Next stop: 1900!
Experience the world of railways in the 1900s via the Deutsches Technikmuseum's model trains.
By German Museum of Technology
Deutsches Technikmuseum 2019
1st to 3rd class corridor train coach, "Danzig 0674", 1:5 scale model 1st to 3rd class corridor train coach by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
Which is the original and which a model? The Deutsches Technikmuseum's historical large-scale models make it hard to tell the difference.
Every sign, every rivet, every washbasin has been recreated true to the original in every detail. Many of the components are completely functional.
Clip: DoorlockGerman Museum of Technology
1st to 3rd class corridor train coach, "Danzig 0674", 1:5 scale model 1st to 3rd class corridor train coach by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
But where do such models come from? Who made them? And why?
Berlin Friedrichstraße railway station around 1910 (around 1910)German Museum of Technology
The models date back to around 1900. Horse-drawn carriages may still have dominated the streetscape, but the railroad was by no means new. It shaped people's everyday lives as the No. 1 modern means of mass transportation.
Opening ceremony for the Transport and Building Museum (1906-12-14)German Museum of Technology
The Transport and Building Museum opened in 1906. As a flagship museum of the German Empire, it served as a national display of technological progress.
Young man with a model locomotive (before 1943)German Museum of Technology
The high-tech railways and hydraulic engineering of that time were on display. The museum also served as a technological education platform. The students at the nearby Technical University in Berlin-Charlottenburg, for example, benefitted greatly.
View of the models in the main hall of the Transport and Building Museum (1938)German Museum of Technology
A large part of the collection was lost during the Second World War. The museum was closed during the war in 1943. It remained inaccessible to the public for decades - until 1984.
Model train in the Deutsches Technikmuseum's exhibition (2019)German Museum of Technology
Today's Deutsches Technikmuseum acquired the majority of the remaining collection of the former Transport and Building Museum in 1984. The approximately 50 large 1:5 scale railway models have been on display ever since.
1st/2nd class corridor train coach with dining area, "Frankfurt 0243", 1:5 scale model 1st/2nd class corridor train coach with dining area by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
The models' level of detail is truly amazing; many of the components are even made with the original materials.
1st/2nd class corridor train coach with dining area, "Frankfurt 0243", 1:5 scale model 1st/2nd class corridor train coach with dining area, Side view 3 (on the left) with open sidewall by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
Clip: Liquid level indicatorGerman Museum of Technology
4th class compartment coach, "Berlin 1466", 1:5 scale model 4th class compartment coach by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
The thematic diversity of the models is also remarkable. They show the entire spectrum of railways in Germany around the 1900s, even including such aspects as what everyday trips in 3rd and 4th class coaches were like.
Railway hearse, "Altona 23", 1:5 scale model Railway hearse, Side view 2 (on the left at an angle) by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
The collection also contains objects like this, which from today's perspective seems quite curious.
Railway hearse, "Altona 23", 1:5 scale model Railway hearse by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
A coach for transporting corpses by rail.
Railway crane car for 5 tons, "Cöln 73853", 1:5 scale model Railway crane car, Side view 4 (on the left) by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
Special vehicles such as this revolving rail crane are also part of the collection.
Railway crane car for 5 tons, "Cöln 73853", 1:5 scale model Railway crane car by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
The diversity of the models and their accuracy of detail were not just the result of hobbyism, but served practical purposes as well.
Railway crane car for 5 tons, "Cöln 73853", 1:5 scale model Railway crane car by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
The railway industry sponsored the making of such models for advertising and demonstration purposes. They were, for example, displayed at international expositions.
Once they were no longer needed for exhibitions, many companies donated the models to the Transport and Building Museum.
Underframe of a passenger train steam locomotive, Class 3.1, 1:5 scale model Passenger train steam locomotive, Class 3.1 by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
Other models, particularly the locomotives, were made by State Railway workshops. They served as teaching aids for training purposes.
The trainees themselves made these models and in doing so learned the crafts and technologies of the railway industry.
Tank locomotive, class T 4.2, "Breslau 1458", 1:5 scale model Historical photograph of the T4.2/T 2 steam locomotiveGerman Museum of Technology
Scant few of the original railway vehicles from this period have survived to this day. Most of them were reprocessed or simply scrapped.
Tank locomotive, class T 4.2, "Breslau 1458", 1:5 scale model Tank locomotive, class T 4.2, "Breslau 1458", 1:5 scale model, Side view from the right. by Clemens KirchnerGerman Museum of Technology
Many of these model trains are thus the last preserved exemplifications of the originals themselves. They are able to convey what travel on the railway may have been like over 100 years ago. Next stop: 1900!
Tap to explore
Curator: Frank Zwintzscher
Producer: Bettina Gries
With photographs by Clemens Kirchner
and 360° photographs by Manuel Dahmann
Historical footage: Deutsches Technikmuseum, Historical Archive
Videos: Smidak Filmproduktion
Technical support: Jannes Repke
Translation: Barry Fay
Special thanks to: Michael Bergmann, Helen Böhland, Maria Borgmann, Karsten Fuchs, Alexander Glowasz, Mario Günther, Carsten Hein, Jürgen Heinrich, Gianna Hidde, Joseph Hoppe, André Ilausky, Marcel Jahre, Steffi Jira, Lars König, Thomas Krüger, Sabine Pakusa-Lerch, Klaus Marzik, Patrick Mehnert, Christopher Meyer, Lars Quadejacob, Arnfried Rohde, Marcel Ruhl, Dietmar Ruppert, Stefan Schleyer, Jörg Schmalfuß, Konrad Simon, Stefan Soos, Tanja Sprang, Sandra Stahl, Matthias Stier, Antje Stritzke, Tatjana Teller, Philipp Wolff, Michael Wölfle, Ivo Woutskowsky and Tiziana Zugaro.
