A Love of Trains:
Dale has always
enjoyed railroads. Growing up, the Erie Lackawanna train
passed by about 500 meters from his family's house on route
322. An even earlier memory was his dad's model railway
in the basement of the house on Garden Street in Meadville.
These recollections date back to the heyday of rail transport,
a time when Meadville boasted the largest train shed on the
eastern seaboard. This was due to its location, being nearly
equidistant from Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Dale's
grandfather on his mother's side, Fred Cotterman (a good Dutch
name) was a fireman on the railroad back during the steam era
(the guy who shoveled the coal into the boiler). As a teen,
Dale had a model railroad in his room. Suffice it to say his
interest in railroading and model railroad has roots deep in
his childhood. Cut to retirement years, and he bought a small
(2' x 3') model railway from an British expat leaving Kuala
Lumpur. The layou is shown in the photo to the left. It
developed an electrical issue just before leaving for Croatia,
and was expertly repaired by Mr. Zolkafli Ahmad of the Kuala
Lumpur Miniature Train Club. After all what is the fun
of retirement without hobbies? The photo to the right is Mr.
Ahmad when he was kind enough to drop by Villa Putra Putri to
collect and repair the layout.
So, imagine our
suprise (and Dale's delight) when we learned that the
largest model railway in Eastern Europe was just a 2-stop
tram ride from our house? The Backo Mini Express is
located about three blocks from the main square and
occupies two floors of a downtown building. Since
its inception in 2011 it has grown steadily and the layout
itself has undergone many changes. It survived a flood in
July of 2020. The first level is the main layout, with a
newer addition underway in an adjacent room. Downstairs
there is a large work area and a room with a layout
circling the famous Tomislav Square. In the adjacent room
are three smaller layouts designed for use by visitors.
The photo to the left shows the entrance from the street,
while the photo to the right shows the entrance to the
Backo Mini Express dressed up for Christmas 2018. There is
something for everyone at the Backo Mini-Express. Here is a
brief description of the respective layouts
Open on Fridays
and Saturdays, this is a true labor of love for the Antun
Ubric and the men who build and staff the museum. For train
aficianados, the layout is in HO scale (1:87 scale). The
statistics are staggering: over 150 locomotives and over 1,000
cars or rolling stock of every variety. The trains run on
1,500 meters of track (nearly a mile) on seven different
levels. The trains and switches are all computerized, and are
controlled from a perch overlooking the layout. There are
themed trains (The Santa Fe, Orient-Express, and
Intercity-Express, to name a few) and locomotives from all six
historical periods. In the panoramas below you can see the
monitors that are above the layout and capture the trains from
every angle. As impressive as that is, the details on the
layout itself are equally staggering. Most scenes are
animated, with people exiting train platforms, traversing the
city square, skiing down Alpine slopes, and even hangliding
off a mountain. Below is a screenshot of the dedicated team
that keep the trains running, and who are constantly improving
the layouts.
Below is a virtual tour of the layout. It details the main scenic features of the layout using panoramic photography, audio narration, photos, and video. And, while it cannot begin to chronicle the incredible details of this layout (one could spend days examining the minute details of the scenes) nor begin to capture the sophisticated navigation system that guide the trains, it is hoped it will provide a basic introduction to what is clearly a labor of love. For those who would like to learn more about the Backo Mini Express from its creation through the many changes and improvements that have been made by this dedicated crew over the years, here is a link to a forum with 100's of photos, a veritable archive of the museum and its history.
Dale has always
enjoyed railroads. Growing up, the Erie Lackawanna train
passed by about 500 meters from his family's house on route
322. An even earlier memory was his dad's model railway
in the basement of the house on Garden Street in Meadville.
These recollections date back to the heyday of rail transport,
a time when Meadville boasted the largest train shed on the
eastern seaboard. This was due to its location, being nearly
equidistant from Buffalo, Cleveland, and Pittsburgh. Dale's
grandfather on his mother's side, Fred Cotterman (a good Dutch
name) was a fireman on the railroad back during the steam era
(the guy who shoveled the coal into the boiler). As a teen,
Dale had a model railroad in his room. Suffice it to say his
interest in railroading and model railroad has roots deep in
his childhood. Cut to retirement years, and he bought a small
(2' x 3') model railway from an British expat leaving Kuala
Lumpur. The layou is shown in the photo to the left. It
developed an electrical issue just before leaving for Croatia,
and was expertly repaired by Mr. Zolkafli Ahmad of the Kuala
Lumpur Miniature Train Club. After all what is the fun
of retirement without hobbies? The photo to the right is Mr.
