About the layout in general

The layout is spread over two floors with a total area of about 120 m2. It was made in the H0 standard, ie in a scale 1:87. 130 locomotives and over 1,000 wagons drive on it. 1,500 m of tracks and over 200 switches have been installed on the layout so far. We also have a subway, so trains pass under the visitors feet as well. In addition to trains, there are also cars powered by induction, which is a rarity in model making (apart from ours, there is only one other, the second largest European layout in St. Petersburg and none more in Europe). The greatness of this project is that we came up with the solution through our own research, as there are no instructions on how to do it. In addition to trains and cars, we have enriched the layout with several thousand figurines, showing various scenes from everyday life.

The principle of train movement

Since 130 train compositions do not fit physically on the layout, we parked all the trains at two large shunting stations located above the front door. From there, computers bring trains on a layout, dropping them in circles called “helix”. When they arrive at the layout, they make one round and return to the shunting station using same way. This solved the parking for trains, but at the same time we got the dynamics on the model (so it’s not boring, static) and we got diversity (ie that during the visit, visitors will never see the same train twice. ). We also have a subway, so trains pass under the feet of visitors as well.

The principle of viewing the layout

The principle of circular viewing of the layout by stations, which we designed in the COVID period, we have kept, because in this way visitors have the opportunity to better view because the stations are also positions from which certain parts of the layout are better seen. This is especially true of stories told by 1:87 scale figurines, which, due to their size, are often not noticed at all. That’s why the layout should be viewed slowly, staying at each station for enough time to see the details, which are abundant (it is not planned to return to already passed stations!).

And here are some unavoidable scenes that, along with others, you should definitely see (click on the text and a photo of that detail will appear):

Station no. 1

  1. a cemetery with a grave from which a hand protrudes (a zombie or someone buried too early?),
  2. a wedding that goes out to church, but their car breaks down, so they can’t go on,
  3. construction site without an inscription about the investor and the contractor (suspicious construction!),
  4. meeting in the square with music and dancers (pre-election rally or reception of a national team with medals?),
  5. accident, landslide on a car,
  6. a flock of sheep (with one black sheep, of course!) that blocked the road,
  7. a priest who is late for Mass in the Upper Village, and nervous people came out in front of the church,
  8. a big rock concert with a series of animated details (guitarists moving their hands, an ox on a spit),
  9. there is a long line in front of the left TOI toilet because the gentleman is reading a newspaper in the toilet (visible when the toilet door is opened).

Station no. 2

  1. vineyard,
  2. farm with domestic animals and sunflower plantation,
  3. Mountain lodge from which the mountain road leads to the lookout point,
  4. McDonalds drive in (never paid advertising!),
  5. Covid hospital with a helicopter that brings new patients,
  6. post
  7. a group of hikers (under a big white bridge) hiking, through a Swiss village with cows and sheeps towards the old town,
  8. a group resting under a bridge and one of them didn’t reach the toilet.

Station no. 3

  1. tunnel above which is a cave from Tam Luang in Thailand, where in 2018. 11 boys with their coach remained trapped due to the sudden rise of groundwater.

Station no. 4

  1. paragliding section with three paragliders: at the start, in the air and on the tree,
  2. an railway accident under the bridge,
  3. a wagon restaurant turned into a real restaurant with a terrace,
  4. fan zone with our fans,
  5. a city ridden by cyclists who really move their legs,
  6. school from which children get out and cross the road waiting for the green light at the traffic light,
  7. LIDL (never paid advertising),
  8. renewing buildings after an earthquake.

Station no.5

  1. city garage from which the bus exits with prior opening of the courtyard door,
  2. parking lot where cars enter and exit,
  3. children’s park with the seesaw,
  4. ski resort with cable car and skiers in motion (unique in Europe!),
  5. a break after a hard skiing day.

Station no. 6

  1. Interactive diorama of a mountain village with a farm. Here, visitors activate attractive scenes using buttons.
  2. reapers,
  3. woodcutter,
  4. farm,
  5. horses,
  6. tractor,
  7. mill,
  8. fishermen,
  9. falling tree,
  10. hunters (they are on the left at station number 7!).

Station no.7

  1. a large shunting station with garages for locomotives (steam, diesel and electric), from where trains continue towards the basement or return to the previous room,
  2. Lagermax, a large logistics center
  3. transformer station and a gas plant
  4. an elevator connecting different height points (connection of the shunting station with the previous room and the basement where the layout continues). Also unique in Europe!

Station no. 8

  1. a realistic diorama of King Tomislav Square in Zagreb in Advent period with the Central railway station, Art Pavilion and skating rink. On the wall is a screen with a video of Mia Dimšić shot on that diorama.

Station no. 9

  1. a playroom with three small layouts where visitors can ride trains on their own. There are two layouts with control via tablets, and for the youngest visitors we have a layout with trains that are controlled using a remote control (joystick).