HO Grafenwalde a restored HO BLT

[Tim Hale]

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Having previously failed, this the last attempt to describe the rebuilding of layout belonging to the Dorset Reichsbahn Gruppe that was sold in 2008 and subsequently ‘lost’. However long story short CLICK HERE, the remnants of the layout were found by Brian W on the Isle of Wight and subsequently returned to Dorset in 2024.

At the start of 2025, the existing ‘new ‘ layout, Pottendorf, had just been captured for posterity by Peco and the workbench was being used to restore old buildings, locos etc. The restored buildings and stock found their way onto the new layout and a decision made to sell the now surplus bits and keep the restored items, this was not difficult as both layouts shared the same space in the workshop and almost identical trackplans.

I hope to provide a narrative of both the backstory and the restoration of the layout in subsequent posts.

Thank you

 

[Tim Hale]

Grafenwalde, the why and wherefore

1990 was the first opportunity to really travel throughout Germany both East and West, that summer, we crossed at Lobenstein beside the Frankenwaldbahn on the newly reinstated road to Probstzella, the former transit point. From there to Saalfeld and onwards to our first ‘stay’ Frauenwald up on the Rennsteig amongst the Thüringer Wald, the small village that was once at the end of a short line from Rennsteig. Although, we went on to visit as much of the former Soviet zone as possible, it was this tiny village that has remained a favourite to which we used to return almost every year until 2023. The line was long gone by the time of our visit but it was well documented by two excellent books and the local Apotheke (chemist shop) was an enthusiast who offered archive photos of the village and the line.

In 1999, we relocated across the county and gained a small, well appointed 4,8x3m shed in the process, Frauenwald* was the obvious candidate to fill the shed and by ‘06 the layout was ready for the public. The build was a joint affair, four old friends, collectively the ‘Dorset Reichsbahn Gruppe’ we took the layout to a number of events both in the UK and across the channel. Unfortunately, it was not to last as four became three and then two, just in time for our debut at the NEC Warley show, during the show we were approached by a gentleman who was aware of our loss and made an extremely generous offer, this was the last time that we saw the layout.

Between ‘09 and ‘18 the shed was used to build a succession of small exhibition layouts but the last Christmas in ‘18 was marked by the first visit to the local ICU and an enforced decision to either cease completely or simply stop exhibiting, consequently in ‘22 the large incomplete ‘roundy roundy’ was dismantled leaving just a vestigial four bare boards.

The boards were stripped and sanded​

Much worse was to come as the original four became just one.

*Frauenwald is a popular subject amongst German modellers, Martin Silz, suggested an appropriate epithet, Grafenwalde

Tim

 

[Tim Hale]

With four old flat boards, planning was not difficult thanks to inspiration from Peco's archive of images but at first the theme was not East Germany, that was to come later, the first priority was to build the layout.

To provide some degree of continuity, these are the trackplans, the original and the current versions. Please note that both are 4,8m x 0,76m, the lack of FY in the first image is misleading. The original design was a cutdown version of Frauenwald, in reality, it is Germany’s Ashburton, often recreated as a model.

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Given the fact that shed is not the Tardis, the similarity is due to my lack of imagination and a change in circumstances as I could no longer exhibit nor move with any degree of alacrity. The station now faces the operator rather than the public and the cassettes were replaced by a four road FY. The loco shed moved to the opposite end of the loop to provide some visual balance. Thanks to clever software, it was a doddle to flip the plan into a simple computer generated image that could be ‘tested’ before committing.

The increased length of the FY had a negative effect on the exit but subtle changes in landscape using multiple layers of foamboard were more effective than we had hoped. To disguise the exit, a small farm and trees do a fairly good job. The rural roads are typically unmetalled and hardly used except by farm vehicles.

By the end of ‘24, everything was going well, the layout merely needed to be used however it was unprepared for the cataclysmic changes that was about to happen in ‘25

Tim

 

[cmax]

Good to see the new layout in this months Continental Modeller

 

[Tim Hale]

Restoring the buildings - the station group

2007
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The first of the recovered buildings arrived at the end of 2024, not sure where they had spent the past 16years but their condition was ‘reasonable’, although the windows of the iconic station building, originally built in 2000, had turned bright yellow and all the twiddly bits were either missing or broken.

2025​

The original manufacturer of most of the buildings was still in business although under new ownership, manufacturing had shifted to Hungary but when contacted with some archive images, Kibri was extremely helpful providing sprues at no cost. All the buildings were cleaned, repaired and those that never returned were simply replaced where possible such as the ticket collectors hut below complete with 'party slogan'

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The lavatory block, the station buildings did not provide any comfort facilities for passengers other than a ticket office.

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Twenty years later and trying to capture the same atmosphere that the old layout had in spades. The trick was the choice of depressingly dire palette of greys, greens and browns. There are no bright tones other than the flowering weeds in bright yellow and the green of the vegetation, intentionally contrasting the building.

