Here there is a small steam locomotive is approaching, no, today there are even two, both of which are smoking heavily, pulling a couple of historic passenger carriages, there the loudspeaker is announcing the next passenger train, and here a modern locomotive is pulling a freight train with containers from Valser Wasser and Co-op. And, yes, the famous Glacier Express of the Rhaetian Railway in the Swiss mountain canton of Graubünden is also passing by. There are people everywhere, some in swimming suits in the pool or on their roof terrace. Over there, oh shock, a house is burning to the ground, the black beams are still visible and the smoke is just clearing. There are more of the Rhaetian Railway’s famous crocodile locomotives on the sidings than the railway itself has. And look there, a modern Capricorn regional train is just waiting in front of the red signal to continue its journey.
All this is reality, albeit in model form, on a huge model railway layout covering an area of around 300 square metres in the Augsburg Railway Park with model vehicles in G gauge with a track width of 45 mm, on a scale of 1:22.5 with almost one and a half kilometres of track and 155 turnouts, the world’s largest publicly accessible collection of Rhaetian Railway vehicles. In addition to almost 1000 carriages and locomotives, there are also more than 6000 figurines, people and animals in a wide variety of scenarios. Harry Potter can also be seen there in miniature, as can the mentor and promoter of the installation, railway and IT specialist Jürgen Drexler, printed in 3D somewhere among the other figurines.
Jürgen Drexler has gradually built the installation with other railway enthusiasts on a voluntary basis over the 10 years since 2013. It has two levels on which up to 16 trains over 5 metres long can run simultaneously. Just like on a real railway, they obey an automatic train control system and stop at red signals. But what does “installation” mean? It is an absolute hobby. The locomotives have acoustic modules and sound like the originals. Steam locomotives run with smoke generators.
And the wealth of small and large, lovingly built stories, everyday and other scenes is what makes this model railway so popular. On some public opening days, 300 to 500 visitors flock to the hall, including many families, some of whom spend up to two and a half hours at the model railway. It’s not just the long, busy railway station that attracts attention. In fact, every square centimetre of the layout is full of new impressions. When the railway park announces the ‘Night of the Giants’ every November, the model railway is in top form: That’s when every last corner of it is illuminated – with more than 220 lamps and countless LEDs. And the trains rattle through the night with bright headlights and red tail lanterns.
But unfortunately, the Rhaetian Railway in Augsburg only runs until 9 November 2024 in its last ‘Night of the Giants’. Then it has to go, the former locomotive hall will be renovated and used for other purposes. The installation will be dismantled and temporarily stored. ‘The great hope is that we will find a new home, we are grateful for any information,’ says Jürgen Drexler. Where will the Swiss railway find a new home? The museum railway, which provides a compact overview of the RhB’s vehicle history, is to be revived, preferably in Augsburg or not too far away.
Website: www.modellbahn-im-bahnpark.eu
Contact: tramway”at”christeller.net
03.10.2024
