More than 250 model trains: The big Märklin model railroad layout in Germany

Published on January 10, 2026

In this video documentary, we see one of the largest model railway layouts in the world, which was built in cooperation with the manufacturer Märklin. It was a permanent public model train exhibition, that opened in April 1999 and unfortunately closed in December 2016. The model railway layout was called “Deutschland Express”, which means something like “Express Train through Germany”. The name symbolized what visitors to the exhibition could see, namely a train journey from the north to the south of Germany. In memory of this great model railway layout, which covered an area of more than 700 square meters, Pilentum Television would like to present a lot of video footage to give viewers a comprehensive insight into this miniature world, that was already fully digitally controlled at the time.

The construction of this model railroad layout took from 1997 to 1999. The operators invested a lot of money to install brand-new digital model train technology. Thanks to expansions and additions, such as a lighting system to simulate day and night, the model railroad layout remained a tourist attraction for almost two decades. In its early stages, this exhibition was larger than the famous “Miniatur Wunderland”. Hundreds of model trains ran on thousand meters of track on this model railway layout. Digital technology was a major reason for the popularity of this exhibition, as it allowed several trains to run simultaneously through stations, over impressive bridges, and along beautiful railway lines.

Visitors were invited to discover a train journey from the North Sea to the Alps, so there were many true-to-scale replicas of German regions on display, such as the North Sea, industrial plants, beautifully designed vineyards on the Moselle and Rhine rivers, and railway lines in the Alps, where trains from the German Federal Railways, from the Swiss Federal Railways, and from the Austrian Federal Railways were used. Many newspapers reported that 12,000 figures, 1,000 buildings, 1,750 vehicles, and thousands of lamps had been installed in this miniature world. Many houses, train stations, and industrial facilities were illuminated, which was new in rail transport modeling at the time. The model railway layout featured 670 points, 390 signals, 20 marshalling yards in the background, and 60 railway bridges. A total of 250 different model trains were in operation, including modern express and local trains, as well as steam locomotives and freight trains.

Over time, however, this model railway exhibition lacked technical innovations. No further additions have been installed in recent years. While the famous “Miniatur Wunderland” added a fantastic model airport, nothing more happened at this exhibition. Finally, the high operating costs caused by the large exhibition hall and by mechanical and digital components led to its permanent closure. Today, 10 years after the exhibition closed, it is safe to say that this miniature world was definitely a tourist attraction for every model railway enthusiast. Looking back today, many of the buildings and tracks seem like old-school model building tech. But at that time, more than 25 years ago, it was cutting-edge model railway tech.

YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i0bZiwykDQ8

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