Hello Friedhelm,
interesting theme, not only for foreign readers! I don't believe, that the german market ist saturated. Perhaps while concentrating on loco's, but when I look specially to freight cars, then I have the impression, that the railway scene is dominated by german models. That's a pity; a look to pictures of the 70's and 80's show, that in every freight train there where a lot of "foreign" cars of associated railway administrations. Thanks to the RIV it was (and is?) a free interchange between DB and all other administrations possible. So I personnally miss french, dutch, swiss or similar freight cars. Sometimes it is even only a variant of a DB type (because in fact it is a RIV standardized type)with foreign inscriptions. This could be a new field of sales also for the model manufacturers.
Martin Meiburg

Dear Mr Weidelich,
1. The strategy of the German producers seems me dangerous for themselves: the German 1:32 market is saturated and there is a real risk of value-destroying competition between them.
2. I am not fully satisfied when running DB models on my layout, but I have no choice!
3. As Mr Van Raemdonck says, the market today is very limited, but there is a real potential of growth, certainly if some non-DB models are made available.
4. A nice model of a Belgian Nohab diesel (52/53/54 series) would make me very happy but would also make a lot of sense from a commercial risk perspective: Nohab diesels have been running in a lot of European countries.
5. I definitely prefer to run models of state-owned companies of the 1950-1970 period: more various models, traditional colors, short trains, etc...
Thanks a lot for this questionnaire!

Dear Friedhelm Weidelich

How great of you to ask those questions the other day from us non-german followers of your great site.

I have actually been meaning to write to you for a long time so I could help with some crowd funding for your excellent and informative site. Please send me your bank details so I can support your project. Being a graphic designer, I enjoy the aesthetics of your photography, which is consistently well composed and clear and a joy to follow.

I was born in the late sixties, and grew up with Märklin and long evenings with my dad with E19, E44, Uerdinger, Schürzen-tin-wagons and off course the danish, swedish and swiss models.

We also had a very large collection of Wrenn, Hornby and Bachmann where I have always been in love with the LNER Sir Nigel Gresley design of the A4 etc.

We had a huge collection - and it started a joy that is still there very much - it just turned very expensive when I left HO : )

And very international. I have always thought it rather provincial just to care about local stuff, so when I discovered Gauge One 12 years ago and fell in love with a Hübner E94 it had to be in the original colourscheme from llc, and that has sort of started me building a rather large ( and heavy ) collection of KM 1, Kiss, Märkiin, Spur-1.at, Dingler, all for mainline work from 1948 until 1953. ( So I can mix pre-war streamlined beauties with early Bundesbahn. )

Offcourse I have 2 danish models, made in very small numbers, but I am actually fine about german pre and post war rolling stock, and really enjoy the researching and have quite a large german library about it all. So for me a part of collecting is actually the german connection.

But it is great to see that more swiss models are comming out in the middle prize range ( Kiss ) and I hope that some pre-war swiss models will also come to the market. And off course if somebody did Danish or Swedish models in KM1 quality I would be there if it was a design I liked.

You ask if I dream of something, and yes - I really do. CIWL Wagon-Lits and dinning coaches from before and after the war would be a great supplement to the Mitropa wagons that märkiin put out - and I keep on dreaming about those coming out. They are missing in my life - and I still remember when my dad was wawing from them on Copenhagen Central, going with the Nord Express down through germany to Paris before crappy airlines ruined traintravel in DK. I do not know if the manufactures are to nationalistic to produce an international coach or why no one of the good companies have done that.
There are some shiny english ones I saw in Sinsheim but that was it.

You ask about Gauge one in DK. A couple of clubs. I am not a member - I enjoy my home layout as a rest from deadline design work - but there is a following, which is great. And some production of limited editions. It’s ok – because there is a lot of HO danish models. I am fine with the german/swiss/austrian angle for my Gauge 1.

Please keep on your great site !

Dear Friedhelm,

Thank you for this discussion. Every day I visit your website for more gauge 1 news and interesting discussions.

