My wife (with the help of my

My wife (with the help of my good friend Rick) has talked me into building a German H0 layout again. I'm not entirely sure this is such a good idea but it looks like I don't have much of a choice …

So today I will start the 3rd version of the Breitenbach - Rosenheim Railroad. The plan I came up with uses the existing bench work, only I have to widen it here and there. I have no idea where this journey will lead me but I have promised my wife to stick to this layout until I retire. Nobody knows what will happen at that point.

The first thing I did today was widen the bench work along the west wall of the layout room. This area will become the small town of Bad Adomeit, named after a good old friend.

And here comes the track plan as it exists today:

Welcome back

Good to have you back Michael but I feel your heart is not in this. My suggestion if the fires have been rekindled is to go smaller.  Maybe build half of what you’ve drawn out. I know you are not an operations guy but maybe even try something linear where you follow the trains instead of watching them. Again, I am truly happy you are back as I learned much in your previous episodes, including getting a laser printer.

Tom

Awesome

I look forward to following along, Michael.  Really, it's just good to hear from you again.

Good to have you back Michael

Maybe, but it's like with a work project. I might not like it in the beginning but I will still do it. Maybe a little distance helps and keeps expectations in check. We'll see. Anyway, it gives me something to do !

Great to see you back

why not aim to get a mainline in and wired so you can run some of the beautiful trains you have. It seemed that they bought much joy when they arrived in the previous build post. 

That way when you get bored with building you can run some trains. 

This is a hobby and is supposed to be fun as well. Enjoy what ever you decide to do and I'll be watching worth interest

Good to see you

Good to see you doing HO again. I do learn and look forward to your progress posting. There are a number of  MRH Florida members on here. Perhaps invite us for a work day and the fellowship would revitalize you.

I am willing. Carter

We'll, my good friend - the

We'll, my good friend - the cat is out of the bag!  It's great to see you posting again!

Perhaps invite us for a work

Carter, I'm always happy to have visitors. Just let me know when...

We'll, my good friend - the

Poor animal... and remember, you made me do it!

Good to see you back but.....

Michael, good to see you back in HO, but perhaps, as Simon says, have a mainline completed and then you can run those trains that you have accumulated over the years. Then, just look at it as a project that you will commit yourself to on the basis of an hour or so a day, or similar but no more. Otherwise you'll lose enthusiasm again.

Staying energized

Studying photos and researching the area being modeled always keeps me going. You discover details and decide,  "Yes, that must be included." Or in this case, "Ja, das muss enthalten sein."

It turns out that my

It turns out that my background doesn't go low enough in this area of the layout so I have to extend it by about 6".

In this area I had too cut

In this area I had to cut out part of the background to make room for the return loop into Bad Adomeit:

That looks like quite the

That looks like quite the track plan!  The only thing I would do if you want to follow your trains is make the curved tracks at the ends come back to the same aisle rather than going around to the far side of that bench.  The way the mainline is arranged, it doesn't look like you could walk along side the train and follow it.

Jim F.

I don't think Michael is planning on following trains - more like "planting" himself in a chair and watching all of the automated train action.

That looks like quite the

The problem with that is the tight curves you would get. If I was running only freight it might be ok but with all the long passenger equipment it would look really bad. I've tried everything but this is the best solution I could come up with.

What I like

is that it is designed as a railfan layout, and I assume you still plan on some sort of automation of the layout?  To me, the trains disappearing makes it that much more intriguing like the prototype, where the train will disappear in the distance, then you wait for the next train to come along.  More like railfanning.

Dave, Yes, the layout will be

Dave,

Yes, the layout will be fully automated and yes again, I will be sitting in a chair watching the trains... 

I have widened the

I have widened the Breitenbach peninsula:

It sure feels good to be back!

Glad you are back to being

Glad you are back to being active Michael. I suspect your German theme will keep you interested more than the other ideas you tried. What is the minimum radius you will be using? Also it is my understanding that the European models maybe designed with tighter radius in mind than many US counterparts.

Enjoy your project Michael it is a journey and something to bring joy and relaxation. Thanks for sharing your adventure with the rest of us, you will likely have the only European themed layout I am interested in.

Rob, I'm pretty sure my wife

Rob,

I'm pretty sure my wife will keep me going, interest or not. She can be stubborn...

You're right, the European models can handle tighter curves because modelers in Europe tend to have smaller spaces to work with. I'm using a minimum radius of about 19" for hidden track and about 50" for visible track on the main line. The branch line runs shorter locomotives and uses 17" for hidden curves and 36" minimum for visible track.

This morning I've widened

This morning I've widened this peninsula:

Michael, if you went to 42,

Michael, if you went to 42, or 36 on the visible curves could you not get your hidden curves to 24 or 30 inches? Even though they are not visible the larger radius would improve operation of equipment a lot. I believe in Joe's run like a dream series he addresses the reasoning why many modelers in HO scale decided on 36 inches for a minimum radius. I am only tossing this out there as it looks like your plan may still be in the paper stage and easier to modify than after you actually build it.

Just a thought, and you do know the reliability of your models much better than I do so if I am full of beans please disregard.

Rob, All the German rolling

Rob,

All the German rolling stock runs flawless on 360mm radius which is a little bit over 14". No problems there.