FREMOLeave a comment

FREMO H0 30th Anniversary Meet 2005 in Rheda-Wiedenbrück: 30 Years of Great Time Together

traiNmaster

Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. Following my first meeting with the H0-RP25 and H0-WLE groups in Spabrücken last July, I got in close contact with several members who kindly assisted and advised me on my side project. They later invited me to join them at Rheda. (As good-standing FREMO members, we can participate in any FREMO meet — with or without our own module.) One of the senior members from my N-RE group, Michael Gruß, mentioned that “you will be a benchmark in Rheda.” I wondered what he meant by that. During the Spabrücken meet, I had already seen their … Continue reading FREMO H0 30th Anniversary Meet 2005 in Rheda-Wiedenbrück: 30 Years of Great Time Together

FREMO5 Comments

Your Companion at FREMO Meet: Train Crew Booklet

traiNmaster

Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. FREMO (FReundeskreises Europäischer MOdellbahner; translated FRiendship of European railway MOdellers) lies not only in its modular layout arrangements at meets, but also in the realistic operation of trains according to timetables and coordination between participants—such as between the train dispatcher and the locomotive driver. This becomes especially fascinating in dark territory, where lines are often single-track and operate without signals. For many first-time participants, especially those taking on the role of train driver (note: the dispatcher’s role is usually handled by experienced members), running a train can feel intimidating—let alone doing so while following a timetable, respecting speed restrictions, observing signal … Continue reading Your Companion at FREMO Meet: Train Crew Booklet

FREMOLeave a comment

FREMO Arrangement in Apartment

traiNmaster

Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. It’s always nice when you have enough space in your apartment to host an offsite FREMO operating session. One of our FREMO N-RE members invited a few of us to his place one autumn weekend to run trains according to the timetable. Mali had set up the arrangement from his hobby room to his living room, featuring three railway facilities: Schattenbach marshalling yard, Fördertechnik industrial spur, and Marilligen station and industrial spur. We ran two commuter trains — a Regionalbahn (RB) and a Regionalexpress (RE) — between Schattenbach and Marillingen, following the timetable and using … Continue reading FREMO Arrangement in Apartment

FREMO3 Comments

Zur Begleitung bei FREMO-Treffen: Fahrpersonal-Heft

traiNmaster

Seit der ersten Veröffentlichung der Triebfahrzeugführer-(Tf)-Hefte im Juli habe ich viele Komplimente und wertvolle Verbesserungsvorschläge erhalten. Diese Hefte wurden nun zu einem Fahrpersonal-Heft zusammengefasst, das die Aufgaben und Verantwortlichkeiten von Triebfahrzeugführer, Zugführer und Rangierleiter klar beschreibt. Since the first publication of the Train Driver (Tf) Booklets in July, I’ve received many compliments and valuable suggestions for improvement. These booklets have now been combined into a single Train Crew booklet, which clearly outlines the duties and responsibilities of the train driver, train conductor, and yardmaster. Zum Download FREMO Fahrpersonal-Heft Ver. 1.1 / Okt. 2025 Continue reading Zur Begleitung bei FREMO-Treffen: Fahrpersonal-Heft

FREMO3 Comments

FREMO H0-RP25 Meet 2025 in Spabrücken: I Came. I Saw. I Learned!

traiNmaster

Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. Summer is usually a relatively quiet period in the German model railroading scene. We call it the “Sommerloch” (summer gap), when many people head off on holiday. But not for FREMO members! Between June and August, you can find between 25 and 30 FREMO meets organised across Europe — often with participants from neighbouring countries. I was fortunate to attend an H0-scale meet in Spabrücken, Rhineland-Palatinate, on a Saturday. As a FREMO member, you’re part of a 2,500+ strong family. You can register and participate in any meet, even if you already belong to a … Continue reading FREMO H0-RP25 Meet 2025 in Spabrücken: I Came. I Saw. I Learned!

