our store website. We stock the full line!

Click the image for a larger view