The world of model railways

Gunther Nitzsche, Manfred Schmalz & Dieter Schreiter

Running the model railway in circles through mountain landscapes with the grandchild on your lap for Christmas: This is the dream of many model railway builders. Manfred Schmalz, Dieter Schreiter and Gunther Nitzsche are passionate model railway enthusiasts at Arbeitskreis Modelleisenbahn Chemnitz e. V. V. At this year's winter exhibition next weekend, visitors can marvel at detailed miniature worlds in the Solaris Technology and Business Park 82 on Neefestraße. They have set themselves the goal of passing on their passion to the next generation. In our Maker of the Week interview, they explain how they want to do this and what makes model railway construction so fascinating.

What fascinates you about building model railways?
Manfred Schmalz: I inherited a tinplate railway from my father. It has fascinated me to this day. The design and construction of the tracks and landscapes is the fulfilment for me. It's like a virus that infects you. A model railway enthusiast for life!
Gunther Nitzsche: It was like this: what did a boy want to be 30 or 40 years ago? A train driver or a fireman. What's more, back then every child liked to build a railway for Christmas. They kept it up as a hobby for decades, and then they found like-minded people and got together to form a club.

To what extent can you reflect the history of the city with your models?
Manfred Schmalz: In model railway construction, there are different eras that represent the models of the time. It depends on the model railway enthusiast as to how doggedly he sees it. If you show vehicles from earlier eras, you also have to adapt the environment; for example, you can't have Trabants or Mercedes models on the roads, only horse-drawn carriages.
Dieter Schreiter: We don't see it that narrowly. A modern car can turn up here and a model of the Saxonia will still drive along our tracks. (Editor's note: The Saxonia was the first functional locomotive built in Germany).
Gunther Nitzsche: We always have a specific theme for our exhibitions. The current exhibition, which starts tomorrow, is all about the 875th anniversary of the town. There will be train parades in which trains from different eras can be seen.

The exhibition can be visited next weekend, 24 and 25 February, and on the weekend of 3 and 4 March from 10 am to 5 pm. Visitors can expect a small world of striking Chemnitz buildings, romantic mountain landscapes and various railway models in the brick building at Neefestraße 82. The 30 members of the association put their heart and soul into making and building the models well in advance so that they can present their work in an exhibition twice a year. The upcoming autumn exhibition is all about Richard Hartmann. "But we also want to leave our little world for a change," emphasises Gunther Nietzsche. At the next model railway exhibition in Chemnitz, the model railway builders want to be there with their own layout and show what they do.

Is it possible to attract new generations to the working group?
Gunther Nitzsche: "In times of mobile phones and the internet, it's difficult to get younger people interested. You have to move with the times. Today's generation really only knows ICE trains. They hardly have any connection to a steam locomotive any more. That's why we also show modern models from time to time. Younger people are also more likely to be enthusiastic about it if they already know the model railway from their family or friends.
Dieter Schreiter: It's also understandable if people no longer have any connection with steam locomotives. Children flatten their noses against the windscreen of an ICE model. You have to start with children at an early age and try to get them interested. I let my grandson watch and try things out at an early age and simply explained a lot to him. It's hard to get into the hobby on your own, especially as it's expensive. But the manufacturers are going along with this and building more robust models, for example, so that children can pick them up without breaking anything.
Manfred Schmalz: Above all, you have to let children play with it. Letting a locomotive do a few laps in a circle only fascinates a child for a short time. They need to be able to touch and try things out.

Model railway construction and modernisation. Are they mutually exclusive?
Manfred Schmalz: No, a lot is being tried out, especially by the manufacturers. For example, there are already apps that can be used to control model railways.
Dieter Schreiter: That's also important, because children nowadays like to play with their mobile phones and if you can combine the two, that's a good thing. You can also use programmes to create your own tracks and landscapes on the computer.
Manfred Schmalz: Nowadays, there are also fully automated tracks that can only be controlled by a computer. We also want to appeal more to fathers with their children or young people, for example, by using a modular construction method in which they can freely design sections and then plug them together. That way, everything no longer looks so rigid in the model.

What do you focus on in your organisation?
Gunther Nitzsche: We not only collect railway models, but also recreate buildings and create fictitious landscapes. We show extracts from the Saxony region, but also have parts from the Alps or the Harz Mountains. Chemnitz is not suitable for a rack railway, which is why we also use landscapes from the Alps. To reconstruct Chemnitz completely, however, you need a lot more space. That's why we have focussed on prominent buildings such as Rabenstein Castle, the Red Tower or the railway station building in Chemnitz.

What is special about your models? What are you most proud of?
Manfred Schmalz: We still run everything analogue, which means we operate everything by hand, nothing is controlled by computer.
Dieter Schreiter: For example, our trains run with pantographs attached. On most model railway layouts, the pantograph lies flat on the roof of the locomotive or stops just before the overhead line. It looks particularly realistic with us. That's our ambition.
Gunther Nitzsche: You can buy almost anything. But we are increasingly making our own trees, for example. The industrial models always look the same, ours are all different.

Chemnitz is applying to be European Capital of Culture 2025. What do you want for the city by then?
Gunther Nitzsche: We should publicise the cultural offerings in Chemnitz more. This also includes making us more accessible. We should emphasise more that we are the gateway to the Ore Mountains. Chemnitz as a winter wonderland would be a good slogan.
Dieter Schreiter: Not only as a railwayman do I have to say that we need a proper long-distance transport connection here. A lot has already happened in the city. The cityscape in particular has developed very positively.
Manfred Schmalz: The viaduct must be preserved and tidied up! But apart from that, the city is already well-positioned culturally.