Why you should be reading Gartenbahn-Werkstatt

All we wanted to have was a magazine which would be an inspiration from the first page to the last, a magazine that would motivate others to start building something of their own (or at least dreaming long and hard about it) be it a simple beginner’s project to high-end modelling at its very best. Since such a magazine was not available in Germany, we decided to produce one ourselves: Gartenbahn-Werkstatt.

Why does a German language magazine have summaries of all the major articles, as well as photo captions, in English? Well, we believe internationality is one of the greatest assets of our hobby. Track gauges are more or less standardised all over the world. Modellers take their locomotives across borders and make friends with like-minded people from other countries. This is even more the case since borders have become almost invisible within the European Union.

In Germany, there is quite a large scene for models based on US prototypes, to just give one example. While engineers in this country can easily rely on publications in English, those from abroad who would like to learn more about engines from Austria, Germany or Switzerland have a harder time. Furthermore, model engineers from these nations have come up with intriguing approaches to their projects, some of which are certainly invaluable for others – and vice-versa.

We wish to see a certain level of modelling establish itself but believe this does not necessarily have to have anything do with the size of your wallet. Modelling in large scale should be a true depiction of the prototype: and this does not to end at the engine’s drawbar! “Real” looking trains and engineers, as well as prototypical actions, are also part of the great attraction. Big money does not shield us from failing in this respect.

It is this approach to prototypical model railways that we want to support in our magazine. We decided on a print version to make it more sustainable in the long run. There is a digital add-on for supplementary information, though. Here, data which cannot be made available in print (e.g. dxf files for the laser-cut parts mentioned in our building reports) are provided. Also to be found on our website are standards, technical norms and charts etc., which you may want to access direct on demand. The contents of issues which are out of print are made available on the homepage as well, so that year by year Gartenbahn-Werkstatt will evolve into becoming Germany’s central knowledge platform for the large-scale railway modelling scene.

Though the focus is on steam, electrically powered and internal combustion locomotives are covered in depth as they represent a considerable portion of the interest in our hobby. Building reports for engines or their components form the core of the magazine, supplemented by articles on track construction, tooling and other techniques. There are major articles on train operations but these are not just another report on standard club meets. An event with a special theme is the one we want to present in the magazine.

Gartenbahn-Werkstatt is only available direct from the publisher. The easiest way to ensure you don’t miss a single issue is to take out a subscription for 12 months (four issues) or longer. Single issues are also available. And all this at an easily affordable price.