Die Renovation geht 2020 weiter ...

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21.5.2020 ~Ascension Day

After the Ascension Day Service, the rest of this lovely day was spend on the landscape around the Lorelei Tunnel.  I planted a huge tree that 'made the scene'!

Read more in Chapter 27 and 28.

12-16.5.2020

Finally, I got the courage to take care of all the tracks, both near the platforms and along the parade track.

All too long I had no clue how to do it right. It should not be too idyllic, but at the same time not lose the time-typical atmosphere...

Thanks to a friend who convincedly pushed me in the right direction!

9.5.2020

Day of finetuning...

See more in Chapter 26!

8.5.2020

Tree planting backstage. More pictures in Chapter 26!

2.5.2020

The view is changing all the time. More pictures in Chapter 26!

30.4.2020

Continuing the 'Oberwerk'... see: Chapter 26!

30.4.2020

25.4.2020

While enjoying a weekend outdoors, a friend brought me two Trix beer vans which he purchased for me, earlier this year on the 23 Febr. Houten Euretco Fair.  

So, again two gaps in my Bavarian collection are being filled with #23903 (Gambrinus, 1995) and #23906 (Ledererbräu, 1996).

Together with the newly released Roco 76060 (set with triple KPEV vans) and the Bavarian coaches 74900, 74901 and 74902 (all on Fleischmann basis!),

they make a fine addition of eight cars.

The difference between the Roco Kleinviehwagen (left, #76060/2020) and its original made by Fleischmann (#1904/2007, right): 

Roco choose for a darker brown, extended printing, Hülsenpuffer, a single step near the door and single spoked wheels

Roco 76060A, 76060B, 76060C

14.4.2020

Today, I started with the extension of the layout by adding more depth. An idea that came to me a year ago.

Read more about 'The Making of the Oberwerk' in Chapter 26, of Journal Part 4.

10.4.2020

A video of Prinzregent Luitpold's Salon 8, including a brief history on Ludwig's life's ending, on my channel now. For the time being, my last video for now.

4.4.2020

While I was pondering how to make the transition to the movie about Luitpold - who became Prinzregent of Bavaria after Ludwig II died - the solution came suddenly to my mind:

König Ludwig und Hofartzt Bernhard von Gudden am Ufer des Starnberger Sees, 13. Juni 1886...

4.4.2020

With the Prussian King and Germans emperor Kaiser Wilhelm II on the track, the series of 'Royal Trains' will be concluded with the royal coach of the Bavarian

Prins Regend L u i t p o l d, successor after King Ludwig II of Bavaria passed away at Lake Starnberg.

His wagon was seen today behind an in royal blue painted S 2/6, standing along the platform in a filtered sunlight...

22.3.2020

After having finished my video on the Württemberg Wilhelm II, it was time for the Prussian namesake, Kaiser Wilhelm II and his train: the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Zug.

My camera captured the S 10 "Breslau 1008" in a spherical setting. The KWZ-video was released on April 3rd, 2020.

22.3.2020

Working on my video 'King Wilhelm II of Württemberg', it's hard not to put many if not all new pictures on the site.

But for today I want to share this one: the Württemberg C 2007, shunting the Royal Coach A15 in the radiant light of the sunset...

21.3.2020

From one thing comes another...

I never thought that I would weather an exclusive Märklin locomotive. But the recent filming and the major renovation of the layout have changed my mind.

There are models that gleam into the display case, but some deserve some upgrading. The Württemberg K is one of them. 

Since the painting of the coal couldn't appeal to me, I decided that the K would be my very first engine to have real coal.

Read more about it in a small report

19.3.2020

While starting the Video starring the Royal Württemberg family with their Royal Coach A15, the thought came to my mind that the locomotive not only needs,

 but since I painted the peat load of the Bay. B VI, I thought... why not give it a shot!

So three Württemberg Steamers got a painted load today, using Vallejo 70.983, Heki Lasur and a dry brush with Ash Grey:

* Märklin 3311, Wrt. C nr. 2007

* Märklin 3514, Wrt. C nr. 2004

* Märklin 37059, Wrt. K nr. 1801

C & K & C

The royal family of König Wilhelm II from Württemberg 

D a s  b e s t e  a u s  W ü r t t e m b e r g 

18.3.2020

I took me 5 days to realize this movie, but now it's there: the King Ludwig Train on the Cochemer Bahn.

Enjoy.

14.3.2020

While our country - and the world - is under the spell of the coronavirus, I had the idea of making a new video concerning the Royalties.

Form the 5 mentioned in my Royalty List, there are 4 in my collection. At first, I wanted to make only one video where all royal trains are presented sequentially.

However, the raw takes of the KLZ with BVI alone contain more than an hour...

So, there will be like four movies to come, to begin with the König Ludwig Hofzug (KLZ), the Royal Train of the Bavarian King Ludwig II.

7.3.2020

My first attempt ever in making 'scale H0 water'... up to now: a total failure!

Chapter 24D

6.3.2020

Some detailing... 

3.3.2020

Approaching the front while working clock wise... 

2.3.2020

For some days working on the Castle Forest, tunnel and... a new idea: the Forest Lake will also have a waterfall! 

