Friday, November 12, 2010

Miniatur Wunderland

Miniatur Wunderland
*** official corporate video ***
Largest model railway

I have to make my way to Germany one day to see this. Amazing.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

KATO

KATO UNITRAM LAYOUT

I love my Unitram layout. It's addictive and simple and so easy to find space for that I currently have it on my dresser. As a San Francisco resident, space is at a premium. I don't have space for a sprawling layout




The overall layout and KATO construction make it ideal for city living. The Unitram Starter Set is around $300 which may seem a tad steep, I'm sure, but it includes power, the base track loop, street and building base panels and the Unitram itself. You can be up and running - sans buildings - in minutes.

The street and building areas are a fun part of the set. Sidewalks and railings are included so your inhabitants can move around in comfort. :)

My biggest issue with the set was settling on a look and feel for it. I started with some smaller buildings and then saw the city sized delights KATO had to offer. The blend worked - keeping the City to one side with the smaller town to the other side - but the blend was tough due to the overall size of the layout.

I eventually moved the larger buildings out and kept the smaller feel.

Eventually when we move to a larger spot, I'll be able to purchase some of the KATO Unitram expansions and increase the overall footprint of the layout. I want to get some standard KATO track and connect the three areas - the Industrial, Small Town and City. Exciting!