After my H0 period I started with the 1:43,5 0 gauge building English models based on the GWR prototype. It's a whole story but at my website www.blokpost-nul.nl there is more about this subject. The interesting part of the English 0 gauge you can buy almost everything to build a correct model for the period you are modelling. For me the period I model is 1900-1910. I love to build models for this period. And I am still in the O gauge.

Three years ago I went into gauge 1 impressed by the KM1 and KISS models. These models are not realy cheap but they will fit in my budget. In gauge 1 I choose for the DRG period before WW2. So my wish is more models based on this period.

For my 750 mm narrow gauge part of the railway we need DRG freight wagons and coaches. The beautifull KM1 DRG Tssd BR99-633 needs to pull a freight or passengers train.

And as a finescale gauge 1 modeller I hope the new supplier for the Hosenträger railsystem will be up and running in a short time. For my 1:32 finescale railway under construction I need tracks and points.

As a Dutchman I am modelling in 0 gauge English GWR standard gauge and G.W.R broad gauge and in gauge 1 German DRG standard and 750mm narrow gauge.

Kind regards,

Cor de Jong

hello,

I build layout after SNCF prototype in 1950 and later and I am missing diesel and electric locs, waggons and cars, also CIWL and Inox cars would be nice.

It is OK for me to use DB waggons on the SNCF tracks.

Best regards,

Herbert Beranek

Hallo Friedhelm,

Greetings from the USA. Thank you for asking this question. It's very interesting to read the opinions and observations from other countries! Here are some of my own opinions to your inquiry for the United States:

1) I will focus on Marklin because in 1:32 they are far and away the market leader for trains in the USA. As you know, back in the Maxi days there were several 1-scale models of North American prototype. I think the last American model was a flatcar in 2006. But with Marklin's takeover of LGB it made sense to not 'cannibalize' the LGB following with 1:32 models. In terms of their strategy, they have never really understood the U.S. market, and this counts for all gauges. Their models are horrendously overpriced when purchased through a U.S. dealer, in my opinion. Most of the 'hardcore' modelers who run Marklin have a dealer or two in Germany they rely on, since it remains cheaper to purchase from Germany and pay the shipping costs than it is to purchase here in the USA from Walthers, the official importer. In terms of American models, I don't think Marklin will ever be competitive in 1-scale. In H.O. scale and Z-scale their paint schemes, details and historical accuracy of models has been poor, and there are companies like MTH that simply do it better and cheaper, with better technology and attention to detail and accuracy.

2) Since my layout is Deutsche Bundesbahn, I can't speak to this. I have loved European (mainly German) trains since my childhood. I know many, many 'Modelleisenbahner' in the USA who also prefer the German prototypes over any other nation. There is even a national organization, European Train Enthusiasts (www.ete.org) that specializes in European trains. In the Detroit area alone we have over 40 members.

3) For garden railroads, I think we are the 'market leader'. Even for German prototype there are a good number of Spur Einser, not just 'Spur G-er'. I know of several dozen that are big fans of Marklin, but also KM-1, Kiss, and others. Some will no longer purchase Marklin because of old technology and poor quality, but that's a discussion for another post of yours!

4. I would like to see an affordable version of the Akku-triebwagen 515/815, ETA/ESA 150. Yes, I know Fine Models makes one, but I paid less money for my daughter's car than they want for that model! I think an affordable model should be relatively easy to produce. I would also love to see Marklin make shortened 'Silberlinge' for all of us who already have the shortened D-zug wagen.

5. When I was a small boy I would visit my grandmother in Koenigstein / Ts. near Frankfurt. Every morning I would run down to the train station and wait for the trains to come in - Esslinger triebwagen, BR212's and 218's pulling and pushing silverlings in and out of the station, plus the occasional Dampflok for Pfingsten and Burgfest. I was thirteen. It was the greatest summer ever. So it stands to reason that my Spur 1 dream is to recreate a little of that line from Hoechst to Koenigstein.

Next summer there will be a sort of 'Spur 1 Treffen' in San Francisco as part of a European train show. I will know much more about the level of interest in European 1:32 scale models after I attend, and will be happy to write a report.

mfG,

Carsten Ramcke
Michigan, USA