German Modelling for the beginner
Hello, Sorry if this in the wrong section toss up between here and technical. Anyway i was thinking of starting a German/Swiss layout in N/HO gauge. I would like to do it in a modern(ish) location with few bits of heritage stuff pottering about. Any how, as I live in Dorset, UK the availability of stuff is limited to the the Internet. Does anybody recommend any good websites? Also what other tips would you give to starting off modelling a foreign country ? I hope this is ok as a first post, I know it looks like I am just abusing the system. :oops: Nathan Apologises, again if in the wrong section :( :oops:

Nathan, I'm also a relative necomer to German modelling. It was actually this website that really started me off, I spent a while going through the archives, and following links to other sites. The, erm, links section of this site is as good a start as any! If you fancy a chat sometime, drop me a pm and I'll give you my msn/skype details. Then I can bombard you with links and ideas...! Rich

Nathan, The key decisions you need to make early on are your choice of: Region e.g. Lower Saxony, Franken, southern Bavaria, Württemberg, Rhineland, Schleswig-Holstein... Epoch I - V Scale H0/N/Z etc Theme e.g. main line/branch/industrial DC/AC/Digital - go for widely-used standards here As its your first layout, keep it small, simple and ideally modular. That keeps the time and cost down and reduces the impact of the inevitable mistakes! You can buy shedloads of back copies of German magazines like Eisenbahn Journal in bulk on DVD for relatively little outlay and they have had lots of ideas for layouts over many years which you can then browse at your leisure.

Ta for the helps guys :D I take it you are the dude(s) behind 'pottendorf' ? that was in Model Railway International a few years back, thats what has really got me into this :oops: I don't have any transport yet really, but i can start to learn to drive this year in the summer months. :8) Anyway thanks for the help guys.

All hail the "Dude" of Pottendorf. Makes me feel young or is that old? John

Oh dear , I didn't mean it in a bad mouthed manner. Awfully sorry :oops:

Thats ok Nathan, most of us here are probably over 40 (now watch all the under 40’s make their presence known, just to prove me wrong!) so are more likely to be referred to as old codgers rather than Dudes. That being said The Dudes were an iconic band in New Zealand in the early eighties, headed by Dave Dobbin, who if the truth be known has no interest in model trains! John

So then i'm still a youngster here, aged at 28 now :) Greets from germany. Nathan, if you have any questions, especially about Deutsche Reichsbahn or GDR in general, just contact me.

38 here. Still feel a tad old, but then I watch my F/mann 110 bought in 1981 still running and I feel I've still got some go in me. Anyway, welcome to the forum. For buying I can reccoment gaugemaster, tho' they can be on the expensive side or modelmasters in weston. Good sites to browse though and give you an idea of price. Start sets can be quite cheap, i picked up a Roco digital start set for Euro 99 recently as an into to DCC. If you want the mouse and pack I can pop it in the post if you pay the postage cost. (same for anyone here) as I now have a F/mann twin centre. http://www.modellbahnhersteller.de/show.php3?kategorie=104 is also a good site with links to most of the manufactuers. SJ Era IV/V DB/SBB DCC with a hint of FMZ and DC (a flick of the switch) F/mann/Roco/Brawa/Lima and a hint of the M word. Just no layout at the mo, just a test oval but it's better than nothing.

Hi Sarah, i would be interested in the Roco DCC stuff. It is a Lokmaus2 or a Multimaus? Is your offer valid for sending the stuff to Germany as well?