Struggling with Papier-mâché and plaster on your layout? Spare a thought for these model railway builders from Germany,California and New Jersey who build the biggest model train mountains.
In Walnut Creek, California, the not-so-miniature Diablo Valley Lines railway, is a 1900 square foot layout with a mountains that climb an astonishing 15 feet off the ground. And it’s not even the highest mountain.
That award goes, yet again, to Miniature Wunderland in Hamburg Germany. Their model of the Swiss Matterhorn towers over Diablo Valley Lines peak by almost 5 feet, measuring a ceiling busting 19.62 feet.
But mountains aren’t just measured by height.
Creating model railway landscapes invariably involves plaster and here contender for the crown of biggest layout, that of Northlandz by Bruce Zaccagnino in New Jersey, has consumed a staggering 200,000 pounds of plaster.
So next time you’re struggling with your hills and mountains spare a thought for your counterparts in in Germany, Walnut Creek and New Jersey.
Previous Model Railway Factoids: #1 The First Model Railway
#2 The world's longest indoor model railway track
#3 The Smallest Model Railway
#4 The World's largest model railway
#5 Whyte Notation
#6 Origins of Ballast
#7 Everything You Could Want To Know About Sleepers
#8 The Biggest Model Railway Mountain #9 The Man Who Built 600 Model Trains
#10 Model Railway Eras - A Question Of Time
> A final, personal, note: I spend a huge amount of time testing, photographing, writing and researching techniques for these articles and pay for all the running costs of MRE out of my own pocket. If you found this article useful you can support me by making a donation on my fund-raising page. Thanks and happy modelling, Andy.
Andy is a lifelong modeler, writer, and founder of modelrailwayengineer.com. He has been building model railways, dioramas, and miniatures for over 20 years. His passion for model making and railways began when he was a child, building his first layout at the age of seven.
Andy’s particular passion is making scenery and structures in 4mm scale, which he sells commercially. He is particularly interested in modelling the railways of South West England during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era, although he also enjoys making sci-fi and fantasy figures and dioramas. His website has won several awards, and he is a member of MERG (Model Railway Electronics Group) and the 009 Society.
When not making models, Andy lives in Surrey with his wife and teenage son. Other interests include history, science fiction, photography, and programming. Read more about Andy.