The Carstenbahn One Diary

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How a simple cash outlay of a thousand bucks can make you feel like a kid again...

After years of satisfaction with the Carstenbahn, my H.O. scale Marklin layout, I was recently bitten by the 1 gauge bug.  I think it started last November, when I attended the 2000 Modellbahnmesse in Cologne, Germany.  I was very impressed with several 1-scale models, especially with the heft, detail, and the advancements in sound technology.  This "itch" became an all-out infection after I attended the Marklin Modellbahntreff in Goeppingen in May, 2001.  I was amazed by the assortment of models in a scale which, up until a few years ago, was more for kids to play with than for die-hard enthusiasts like me.  

I picked up a trio of boxcars on eBay later that month, and finally broke down and ordered the Marklin 1 gauge premium start set on May 29, 2001.  The rest of my story will be told on an ongoing basis in the pages of the CarstenbahnOne Diary...

LATEST UPDATE (12/2004):  See the new information on quick & dirty weathering!

Part 1:  The Anticipation, the planning, and the big day...

Part 2:  Carsten finally gets to run trains!

Part 3:  Trains outside, and my discovery of scratchbuilding

Part 4:  The locomotive shed takes shape...

Part 5:  A big purchase gets things moving again

Part 6:  An ambitious layout design takes shape

Part 7:  The trouble with tables

Part 8:  The first "real" layout

Part 9:  Roadbed for the King's Gauge

Part 10:  Close[r] coupling of Marklin 1 scale freight cars

Part 11:  Weathering 1-scale cars the easiest way!