FREMOLeave a comment

Zur Begleitung bei FREMO-Treffen: Triebfahzeugsführer (Tf)-Heft in Hand

traiNmaster

See below for the English version. Aktuelles am 21.07.: Alle Tf-Hefte Version 1.0 stehen nicht mehr zum Downloaden zur Verfügung. Die Version 1.1, nun Fahrpersonal-Heft heißt, kann man hier herunterladen werden. Der Reiz von FREMO (FReundeskreis Europäischer MOdellbahner) liegt nicht nur in den modularen Anlagenarrangements auf den Treffen, sondern auch im realistischen Zugbetrieb nach Fahrplan sowie in der engen Zusammenarbeit der Mitspieler – etwa zwischen Zugleiter und Triebfahrzeugführer (Tf) im Zugleitbetrieb, also in signalarmen bzw. signalfreien Abschnitten, die meist eingleisig sind. Für viele Erstspieler, insbesondere in der Rolle des Tf (wobei die Zugleitstelle in der Regel von erfahrenen Spielern besetzt wird), … Continue reading Zur Begleitung bei FREMO-Treffen: Triebfahzeugsführer (Tf)-Heft in Hand

FREMO2 Comments

FREMO N-RE Regional Meet 2025 in Hanau-Großauheim

traiNmaster

Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. In my April post, I shared my first-hand experience with FREMO as a guest of one of its members. During this year’s extended Ascension Day weekend, nearly 40 participants gathered for the 21st FREMO N-RE Regional Meet in Hanau-Großauheim. (N stands for N-scale; RE for Regelspur Europa — Standard Gauge Europe.) This time, I joined not as a guest, but as a FREMO member. The experience was simply awesome and mind-blowing. The FREMO modules filled an area measuring 28 by 18 meters, consisting of at least 200 individual modules — the longest being the impressive … Continue reading FREMO N-RE Regional Meet 2025 in Hanau-Großauheim

Arduino2 Comments

Controlling Single Turnout and Single Crossover Turnout with Servos and Arduino

traiNmaster

Note: Reposted from my entry in germaN87AC blog. The title and terms have been corrected. Paired turnout is correctly called single crossover turnout in this context. I wanted to use servos to control the turnouts on my planned RailAdventure H0-scale module (total 19 turnouts) and N-scale Timesaver (total 4 turnouts). Each turnout will have 2 LED indicators to indicate the straight and divergent route. These turnouts and LED will be mounted on a separate control panel for the respective module. It was always been my wish to learn how to create a control panel for such purposes. Finally, after watching … Continue reading Controlling Single Turnout and Single Crossover Turnout with Servos and Arduino

DCC and Electrical System, DCC-EX, Product ReviewLeave a comment

Review: World’s Smallest but Most Powerful All-in-One DCC/DC CommandStation

traiNmaster

Note: Reposted from my entry in germaN87AC blog The Hardware I think it is NOT preposterous to make the claim that the DCC-EX CommandStation/Booster 1 Express (EX-CSB1) is world’s smallest and most powerful all-in-one DCC/DC CommandStation/Booster. Its dimensions with the optional display case are L 73.6mm x W 70.7mm x H 19.5mm and weighs only 33 grams. After reading DCC-EX documentation, I was immediately convinced to get hold an EX-CSB1 to try out on my test track, module and eventually in-planning home layout. I owned Roco/Fleichmann z21 white CommandStation (it has since .been sold), a Märklin Central Station CS2 and … Continue reading Review: World’s Smallest but Most Powerful All-in-One DCC/DC CommandStation

FREMO1 Comment

FREMO N-RE Meet 2025 in Nidderau-Heldenbergen: Bitten by FREMO-Bug

traiNmaster

Deutsche Version weiter unten, hier klicken. A few weeks ago, I was invited by a friend to his N-scale FREMO meet-up near Frankfurt. I had seen and heard about Free-Mo/FREMO in videos on YouTube and other social media platforms, but this was my first hands-on experience seeing a FREMO operating session in action. It was definitely an eye-opener for me — and my first time running a train according to a timetable. It was “stressful,” yet fun at the same time, to operate a train from point A to point B using the 1:3 fast clock. As the “train driver,” I … Continue reading FREMO N-RE Meet 2025 in Nidderau-Heldenbergen: Bitten by FREMO-Bug