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Here’s a quick review of the FREMO:87 meeting in Hemer, Germany that brought together modelers from Germany, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic and the US in a nice facility not far from the old Hemer station which was also featured on the layout.

With 120 meters of track, the Hemer FREMO:87 layout was the world’s largest Proto:87 layout ever assembled and consisted of four branches, including a main line, a Bavarian branch, a private railroad, and a Dutch branch. The layout size and clever timetable kept a crew of 20 to 30 operators busy for hours at a time.

The Dutch branch introduced a number of wonderfully scenicked new modules and sidings, on which I spent considerable time taking pictures while operating local freight and passenger trains. The timetable on this branch was loose enough to allow for frequent rail fanning stops.

There is a growing trend of building track module sections that extend themes and landscaping beyond a single module and provide a more cohesive look. These new sections included a four-piece section modelled after a prototype in the German Allgäu region that featured super elevated track with a transition curve and a three-piece section of a rural Dutch scene with an agricultural access road stretching across the three modules.

A special thank you to Andreas Rittershofer for letting me use his background. Enjoy the photos!

Hemer 2011: FREMO:87 layout in the center (click to enlarge)

Local freight on its way to Hemer

Class 50 engine with local freight leaving Iserlohn Ost

Shunter waiting for orders

Passengers in Iserlohn Ost

A local freight and passenger train meet in Iserlohn Ost

Diesel passenger train waiting at Heinerslust junction

Steam passenger train entering Geisecke

Man working in the distillery near the Dutch border

Super detailed RP25 class 41 engine visits Geisecke

Rural scene on the Bavarian branch

Rail bus in Hölle

New module section with super elevation

Local freight crossing the German Dutch border

Bridge between Nahuis and Schelling

Level crossing in Schelling

Spotting cars in Schelling

Scene in Lintelo

Shunting in Lintelo

Dutch level crossing

Rail bus on the Dutch branch

Cow pasture in the Netherlands

Rail bus to Winterswijk

Loading the vans

Earlier this month, FREMO:87 enthusiasts organized the first regional meeting in Southern Germany. The meeting in the quaint village of Zunsweier situated in the foothills of the Black Forest near Offenburg featured a layout with stations from Baden, Bavaria and Württemberg with a timetable set in era III. A workshop on supering the Brawa Omm52/E37 open hopper rounded out the program.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to fly in for this meeting so I am going to share a few photos taken by a friend of mine. It looks like the meeting was a success and will hopefully be repeated in 2013.

Zunsweier 2011 FREMO:87 layout

Signal at Fornsbach

A passenger train makes a stop in Gutach

Lumber from the local saw mill ready to be hauled away

I just returned from a very nice visit to Germany, where I stopped by the 2010 Glottertal FREMO:87 meet. Even though I didn’t run a single train during the operating sessions, it was great to be back, talk shop and catch up with friends and fellow modelers from France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland. The modular Proto:87 community seems to be growing quite nicely in Europe and I hope that we US modelers can soon start our own Proto modular system.

An ETA 515 makes a quick stop in Seeburg (click to enlarge)

The layout was compact but offered a few interesting features including a short narrow gauge set-up that crossed the standard gauge line on a few dual gauge modules. A completely separate test layout with two fiddle yards allowed for running unfinished projects, locos and cars from other eras/continents including my just completed Penn Central X58.

My Penn Central X58 361825 on a test drive

The new coupling tool from Dutch Werps Modelbouw was in wide use and seemed to help speed up coupling and uncoupling – otherwise quite tedious tasks, which tend to slow down switching and lead to time-crunches during operating sessions.

The new coupling tool from Dutch Werps Modelbouw speeds up switching

I left the meet inspired to pick up the pace on my modeling projects including a few converted Proto:87 engines. My goal is to help prepare enough era 4 German rolling stock to allow for an operating session with more modern material by 2012.

Below are a few more scenes along the right of way taken with my new DSLR. Enjoy!

Taking a breather on the front porch - a popular scene on the FREMO:87 layout

VT 95 in the colorful fiddle yard Rambach

Missed photo op at a level crossing

A local freight train on the way to Gutach

Getting milled lumber ready for pick-up in Gutach

The local freight train arrives in Heiligenthal

93 1099 with an afternoon freight train on the way from Fornsbach to Iserlohn

A VT 95 and ETA 515 meet in Heiligenthal

In last week’s post, I suggested that more modelers build PROTO layouts. Today, I want to explore two ways to build that layout.

Building a model train layout is a big task to begin with and something that’s never really finished – at least in my experience. There are always things to add, improve or change.

Building a PROTO layout is an even bigger task, because PROTO modelers love details and have to build many parts from scratch. Just converting and supering a car or engine can turn into a major undertaking. Thus, the building process takes much longer.

So how am I supposed to build an entire layout in PROTO:87?

Going micro

Over the last few weeks, I have been following The Protocrastinator blog and love his musings about building a PROTO:87 micro layout. I think this is the perfect approach to fine scale modeling: Choose a scene that is manageable in size and tell a story.

When we first moved to Manhattan last year, I was thinking about building a micro layout, too. I did some research and found Carl Arendt’s Micro/Small Layouts for Model Railroads website, which contains over 1,500 ideas, track plans and photos on micro layouts. Whether you are looking for an Inglenook or Timesaver, single level or multi level, a track plan with or without switches – Carl’s got you covered.

Going micro is definitely a good plan, but for me it seems somewhat limiting and that’s not because of the size. What I am missing the most is context. Micro layouts are great for operating alone or with a buddy and are certainly terrific as exhibition layouts to show off your craft. But at the end of the day, you are confined to your scene on a two by four.

Going modular

When you turn your micro layout into a module that connects to other modules with matching end plates, you are literally able to connect to the great wide world. Your scene is now one of many along a (model) railroad line with a new story to tell every time it is set up. Your short story suddenly turned into a novel – now here is the context I was looking for.

If PROTO modeling is supposed to gain more traction in the U.S. (which I hope it will), I firmly believe that starting a modular PROTO:87 group is the way to go.

This not only allows you to connect to other modules. More importantly, it connects you to like-minded modelers who pursue a common goal. Individuals can further develop their specialties and help out fellow modelers in areas where they may lack expertise and vice versa. It’s a win-win situation.

Your turn

Interested in starting a PROTO:87 modular group? Want to take the Free-mo or the FREMO-USA route?

Take a short survey or leave a comment below. I look forward to hearing from you.

Andy Reichert shared a YouTube video on the PROTO:87 Yahoo! Group the other day. It shows a P:76 modular layout with a train running at increasing speeds. I must say, it’s impressive. Have a look for yourself.

The system clearly works, so let’s get cracking and build more PROTO layouts. Fellow modelers will follow suit, publications will cover it, more parts will become available and so on.

Are you on board?