Presse / Press
Final report / Faszination MODELLBAHN Sinsheim 2017 / 14th March 2017
Life is good – at Faszination Modellbahn 2017
That uplifting feeling of creating something with your hands, your head
and most importantly your heart, and in doing so putting a smile on the
faces of your audience - this is what 129 exhibitors, clubs, societies and
private model owners experienced with their 16,000 visitors from 10th 12th March 2017 at FASZINATION MODELLBAHN, the International Fair for
Model Railways, Specials & Accessories in Sinsheim. The model railway
community , model fans and numerous families all shared the same sentiment: happiness.
"Railway modelling as a hobby offers diversity, the joy of discovery and harmony and acts as an antidote to our stress-filled and medially overloaded everyday life,"
Andreas Wittur, managing director of Messe Sinsheim, sums up the all-round successful model engineering event. "The model railway layouts on display and the
exhibitors' presentations are an infinite source of knowledge about history, mechanics, drive technology, landscaping, materials science and design over the decades, and our audience in Sinsheim is fascinated." And so from 10th - 12th March
2017, accompanied by beautiful spring weather, over 16,000 visitors poured into
red-carpeted "Hall.6" to celebrate the fascination of model railways.
In addition to the many longstanding model railway fans, over 100 kindergarten
and school children flocked to the venue on the first morning of the show, full of
anticipation and great enthusiasm. The kindergarten and school project day proves
that railway modelling as a hobby has huge potential if it is able to develop. The
children absorb every detail, every movement, and love to try out for themselves,
training their fine motor skills and powers of concentration and playfully learning to
understand technical processes. This is also the target of BDEF Junior College Europe, which is part of the show every year and actively supports young visitors. The
'College' is stocked with abundant materials sponsored by dedicated brand manufacturers, and experienced team members show children how to build a model
building or a whole diorama - a display cabinet with model figures and landscapes.
Spectators of all ages admired more than 15 exquisitely detailed model railways
displayed and explained by their proud operators. Here again the diversity was
astounding: For instance the quaint little "Snail" by Gerd Ziller ambled through the
vineyards of the Palatinate around 1925. That was before there was much traffic on
the roads, and an electricity cut on the route meant that sometimes the Snail just
happened to stop right outside a local wine tavern and the passengers arrived
home a lot merrier than planned. Or the beautiful tinplate layout in 0-gauge by
Claudius Schüle, which is only assembled twice a year - at FASZINATION MODELLBAHN and at a small event for children. After 40 years as an image technician at
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South German television, Claudius Schüle is a wizard at setting the stage and telling tales of yesteryear. All parts of the layout are unique, either handmade or restored. The car transporters with their luxurious freight are a sight for sore eyes
and much admired by automobile fans. The jury judging the competition for privately owned model railway layouts, annually organised by MIBA magazine, had no
easy job choosing the winners. But a choice had to be made, and at the Model
Railway Forum on Saturday Mr Hilge representing publisher VG Bahn announced
the winners: In 1st place "Oil loading in autumn" by Wolfgang Stösser, "The Snail"
came in second, and third prize went to "Gypsum works Entringen" by Andreas
Grüner and Uwe Eisele. Congratulations!
The Model Railway Forum itself was another highlight at FASZINATION MODELLBAHN 2017: Leading brand manufacturers and model railway specialists imparted their valuable knowledge. Viessmann-kibri-Vollmer for example introduced their
top innovation of 2017 in action, Commander 2 - a brand new generation of signals,
no more, no less. And what we could learn from it: Auditory digitisation in railway
modelling leaves plenty of scope for creativity! The forum also included a model
railway cinema showing magical railway journeys around the world, of course including the most beautiful scenery from the world famous Glacier-Express.
Apropos magical journeys: definitely the field of activity of a railway superstar and
recent retiree at the fair - Hagen von Ortloff took part as an exhibitor at
FASZINATION MODELLBAHN 2017 and presented his collection of rare and "forgotten models produced in Württemberg and Baden", originating from the 1940s and
50s. This popular and unconventional railway buff, revered for his famous TV series
"Eisenbahn-Romantik", took part in the event with great commitment. "The history
of model railways is close to my heart and Mr. Wittur too is interested in history, so
it was a pleasure to come to the Sinsheim event, which is always a friendly affair",
says Hagen von Ortloff, standing with his railway friend Lutz Mäder and his locomotive Oxaplatz. "Life is good," he adds, and then turns to take a selfie with a young
admirer.
The competent and contented exhibitors from Germany, the Netherlands, Austria,
Poland, Belgien, France, the Czech Republic and Switzerland presented endless
quantities of drive technology, track materials, model railway software, signals, tree
and shrub models, landscaping materials, figures, lighting technology and much
more, in all available gauges. They were all happy with the outcome of the fifth edition of FASZINATION MODELLBAHN. "We are very busy at our stand and highly impressed by the very receptive audience in Sinsheim," states Rüdiger Haller from
market leader Märklin, presenting Märklin's innovations of 2017 to the general public for the first time.
"We present 100% model railways, we have a good relationship with our exhibitors
and we feel that FASZINATION MODELLBAHN gives great inspiration for meaningful
leisure activities for the whole family," project manager Sascha Bürkel sums up the
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success of the fair. And Andreas Wittur adds with a smile: "This diverse and harmonious hobby is the best prevention for burn-out. If every family had a model
railway, the world would be a lot calmer!"
The next FASZINATION MODELLBAHN takes place in Sinsheim from
09. - 11. March 2018.
Detailed information on FASZINATION MODELLBAHN is available at
www.faszination-modellbahn.com
Follow us and the community on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/FaszinationModellbahn
Press images for royalty-free use in your editorial coverage can be found here:
http://www.faszination-modellbahn.com/medien/presse/bilder-video-logo/
Important note from Messe Sinsheim:
This year at FASZINATION MODELLBAU FRIEDRICHSHAFEN, from 3rd - 5th November 2017, we will also be holding the INDOOR STEAM ENGINE MEETING (ECHTDAMPF-HALLENTREFFEN) at Messe Friedrichshafen. As always, Hall A2 will host
railway modelling, steam modelling, model railway layouts in various gauges, and
the Model Railway Forum. And additionally in Hall A3 railway modelling, model railway layouts in various gauges and the Junior College Europa.
www.faszination-modellbau.de
www.echtdampf-hallentreffen.de
Follow us and the community on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/Faszination.Modellbau
www.facebook.com/EchtdampfHallentreffen
________________________________________________
Contact: Messe Sinsheim GmbH
Phone: +49 7261/689-0 , Fax: +49 7261/689-220
E-mail: [email protected]
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