Binden am Rhine is a small town on the west bank of the mighty river Rhine in Southern Germany. The station, being on the main route north-south, sees a procession of fast Intercity and heavy goods trains, with only the occasional stopping train. Passengers can alight here, for the breathtaking ride up the side of the valley, through the village of Saltzig and on up to the village and summer residence of King Ludwig XII of Bavaria at Hoen Nochstein. There is also a small landing stage for the regular Rhine passenger ferries which head up and down the river all day. So much for the fiction!
This layout is the realisation of my dream to build a layout big enough to demonstrate my large collection of Z-Gauge (it is still not big enough for all my stock)!
DESIGN
The design follows German Railways Rhine Valley practice of double track main line set back from the river, with the main road in front of it. The village of Binden is a composite of many Rhine towns and villages. The need for operational extras was fulfilled with the branch line to Hoen Nochstein. The design had the criteria of lots of through trains, as many set scenic pieces as possible and no sharp radius curves in the public viewing area, these being hidden by tunnels.