~ Trackplan of the Cochemer Bahn ~

A birds eyes' view

Even if I had plans for my own layout, the real beginning of the Cochemer Bahn was about 1994.

Since my job makes it necessary to move more then once,

I decided that the layout had to be 'transportable' in an easy way.

That means a light and demountable construction, and the use of light materials.

Even if the surface only measures 300 x 125 centimetres,

I had at least in mind:

... to avoid boredom

... to have a shadow station

... to make a challenging track plan

... to make the layout as realistic as possible

... to realise nature if possible in the most natural way

... to have the possibility of both analogue and digital performance

...etcetera

The pictures below will give an impression of the first months of the Cochemer Bahn in a birds eye's view.

Thus you can see how the track plan was created.

I hope that it will help you, when surveying the rest of this site.

Enjoy the tour.

After the size of my first hobby room, the layout of the Cochemer Bahn 

I started to make in 1992 was measured 300 x 125 cm.

The style of the landscape was to be an area in Southern Germany

around 1900.

It might have been somewhere in Württemberg or Bayern (Bavaria).

Here you can see the shadow station that will be hidden

under the landscape to come.

The track in the front is the so called 'Paradengleis'  which will lead

to the first floor, where the station will come and the main track will reverse.

In the centre I made a drawer, in which the control system is placed.

I use both analogue and digital devices from Märklin.

I wanted the control panel to be like a cabinet drawer.

The LED's will indicate occupied tracks

at the shadow station.

Various switches are used for signal lights,

house illumination and lampposts.

The two large switches are used for either

analogue or digital power on the tracks.

And finally there's the key lock for power.

    These S-88 decoders, hidden under the floor,

   will (hopefully) prevent any collision in the shadow station,

   and fulfil the train plan, while I'm not paying attention

   while talking to visitors...

Now let's continue our story of the track plan itself.

The main track is a single branch line, which is divided for passing by trains, going up or coming down the hill.

The layout is designed in three layers:

1. The first level should carry the main track  and shadow station.

2. The second is planned for the main station  in branch line style.

3. The third level has a town called Cochem on the left side,  and a castle ~ the Cochemer Burg ~ on the right.

At the towns station, the track also ends and people that travel by train can abort here for visiting town.

Let the pictures tell their own story and see how the principal work of the Cochemer Bahn is realised.

(The following photo's are duplicates from slides. Therefore the quality is rather poor. Sorry for that!)

Shadow station and main track up hill.

Rescue hatch in case of an unforeseen subterranean accident. One at the left side...

...and one at the right as well.

Four trains come from the right and run into the shadow station.

The one standing here is running in the opposite direction.

I admit, it's a pretty dark picture. But it's the only one I have of this part.

Märklin signals are fixed now.

If ever I knew, that my wife would spare me some fine Viessmann Bavarian signals for my birthday to come,

I wouldn't have made this trouble in cutting the board and fixing these rather robust Märklin signals.

The next step is the way up to the third level.

The slope begins at the spot marked with 1, and is not at horizontal level until  it reaches spot nr. 2.

On the third floor the track halts at the station.

Part of the town planning can be seen.

Only two parts of K-Track must be cut and connected yet.

I thought it a great idea to have this beautiful staircase right in front of the town hall.

But alas, when there has to come a station as well,

the platform lacks the room for this kind of 'royalty'.

The tracks were painted by hand.

This is how it was going to look like in 2007...

~~~

And after the Renovation in 2021 is has changed again: