Category: FREMO

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FREMO H0-RE Rodgau-Dudenhofen 2026 Meet: Exclusively Bundesbahn

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Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. It was Whitsunday weekend, and the H0-RE (Regelspur Europa, Standard Gauge Europe) group held their annual meet in Rodgau-Dudenhof, about half an hour’s drive from my place. I joined the Sunday operating session, where most participants came from HEB Hobbyeisenbahner 1983 e.V. together with several individual H0 modellers. What immediately stood out was just how experienced the group was. The level of detail, authenticity, and creativity in the modules was consistently high, but more importantly, the operation itself felt very much like real Bundesbahn traffic from the 1980s (Era IV). You could tell these … Continue reading FREMO H0-RE Rodgau-Dudenhofen 2026 Meet: Exclusively Bundesbahn

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H0-PuKo 2026 Meet in Otterbach: Being Part of FREMO

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Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. What struck me most at Otterbach was just how far the H0-PuKo modellers have pushed the idea of realistic three-rail operation. I had met the former MIST-55 group at last year’s Spabrücken H0-RP25 meet, and this year they invited me to the H0-PuKo gathering in Otterbach near Kaiserslautern. Although the event is not an official FREMO meet, many of the participants are FREMO members, and their modules follow a variation of the FREMO H0 standard while remaining switchable between 2-rail (DC) and 3-rail (AC) operation. That alone already says a great deal about where the … Continue reading H0-PuKo 2026 Meet in Otterbach: Being Part of FREMO

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Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Module Drawings Finalised

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Note: This will be a series of posts relating to my first FREMO N-scale module based on N-RE (Spur N Regelspur Europa; N-scale Standard Gauge Europe) standards. I hope you will enjoy reading about the background of a private branch line (private Nebenbahn) located near the river Aller in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), as well as my planning, construction, and eventually the operation of the FREMO module. Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. Givens and Druthers North American modellers will be familiar with the term “Givens and Druthers”, popularised by the late John Armstrong. “Givens” are the hard parameters that define a model … Continue reading Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Module Drawings Finalised

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Computer-assisted Train Reporting (RgZM) for Train Movements

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Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. At various FREMO meets, I have seen several different systems used to report train movements between major stations. Telephone communication between train controllers at neighbouring stations is standard practice on the German railways, and we use the same principle in FREMO when offering and accepting trains into the next free block section. Over time, more advanced software systems — many developed by model railway enthusiasts themselves — have helped automate much of this process, reducing telephone calls to a minimum and leaving them mainly as a backup measure. In the photo below from an H0 … Continue reading Computer-assisted Train Reporting (RgZM) for Train Movements

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FREMO N-RE 2026 Meet in Hanau-Großauheim: Let’s Get Dirty

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Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. It has been exactly one year since I joined FREMO. At the Ascension of Christ meet (Christi Himmelfahrt) last year, I attended my very first FREMO N-RE meeting in Hanau-Großauheim. Between then and now, I have taken part in three more meets and learned a tremendous amount about railway operations along the way. This year, I decided to call the meet “Let’s Get Dirty”. Looking at the FREMO arrangement above, one module immediately dominates the scene. Yes, Jan Schirling brought along his ever-impressive US Steel Haslingen complex, complete with its sprawling multi-track steelworks. For anyone … Continue reading FREMO N-RE 2026 Meet in Hanau-Großauheim: Let’s Get Dirty

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Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Final FREMO Module Vision 1.0

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Note: This will be a series of posts relating to my first FREMO N-scale module based on N-RE (Spur N Regelspur Europa; N-scale Standard Gauge Europe) standards. I hope you will enjoy reading about the background of a private branch line (private Nebenbahn) located near the river Aller in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), as well as my planning, construction, and eventually the operation of the FREMO module. Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. A Recap At the beginning of the year, I detailed my initial track plan concept for my FREMO N-RE modules. While the final vision has evolved considerably since then, many … Continue reading Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Final FREMO Module Vision 1.0

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Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Setup for Monday Deliveries 1.0

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Note: Note: This will be a series of posts relating to my first FREMO N-scale module based on N-RE (Spur N Regelspur Europa; N-scale Standard Gauge Europe) standards. I hope you will enjoy reading about the background of a private branch line (private Nebenbahn) located near the river Aller in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), as well as my planning, construction, and eventually the operation of the FREMO module. Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. Living the Philosophy: DB Sets the Clock, Effem Determines the Priority, VWE Keeps the Flow In my freight operations concept post, I described the transfer between the DB Verden … Continue reading Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Setup for Monday Deliveries 1.0

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Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Freight Operations Concept 1.0

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Note: This will be a series of posts relating to my first FREMO N-scale module based on N-RE (Spur N Regelspur Europa; N-scale Standard Gauge Europe) standards. I hope you will enjoy reading about the background of a private branch line (private Nebenbahn) located near the river Aller in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), as well as my planning, construction, and eventually the operation of the FREMO module. Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. A Quick Recap What I didn’t quite realise when starting this project is that the prototype at Verden Süd naturally lends itself to two operating modes: a single … Continue reading Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Freight Operations Concept 1.0

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Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Track Plan Concept 1.0

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Note: This will be a series of posts relating to my first FREMO N-scale module based on N-RE (Spur N Regelspur Europa; N-scale Standard Gauge Europe) standards. I hope you will enjoy reading about the background of a private branch line (private Nebenbahn) located near the river Aller in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), as well as my planning, construction, and eventually the operation of the FREMO module. Update 01.02.: Separate section for German version for better readability. Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. Concept Overview In this second post, I delve into my concept and planning for my first FREMO N-scale module. … Continue reading Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Track Plan Concept 1.0

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Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Past and Present

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Note: Note: This will be a series of posts relating to my first FREMO N-scale module based on N-RE (Spur N Regelspur Europa; N-scale Standard Gauge Europe) standards. I hope you will enjoy reading about the background of a private branch line (private Nebenbahn) located near the river Aller in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen), as well as my planning, construction, and eventually the operation of the FREMO module. Update 01.02.: Separate section for German version for better readability. Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. Why I Chose Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn Before I dive into the history of the Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE), I … Continue reading Verden-Walsroder Eisenbahn (VWE): Past and Present