One important feature is the profusion of trees, these were a later upgrade to the original layout which resulted in this final image of the station entrance from the last outing to Warley. The latest crop of trees came from MBR in Poland, in total about 20+

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The loco shed is a casualty of neglect, the vulnerable doors did not survive and are being replaced however it is largely intact and an imposing structure. Currently, a lovely wooden shed by Neil R, has taken its place.

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The loco servicing facility was another loss but the opportunity was taken to build something more appropriate. The blue containers hold a water treatment chemical often seen on the rear of tenders by the water hatch, the water tap is a rather small detail.

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The next episode is the non-railway buildings

 

[Tim Hale]

The farm buildings

The farm is a legacy from the 'Pottendorf', based on a small farm close to the border at Bad Rodach, it shares much of the characteristics with its neighbour in Thuringia where Grafenwalde drew its inspiration.

It comprises a low farmhouse, stable block, silo and two barns, one of which is part wattle and daub predating the wooden barn'

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The other building is a very small einfamilienhaus that provided basic accomodation in less than 60 sqm. These became widespread in the '50s as there was a dire need for housing throughout the DDR, the detached house designed by the VEB district construction company Bau Meiningen goes back to the designs of the civil engineer Reinhard Blumenstein.

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I remember that in my childhood, chickens (and other domestic birds) were bustling around in every village. The owners of the poultry seemed to have no concern for their safety at all. A constant image was the birds taking carelessly walks along the road running through the village buildings, this sometimes ended in a tragic accident under the wheels of a passing car.

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The next episode is the various small details

 

[Tim Hale]

The small details

This was the attempt at depicting rural power in '04, the image caused apoplexy on a well-known forum, which was nice.

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There were a few mistakes but it was a start, the current effort is a smaller, less ornate Trafohaus that will supply both the little house and farm.

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It is important to show the correct details, from the front the overhead line at the tower station would first go to the upper insulators and then be braced with the lower insulators. In between (soldered) it goes into the house. Low voltage as an overhead line then on the left (nx four conductors). There should be a yellow warning sign on the door and below it on a white background the name of the supplier, e.g. B. "TEAG" (Thuringian Energy) and the station, e.g. "Grafenwalde Ort" or whatever. Or just the station name on the door and above the door on the utility building in larger letters. Here's an example. It doesn't necessarily have to be TEAG, of course. "Gemeindewerke Grafenwalde" works too. And if it's supposed to be from the GDR era, then something with "VEB Energiekombinat Grafenwalde.

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The next episode is the flora

 

[Tim Hale]

Beyond the track and beside the road

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The ditch beside the rural road is nature’s highway, home to a wide variety of flora and fauna such as the common iris amongst which the stork will hunt for food, here are a few of my favourite habitats

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Here are the irises

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Just placed something beside the plant to give some of scale as they are truly tiny and super fiddly, this group of six took 30 mins, I have another thirty-three to make/plant. These are an excellent iris that is easy to plant but needs a dab of yellow or purple as preferred.

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Unfortunately, the little paper plants need to be supported after 'planting' in scenic glue for at least 45mins, just two at a time.

Weeds

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Many years ago, inspired by Gordon Gravett, I took some bristles and dipped them in green flock, today they were finally planted, the Swan Vestas box is helping them stay sober whilst the glue hardens.

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Thinking about the plants in the ditch and these two are the outcome, at just 10mm high, they were really fiddly to make using mini-forceps and a hot glue gun blobbed onto kitchen foil. The glue blob will be covered in green scatter. How I managed not to burn my fingers is beyond me, unfortunately I need another half dozen.

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Just a few left-overs with dabs of Dulux tester.

Buddleia - the butterfly bush

Known as the butterfly bush, the fragrant flowers of buddleja are a favourite nectar source for butterflies. These undemanding, mainly deciduous shrubs, find a place in every garden with their spectacular displays of blooms and honey scent.

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The next episode is the Schrebergärten movement

 

[Tim Hale]

The allotments

There are a couple of vegetable gardens on the layout, examples of the Schrebergärten movement started by Daniel Gottlob Moritz Schreber (15 October 1808 – 10 November 1861) His publications predominantly dealt with the subject of children's health and the social consequences of urbanization at the dawn of the Industrial Revolution. Schreber was the founder of the eponymous "Schreber movement". In 1864, the first Schrebergärten , was established by leasing land for the physical exercise of children.

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Move forward 150+ years and you're zipping along in an ICE high-speed train, munching happily away on your bratwurst , just as you're wiping the last blob of mustard from the corner of your mouth, a lazy glance out the window, though, comes as a shock. Rather than the well-ordered suburbs or well-kept factories you have come to expect- miniature houses tucked in next to the train tracks as far as the eye can see.

It's a sight that greets visitors on the approach to almost every town in Germany -- the clutter of ladders and rakes leaning against the back of the structures, neatly ordered flowerbeds, well-tended fruit trees and picture-perfect picket fences are lined up like regiments of tin soldiers. The phenomenon is known as a Schrebergärten -- an area outside the city where the gardening-obsessed Germans can rent out a small plot and plunge their fingers into the soil.

