Most Incredible Animated Train Layout Ever!!!

It is also the largest model railroad layout but the animation is mind-boggling no matter what scale it is (which it never mentions). Take a look at this video. I hope it shows the link...
Karin
www.miniatur-wunderland.com/exhibit/video/4-minutes-wunderland/

Karin, that video is what got me back into model railroading after 50 years. It is incredible. Imaging building that bridge.

Karin, Thanks for posting. If you look real closely in the AMERICAN waterfront section, You will see Motif #1- That's the building and drawings I sent to you as a possible kit.
It's a SMALL WORLD---afterall.
Fred
It's at 1:59 and 2:00 mark on the tape.

I had the opportunity to see it myself in 2002, and then it was 3 time smaller than it is today. What had impress me the most during my visit was the 20 minute rotation from day light to full moon light, it is done so very slowly that you don't notice the change until all the building are slowly iluminating themself.

Also the automated automobiles that go around, stop at a red light put their flashers and turns, it is done with a very complex system of wire hidden under the road and some electronics in the cars.

Ben

Although it's a little bit "spaghetti bowl" (in my opinion, but this display is mostly done for non-modelrailroad specialists), it's definitly worth the visit... And every time I go to Hamburg with my wife (where she was born) I spend half a day there.

Even if there is no Z scale.

Dom

Since I'm in the lucky situation to live only 45 minute away from this layout, I visit it once each year together with my son, and in most years at least one more time with the whole family (OK, so we are three then... ).

The first time we've been there was way back in May or June 2001. That was before the official opening, when they decided to let people see for a day what was going on in those old buildings, and what they were to expect in August when the official opening took place...

Since that day the layout grew bigger and bigger and also the perfection of details grew, and that from a already high starting standard. Nowadays (currently in it's 440s week since the beginning) a lot of details have changed over time, since the layout besides growing in size is permanently under renovation.

The most important thing of this layout is that the people who work at and with it, are a really crazy bunch. Most of them haven't been model railroaders before, but great craftsmen/women in their own trade.

If you ever get the chance to visit the MiWuLa I recommend at least once a guided tour behind the scenes. This tour takes about 60 minutes and you will go and crawl (here are the only restrictions for those tours: if you weight more then 120 kg you're not allowed on those tours. You won't be able to pass at some places. I don't weight much less, and I can just get around at those points. The second restriction is if you have a pacemaker for youre heart, then you're also not allowed behind the back because of the strong magnets used for the ships in the shadow harbour behind the Scandinavia part.) behind the layout and see the details that can't be seen from the usual vistors place. Also this is a trademark of the team that they sceniced in full detail even there where a normal visitor won't ever be. Under those tours it is also great fun to listen and talk to the guide from the team. And if you do the tour more then once you will probably get another guide each time, and hear about other details every time because every team member has it's own highlights beside the basic facts that they all show and tell.

I recommend to visit the website and check out about the team and also read the history in the weekly reports from week 1 from October 30th to November 5th 2000.

If you're wondering how many people it takes to build and run this layout. The twin brothers Gerrit and Frederik Braun who are the founders of this had a starting estimate of about 20 people...
...that was the biggest mistake in their planning...
...today they employ up to 160 people for the complete work, including the shop and the restaurant that belongs to the place.
Until now more then 5 million visitors came to the MiWuLa. In May I will be there again with my family and our friends from Denmark.

Hello Terry,
TerryH wrote:

Karin, that video is what got me back into model railroading after 50 years. It is incredible. Imaging building that bridge.

the MiWuLa is also one of the reasons that our family joined the ranks of the modelrailroading world. The man behind most of the bridges in the MiWuLa is Gaston , who also made a bridge in Z scale for one member of our Z-scale group in Hamburg.

alaska-rr wrote:

the animation is mind-boggling no matter what scale it is (which it never mentions).

The layout is in H0...

Ulie,

Do they still sell special edition Marklin cars in their shop?

Robert

Hello Robert,
loadmaster wrote:

Do they still sell special edition Marklin cars in their shop?

At my last visit in January they still had those special run cars available. In the online shop currently are three different cars in Z-scale available. I don't know about future plans, but as long as Maerklin will be around they will have cars regulary available. Just that it will be new cars each time, because they will order a certain amount of cars and when they are gone they are gone. Those three cars currently in the shop are from last year, and I'm sure there will be new ones for this year again. I will ask next time I'm there since those cars are the only ones beside the glas tank cars that I collect just for the fun of it. I knew that I have all the Z-scale cars from the MiWuLa, plus one car that isn't from the MiWuLA but about a vendors meeting at the MiWuLa and all the glas tank cars including the year 2000 long glas tank car. From the latest special MiWuLa car, the passenger car with the graffiti paint I bought two hoping that they will issue a steam engine fitting for it at some point...

A special exibition about 150 years Maerklin is currently to be seen in the MiWuLa.