See: Chapter 23 C of the J o u r n a l

2.3.2020

2.3.2020

Two peat-fired locomotives of the Bavarian class B VI (Torflokomotiven) were painted for a more realistic look...  

23.2.2020

A few hours to spend on the ridge on the south-eastern side of the castle.

See: Chapter 23C ~ The Hill Ridge

18.2.2020

Today I took the bold step to remove the ballast from between the sleepers on the small train bridge in the forest. I'm aware of the fact that white glue is pretty strong

and one needs a chisel to remove sand and ballast. However, one way or another, I managed to remove it with a small screwdriver and the result was promising.

It would have been perfect to remove the materials between the sleepers so that you might look down into the stream. But then I had to remove the whole foundation.

Therefore, I choose for stability over aesthetics...

The story about the making of this bridge continues in Chapter 21 of the Journal.

19.2.2020

For one reason or another, the bridge seemed out of balance. Therefore, I removed three planks on the left!

Once again proved: less is more!

15.2.2020

Some photography...

Furthermore, I gave the Pt 2/3 (Roco 79053) a Philotrain coupler and staff (Roco 'halflings').

Three out of four 'Milchwagen' got their shields 'Milchwagen' (right bottom side) and hook couplers. Quite an operation...

Roco 79053 with Brawa 48650

13.2.2020

The construction of the coal bunker took me all day...

The story goes on in Chapter 24.

12.2.2020

Today I picked up the thread again from working on the platform. No fewer than 154 boards were laid.

This project also shows that some errors often lead to something better.

In this case: planks that were cut too short - while positioned in the curve - invited me to think of an adequate solution: a small coal bunker. Read more in Chapter 24.

11.2.2020

At the edge of the Forest... today's work.

7.2.2020

A layout has never too many trees...

6.2.2020

T h e  p i g s t y  r e s t o r e d. More vegetation in and around!

12.1.2006 

6.2.2020

5.2.2020

Working on a video of Baureihe 65... posted on 7.2.2020

0202|2020

Today - a special date as palindrome - I posted a new video, starring the Cochemer Burg.

The music of National Treasure fits most perfect to the scenery...

29-30.1.2020

V e g i  i n  t h e  v a l l e y! 

Read more about it in: Chapter 23

27.1.2020

Vegetation works around the castle. Read more at Chapter 23...

January 11th (left) and Januari 27!

21.1.2020

I finished the roof titles of the Castle and started creating a miniature on top of the ruined tower...

Read more at Chapter 23...

18.1.2020

A visit to the German town of Leer brought me this Trix beer van, a 2006 limited edition, found in a shop at Mühlenstraße, just lying there for another 14 years.

Trix 92014

17.1.2020

Mr. Eui Nam Kim of Fine Models (Otzberg in Germany) was so kind to send me on request some fine pictures of the 2019 released BR 77.1 (Bay. Pt 3/6). Since their website had only rather dull pictures with a not so stimulating grey background (with crack), and these superb models deserve a better presentation, it seemed that this has happened. Among the received pictures is the DRG version 77 124 of which only a CAD-scan is published. Much obliged, Mr. Kim!

16.1.2020

A real adventure started today. Daring... daring. But yet one of the best ideas ever!

New tiles were delivered for the Cochemer Burg rooftop.

Read the whole story in Chapter 23 of Journal Part 3

14.1.2020

Today, the DB 65 012 got personnel (Roco "halflings" with lasur topping) for the next video clip.

10-11.1.2020

While working on the waterfall, two other projects are simultaneously in progress:

1. The Castle ~ see Chapter 23 in the Journal!

2. Another Platform ~ see Chapter 24 in the Journal!

9.1.2020

I continued working on the layout again, picking up the thread of December: the W a t e r f a l l.

6.1.2020

Today I finished my up-to-now most elaborate film, Das liebe Landleben in Bayern um 1919.

It took me some 5 days (and nights) in filming, editing, finetuning, searching for the right atmospheric music, looking for the sound of birds in the forest, etc.

While nearly finishing my film, I found a poem by this German poet called Karl Christian Tenner (1791-1866), who was born in the Bavarian Pfalz. How fitting!

His poem "Das Jägermädchen" fits most perfectly with the atmosphere surrounding the Forest Lodge, which in fact is the real star of this movie.

It was my specific intention to give this particular film a true and authentic German atmosphere, say Bayern pur sang.

Therefore I choose not only a German title, but went for a complete German text as well as a timeline according to Bavaria around 1919.

Even specific German words and phrases (terminus technicus) considering the German Railways in the early 1920's were not ignored.

Moments of reflection were intentionally added between different shots by using pictures of several Bavarian locomotives starring in this movie.

The final forestall shot with only singing birds is in effect meant to be the echo in our memories and for treasuring a time past.

Watch 'Das liebe Landleben in Bayern um 1919'

PS: I am most humbly flattered with over 700 views on YouTube within a day, as well as the kind gesture of mr. Jörg Vallen from the Busch Company a day after,

who kindly posted a message on their Facebook Account, which received already 497 likes in two days.