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But while getting back to nature is an instinct many of us indulge in, the German gardener takes it very seriously indeed. Flawlessly clipped lawns, neatly sculpted bushes, and flowerbeds entirely free of even the tiniest weed are the norm with many gardens revealing a feng shui exactness that would put a Japanese bonsai master to shame. Other vegetation virtuosos prefer a more playful perfection and opt for a liberal distribution of garden gnomes and plastic windmills with cheap replicas of Greek fountains and other water features a must for those with a bit of cash to burn.
Ordered, trimmed, enclosed, ornamental, each strip has some kind of glorified shed with floral and vegetable displays. As for people, they’re only temporary visitors, because however fabulous the summerhouse/cottage/shed – and some are very fancy –one of the many hundreds of rules is that a Schrebergärten is strictly non-residential and rules are there to be obeyed. These enclosures are the garden equivalent of white bread: nature with the wildness extracted – and with more fertilizer per square metre than any farmer would dare to use.

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The layout is home to a small vegetable allotment, a reflection of what I see from my workbench and each is slightly different both in size and scope.The allotment is the the process of being created, the actual ground is waiting to be laid in place but first the surrounding area must be completed with some grass and garden rubbish....

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Naturally, the allotment must have a shed and it must have an armchair. The tatty fence is in place, the furrowed earth inset has developed a slight curve whilst the tomatoes and potatoes are growing but it still needs a lot more detail.

The next episode is the why and wherefore

 

[Roger Pound]

A late friend of mine had a garden on a plot in Greater Dusseldorf - I never did know the name of the district. It, along with most of its neighbours had a brickbuilt building with power and running water and limited living accomodation, allowing many keen gardeners to sleep at their gardens if and when desired. Apparently this was a very popular thing allowing people to virtually have a country holiday within the City. Definitely a far cry from the typical English allotment !

I compliment you on the modelling of your own allotment plot for the layout. Excellent work.

Roger.

 

[Tim Hale]

When we lived in Rudow, Berlin-Neukölln, just beyond the open space behind the house was a large allotment complex, naturally it had a club which had a bar. It was a nice way of spending a summer saturday afternoon but absolutely no overnight, to enforce this the gates were locked at sunset and unlocked at sunrise.

Grafenwalde's farmhouse has a small plot but the farmer spends his time working not gardening.

Tim

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[Tim Hale]

The why and the wherefore

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The narrative is about building a small fictitious location in Thuringia, rather than a copy, it is merely an amalgam of features of existing locations in the area, in short, a plausible fiction. It began because we had visited Frauenwald, a very simple station at the end of a lightly laid, 4,5km line from the 'spitzkehre' station at Rennsteig*, with the trackplan adapted to fit the space. We also copied the trains, all were very short, often just a combined brake and a wagon pulled by a tiny BR89 and later even smaller diesel shunters. The locos were supplemented by a VT135 railbus obtained from the Kleinbahn Neuhaldensleben–Weferlingen (below) although initially seized by the military government, it returned in time for the closure.

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The line lasted from 1912 to 1965 in the sparesly populated wooded hills of the Thüringer Wald, the railway had to meet the transport needs of the predominantly rural area, the main traffic were timber, agricultural produce, livestock, fertilizers, coal and building materials. The railway survived the Second World War without any damage. The diesel railcar was returned , the railway was intended for dismantling with many other lines, but this could be prevented. In 1949, the railway was nationalized and the operation was taken over by the Deutsche Reichsbahn. In the early 1950s, internal tourism, thanks to the FDGB, in the Thuringian Forest increased sharply, in 1952, continuous express trains from Berlin were routed to the Thuringian Forest for the first time. In Rennsteig, the train consisting of four-axle express train car was split ,three cars continued to ran to Schmiedefeld, the other three were transported from onto Frauenwald behind the BR89. In 1960, the last steam loco was retired due to a cylinder damage and replaced by a diesel locomotives of the series V36 and V15 which ran until the closure.

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When the redux began earlier this year, the concept changed slightly, it was decided that the line had lasted until 1975 and had been relaid in the late '30s so that larger locos were now permitted but limited to tank locos of the type used in Thuringia.

A short film of the the Rennsteig please watch it, well worth the effort..

*Spitzkehre - a terminus station that is designed to overcome a difference in elevation with minimal technical effort and space requirements. It consists of at least one dead-end track , where two or more track on a steep railway line converge via a turnout arrangement . In the dead-end track, the train changes direction. It there is a station it can also serves as a terminal station, spitzkehre translates as 'hair-pin' Thuringia and the Thüringer Wald has at least four spitzkehre station due to the topograhy.

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The next episode is the Dosto

 

[JimG]

A short film of the the Rennsteig please watch it, well worth the effort..

That brings back memories. An early train set which my father sourced shortly after WW2 was a Trix German set with one loco, some wagons, and a set of four wheel coaches exactly like the ones in the film. Unfortunately the locomotive didn't have ten wheels - more like four on the traditional Trix twin design.

Jim.