Ahmad when he was kind enough to drop by Villa Putra Putri to
collect and repair the layout.So, imagine our
suprise (and Dale's delight) when we learned that the
largest model railway in Eastern Europe was just a 2-stop
tram ride from our house? The Backo Mini Express is
located about three blocks from the main square and
occupies two floors of a downtown building. Since
its inception in 2011 it has grown steadily and the layout
itself has undergone many changes. It survived a flood in
July of 2020. The first level is the main layout, with a
newer addition underway in an adjacent room. Downstairs
there is a large work area and a room with a layout
circling the famous Tomislav Square. In the adjacent room
are three smaller layouts designed for use by visitors.
The photo to the left shows the entrance from the street,
while the photo to the right shows the entrance to the
Backo Mini Express dressed up for Christmas 2018. There is
something for everyone at the Backo Mini-Express. Here is a
brief description of the respective layouts- Ground Floor
Main Layout (right
side): Starts with a mountain village, and the
mountains continue around the rear of the layout. At
ground level is a commuter train station, complete
with moving commuters when the trains pull in! It
features a spring and summer layout.
Main Layout (left
side): continues with the mountain theme
in the background. On the right side is a mountain with
a hang glider, and the trains connect to the other side
of the layout via a series of span bridges. At ground
level is a scale model of a European city. This half of
the layout features a fall and winter theme.
Side
Layout Extension: in a small room
next to the main layout, a new extension is underway. It
features a an engine house with turntable, and the
scenery is of an industrial siding and trainyard. This
was the former site of the Tomislav Square layout, which
is now downstairs
- Basement
Tomislav
Square Layout: the layout features
Tomislava Square, the beautiful main square opposit the
Zagreb train station. The layout features a meticulous
rendition of the famous plaza, and the trains run only
on the exterior, departing from the rear of the train
station. There is also a tram line that winds around the
side of the square. The layout is done in a winter
theme, when the park is turned into ice skating rink
during the Christmas fairs.
- Visitor's
Layouts: there is an
interactive section of the Backo Mini-Express, located
in the basement room behind the Tomislav Square Layout.
There are three layouts that allow visitors to
experience being an engineer.
Layout
1: to the right upon entering
the room is a very basic layout. It has no ground
cover or 3D terrain. The flat layout resembles a
child's first train set, with a few buildings and both
ground and elevated sets of tracks. The large console
in the foreground allows children to drive the trains.
Layout
2: at the center of the room and
behind the first layout is a more sophisticated layout
with full scenics, a double loop configuration, with a
train station and two sidings.The trains are operated
by electronic tablets housed in wooden frames at the
front of the layout.
Layout
3: on the left side of the room
is a double track loop layout. Trains pass by the main
station before entering a tunnel. In the center there
is a cityscape. The controls are touchpads like the
ones in layout 2
Open on Fridays
and Saturdays, this is a true labor of love for the Antun
Ubric and the men who build and staff the museum. For train
aficianados, the layout is in HO scale (1:87 scale). The
statistics are staggering: over 150 locomotives and over 1,000
cars or rolling stock of every variety. The trains run on
1,500 meters of track (nearly a mile) on seven different
levels. The trains and switches are all computerized, and are
controlled from a perch overlooking the layout. There are
themed trains (The Santa Fe, Orient-Express, and
Intercity-Express, to name a few) and locomotives from all six
historical periods. In the panoramas below you can see the
monitors that are above the layout and capture the trains from
every angle. As impressive as that is, the details on the
layout itself are equally staggering. Most scenes are
animated, with people exiting train platforms, traversing the
city square, skiing down Alpine slopes, and even hangliding
off a mountain. Below is a screenshot of the dedicated team
that keep the trains running, and who are constantly improving
the layouts.Below is a virtual tour of the layout. It details the main scenic features of the layout using panoramic photography, audio narration, photos, and video. And, while it cannot begin to chronicle the incredible details of this layout (one could spend days examining the minute details of the scenes) nor begin to capture the sophisticated navigation system that guide the trains, it is hoped it will provide a basic introduction to what is clearly a labor of love. For those who would like to learn more about the Backo Mini Express from its creation through the many changes and improvements that have been made by this dedicated crew over the years, here is a link to a forum with 100's of photos, a veritable archive of the museum and its history.
