Trains and Model Trains

Trains played a huge part on this trip, and not just the life-size ones. The weather wasn’t all that good in Berlin, and we’d seen a brochure for an indoor entertainment centre for kids. But next door we found MiniaturWeltenBerlin (miniature world Berlin): a huge model railway, which Christopher found heaps better than any play centre…

At MiniaturWeltenBerlin they have modelled large parts of Berlin, including the magnificent Berlin Zoo station, and even an airport with planes taking off and landing.
It is absolutely amazing what can be done with model trains these days. Thanks to advances in computer technology, model railroads have become very realistic. Trains are individually controllable and can be told to go from one station to another on the far side of a huge train network. The computer software determines a route, and switches and signals are set so the train can make its journey, without crashing into any other trains.

This is such a far cry from the model trains that Bernt used to play with when he was a kid… But, they’re still using the same HO scale, so his old trains are still useable. Christopher love of trains, combined with his dad’s love of electronics and computers makes for a great hobby for the future: the trains and tracks have already been taken to Australia!

Miniaturisation has gone so far that they even have little model cars driving around, fully individually controlled, being able to start, stop and turn anywhere. In these miniature worlds they simulate accidents on the highway, and have police, ambulances and fire engines coming to assistance with lights and sirens blaring. Fascinating and fantastic!

Model Train Exhibitions are popping up all over Europe. Especially in Germany they are hugely popular – it’s a great hobby for long winter nights, and is a wonderful outlet for the ‘Deutsche Gründlichkeit’ (German thoroughness).
The biggest Model Railway in the world is Miniatur Wunderland in Hamburg; it’s one of the most popular permanent exhibitions in Northern Germany. Of course when we heard about that Christopher had to go to Hamburg too. So we used the last travel days of our Eurail pass to go back to Germany, and even did a one-day return from Hamburg to Berlin to visit the Berlin Train show once more. We did all this travel from Amsterdam CS with our favourite high-speed train, the German ICE.

Miniatur Wunderland is utilising a couple of stories in an old warehouse in the Hamburg docks area (I could imagine the Beatles walking around there in the early sixties).
They’ve of course modelled Hamburg, but also Scandinavia, Switzerland and the USA. For the Swiss section they’ve partially removed the floor of the top story so as to model huge mountains and valleys in the Swiss Alps. Absolutely breathtaking.
Among others the USA section encompasses Las Vegas and lots of freeways. The freeway signs have live-updated traffic and temperature information, and Las Vegas looks rather boring during the day. But wait until night time, which in miniature worlds only takes half an hour… it comes alive, just like the real thing!


In Holland there’s a big model railway in Rotterdam, which was definitely worth a visit too, as was of course Madurodam, which was our favourite and thus warranted two visits!