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 atund 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 atund 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.
