1976 is a sad, memorable year for the little town of Ottbergen in Germany because Deutsche Bundesbahn ceased steam operation in this area and therefore closed the BW (Bahnwek – engine terminal) which was kind of a last refuge for the big steamers of DB class 44. “Ottbergen” is as famous for German rail buffs as Cheyenne for US rail fans. The station of Ottbergen still exists but 40 years later the glory of big style railroading is definitely gone.

You can visit the 1:87 version of Ottbergen!

But there is light at the end of the tunnel for “born too late” train watchers! A dedicated group of enthusiats created an accurate version of Ottbergen and the surrounding rail lines in H0. Located in the old freight shed of Bad Driburg, some short miles to the West of Ottbergen, 1975 steam railroading comes alive. There are quite some remarkable public show layouts around in Germany but this one is special in a way that the builders tried to stay as close to an actual prototype as possible. Beside the focus on accuracy Modellbundesbahn aims towards very realistic operation and train consists. Needless to say that all the efforts lead to a real gem of model train layout! And best of all, it is open to public!

I have heard of this layout for quite a while and a visit has been on my bucket list for almost as long. Finally the dream came true as part of the actual “Germany Tour- Fall ’16”. Bad Driburg is situated in the beautiful Weser Bergland, right in the middle of the triangle formend by the cities of Dortmund, Kassel and Hannover. Some planning was necessary because the Modellbundesbahn is only open on Sundays- I assume also due to the strong competition and the somehow remote location.

How to get there.

I made Paderborn my base for the visit (see the previous post!) and took the regional train operated by Nordwestbahn to Bad Driburg. The modern diesel MU takes passengers in a about 25 minutes via ALTENBEKEN (!) right to Bad Driburg. Ottbergen in H0 scale is situated right across the platform in the old freight station building. Compare todays track work with the 1975 version on the layout!

On the ride the NWB diesel MU navigates exactly the mountainious route heavy iron ore trains as well as fast passenger trains – the famous D-Züge– took on their way to and from the Ruhrgebiet industrial area.

Hints and tipps:

• Check opening hours! Modellbundesbahn web site As of 2016 the are only open on Sundays 11:00 am  – 6:00 pm
• Paderborn makes a good base for a visit. There are plenty of hotels and restaurants. And it’s an ICE stop!
• Nord West Bahn is the current regional rail carrier. They offer hourly connection to Bad Driburg. The fare is EUR 6.80 one direction (not a real bargain). You can get tickets on the train or major stations
• While around check out Altenbeken! This little town is as famous as Ottbergen and still features decent traffic today. Even ICEs stop briefly.
• Read the awesome books about Ottbergen and Altenbeken! Tons of information and great pictures- unfortunately in German only. But its worth getting out your dictionary- there is way more than Sauerkraut and Jawhol!