Visitors making tracks to Miniatur Wunderland

HAMBURG, GERMANY — It’s billed as the world’s largest model train set -- a miniature world that snakes along eight miles of track amid fields, cities, even the snowcapped Swiss Alps.

And it’s quickly becoming one of Germany’s biggest tourist attractions.

Twins Frederik and Gerrit Braun, 41, have turned their boyhood passion for model railroads into a lucrative private museum called Miniatur Wunderland that has continued to add track since its 2001 opening. The museum drew 1 million visitors last year.

“It’s a dream,” said Gerrit Braun, who had been reluctant to join his insistent brother in the project, fearing it could be a money loser. “We still can’t believe how successful it’s been. Every year gets better than the year before.”

Set on three floors in an old warehouse along the Elbe River, Miniatur Wunderland features realistic replicas of parts of Scandinavia, Germany, Switzerland, Austria and the United States. Figurines about half an inch tall represent people in all walks of life.

About 20% of the trains were produced by famed German model railway maker Maerklin Holding, which filed for bankruptcy protection in February after it was unable secure new credit amid the global economic crunch.

After the court filing, Miniatur Wunderland ordered $200,000 worth of new products from the company as an expression of faith in it.

“We believe in the brand,” said Sebastian Drechsler, half brother to the Braun twins and one of the 180 museum employees. “We think it’s impossible that the brand will die.”

The museum’s displays are varied. In one section, police surround a crime scene in central Germany where a bloody ax lies on a river bank and the victim floats in a river. In another, a shark chases a scuba diver in the Florida Keys.

And a sumptuous palace in Bavaria burns, spewing real smoke, and prompting miniature fire trucks with flashing lights and sirens to rush to the rescue.

On a recent day, a swarm of people crowded around that scene. Children could be heard crying out “cool!” and pushing their parents to take photos.

But the fascination crossed all generational lines.

“The fire truck has just left!” exclaimed 75-year-old Ingeborg Gehrmann as a bright red truck left its miniature fire department. She and her husband traveled two hours by bus from their home in Hannover to see the train set. They weren’t disappointed.

“There’s still a bit of child in me,” Gehrmann said, her eyes sparkling.

As the visitors walk through the rooms, workers at a control center monitor about 45 computer screens that show the movement of trains. About 30 accidents occur every day, often involving trains derailing or colliding, Drechsler said. When that happens, someone is dispatched to fix the problem.

For Drechsler, the key to the museum’s success is “its mixture of technology and fairy tale atmosphere.”

One thing is certain: The brothers want an even bigger miniature world to control. They’re planning to create scenes from Italy or France in the next few years, and later to include parts of Africa or the Indian subcontinent.

“We want to keep on building forever,” Gerrit Braun said.