I visited the second edition of the OnTraxs event in Dutch Railway museum. I am usually very reserved, if not to say mocking, about the Dutch railway Museum. Since its refurbishment it has turned into an amusement park rather than a museum. A friend of mine aptly described it as a "succesfull eventhall annoyed by the heap of scrap metal on its doorstep". I must admit though that the OnTraxs event is well organised and fits well in the mission of any museum "to enhance the interest in and memory of" in this case "railways". Looking at the crowds of parents with young children gazing at the stunningly beautiful layouts present, one can only hope that the intererst in this hobby will be transferred to a new generation.
1 The day started with a very familiar face: Hagen von Ortloff from Eisenbahnromantik
It impressed especially by the very natural depiction of the buildings, though unfortunately they do not appear so in the photographs.
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20 A disused track, rarely modeled
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22 I don't know if this was on purpose, everybody seems to be in the middle of an earthquake
23 further in the backgrounds thing are no better
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29 A local tramway steam loco shunting on the main yard
30 The station building of Rhenen
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De Bossche Tram
A nice depiction in large scale of the tramway of 's Hertogenbosch
34 Two neat wogons
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Nettlecomb
Well, as far as I am concerned, Nettlecomb was absolutely the top of the show. I couldn't find the story of the layout on the internet but I presume that this layout, like its sister layout Kingston Regis is situated in the tens of the previous century
37 These minute loco's ran absolutely silky. Look at the tremendous detail of the coal wagons, keep in mind they are only centimeters long
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39 The ramsbottom safety valve stands out. Note the interior of the signal box!! Is this really OO9??!!
40 An auto coach service just arrived on the front platform and on the other side of the platform a holidaymakers train is just filling up.
41 In the nearby village everyday life flows on unnoticed, just another day in those innocent years. Who would have thought that two wars and technological progress would slash up this world forever?
42 Brooming the house (da houz, in new English)
43 This photo is technically all but perfect, but I liked it so much I included it anyway
44 Nettlecombe in its full glory. Look at the realism of the thatched roofs.
45 Testimony of the shows already attended. Rightfully this layout has been awarded a "best of show" distinction for at least five times (Royston 2005, White Web Museum 2006, Croydon 2006, Letchworth 2006, Folkstone 2008). I voted for this layout to be the best one of OnTraxs, though I must admit it having stiff competition from........
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Sutton Wharf
A very small layout indeed, in this photo you see about half of it. The builder took full advantage of the possibilities of the large 1:25 scale.
Forget the purple glow in the lower part of the photo, this is a lighting effect I could not avoid.
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48 A feast for the eye
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50 This is the right half of the layout
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53 Again: stunning
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61 Though not a very sharp photo, it is very atmospheric
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63 The layout held a surprise which people did not fail to notice. Amazement all around. A diminutive diesel loco shunts a cart with a crate around. The sound was well audible and realistic (over a separate speaker system). The loco emerged from a building on the left side, crossed the open space and entered a building at the otherside...
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Conclusion
I had a great day. I have seen layouts that can be counted to the very best of Europe. OnTraxs managed to surpass all existing main yearly fairs (Eurospoor, Rail and Nederlandse Modelspoordagen) in just two editions. Next year I'll be there again.
