Miniatur Wunderland Weekly Report
12.02.01 at 14:13 hrs
Weekly Report No 15, CW 6
From Monday, 05.02.2001 to Sunday, 11.02.2001
Due to the Nuremberg Toy Fair, some manufacturers cannot deliver in time. Currently, we buy Märklin flex track in hobby shops in Hamburg! This week's emphasis is on track testing. Each and every single piece of track will be run on. For this purpose, Werner's niece built a train which will be 'holy' in the future: The 1. train!
This is it: The first train in the Miniatur Wunderland. It already covered a couple of miles during the first week of test runs.
Completely insignificant: The sencond train! There can be only one "First"! Seen here on the "triple Bietschtal bridge" => kitbashed from three kits!
Prize question: Which is the favorite drink of our co-workers...?
Hans-Wilhelm in his element! It becomes more and more difficult to reach certain spots in the layout! The Merkur-roadbed will, of course, be ballasted!
Here one can see the size proportions a bit! Stefan measures 5 feet, 7 inches (1,75 meters)! Phew, there's a lot scenery building waiting for us...
One of 8 computers that hopefully will later control the trains with only a few flaws (we don't dare to write "trouble-free"...). Another 10 to 15 computers will be used for the Faller Car System and light control. Trains will be magaed by a software called "Softlok" while all other controlling programs are developed in-house.
Erhard has the tedious task to paint roughly 100 meters (~ 328 feet) of ICE trackage since prototypical correct track is currently not available.
Parts of the ICE line are run over modern concrete bridges. These are scratch built from wood and plaster.
In order to acoid boredom even on a second look, a diversiefied and partly tricky network of track is needed.
Karl-Heinz is one of our "track gurus". Nobody lays track as accurate as he does. Here one can see a nice example for big curve radii if one has 450 sqm (~4,843.7 sq ft) layout area...
Ahhh, the first tress arrived from Heki. 40 cartons are just the beginning of more than 50000 trees.
After the minor tests for the Car System have been concluded, the real work starts. One of the large hidden staging areas has to be built.
More than 200 stop points and turnouts are needed just for this "underground car park".
Wood works in the 2nd section are nearly done.
As on the real Gotthard line in Switzerland, the trains work their way up here. They disappear in tunnels, run through serpentines, and re-appear in the opposite direction. Again into a tunnel and out of it in the original direction. From this standpoint, one can see the same train 5 times as it changes directions and finally reaches the summit at 2.2 meters (~ 7.2 feet) height.
