Copied from the FB group because I thought it may be of interest to some here.

The layout appears to be based on 0463 from 1968. Interesting that the wiring is fully displayed on the perspex, and no scenery at all.

It was obtained from a model shop in the US and was still in its original shipping crate as per the photos.

Apparently it does have legs to make it free-standing but some work is required in that area so it's shown temporarily supported on two fold-out tables.

It 'appears' to be original, and that it possibly came direct from Märklin, but without any supporting documentation all there is to go on is the style and design of the layout, and the details on the crate which clearly state "Made in Western Germany" but do not carry any specific Märklin details.

Reeves International were a large Märklin importer & distributor at that time. It's also entirely possible this layout was commissioned and built in Germany but not by Märklin themselves.

Has anyone seen anything like it before?

One obvious question is Why? It seems more of a demonstration layout than the usual Shop Window layout with scenery etc. But demonstrating what exactly? It is missing the turntable in the open area but I understand that is with it, just not mounted at present.

Other perspex layouts can be found, and there were perspex layouts available at the release of Digital to show the lack of wiring whereas this one seems to show the complexity of it and nothing that would be particularly innovative.

It's also quite large and somewhat fragile.

I have a Marklin built perspex layout that uses K track, built in the early days of digital, to show the minimal wiring a digital layout requires. It is smaller than this layout, with a single loop of track with R1 curves at the end, and passing loop on one side and a bunch of sidings on the other side. The perspex is about 12mm thick, which makes the layout quite heavy. It also has perspex blocks under it at suitable points so it is lifted up off whatever table or cabinet it is fitted to, so the wiring and and k84 and s88 don't get damaged.

In addition it came with an enclosure made out of square steel tube (30mm square?) and a plate glass top so it can be used as a shop counter with a layout under it. The cabinet and plate glass top are even heavier than the layout itself.

Well...my "Minimalist" bits of my mind are entranced by this. Also tickles my Tischbahn Tendencies

As a Silly Wild Jimmy Guess...perhaps it was commissioned for a Train Show (there has been a big show in Maryland (near the final destination per the label) for many decades, although I am not sure how far back and whether this layout pre-dates the shows...)

Just a thought, and it would be pretty cool at a show. And one would not have to worry over buildings and scenery getting damaged during travel. A kind of "Behind The Scenes" / "How The Magic Happens"

Edited by user 14 May 2025 20:11:12(UTC)  | Reason: Not specified

The adressee - Hobby Works, 360 Domer Ave, Laurel Center, Laurel, is still in business but moved a couple of shops down to 354 Domer.

They have several branches but their headquarters is in Laurel.

They maybe able to help with some history.

It's a fantastic find. Thanks for sharing it with us.

Pete

It looks like Perspex is about twice the weight of the same sheet in plywood (depending on the base wood used in the plywood - I used pine for the comparison. ) 2.4m x 1.2m x 12mm is around 40Kg. Too heavy for me to move on my own.

I have had it for a good few years now, maybe 20 years. Bought off eBay, and I had to go down Kent way to collect it. Driving back around the M25 with the back end of it handing out of the Ford Focus wagon on a wet evening (I had to tie the tailgate down with some "stretchies") was an interesting experience.

I will organise some photos one day .....

There may have been options in what could be purchased. Mine is set up as all digital, and I don't recall any signs of analogue type wiring. My layout uses 2100 series K track, so that makes it really old, and I believe was set up for demonstrating digital control, which would have been really new at the time.

That looks like the one Cookee.

I seem to remember there was a little bit of M track with most of it being K track.
I wish I'd taken some photos but I was mainly interested in 'Z' gauge at the time.
As I say - the identical display was in two different shops so it must have been a standard Marklin dealer item.

That was 1987 so digital (as opposed to Delta) must have been fairly new.

Thanks for the little trip down memory lane.

Paul

That's who the owner got it from but they've already said they have no info on the layout, those that did know are long-gone.

Seems the layout was held onto until they bascially had no choice about letting it go. Thankfully an enthusiast was available to rescue it.

Cheers

That's how Märklin do all their factory layouts, nice straight clean lines, and connectors.

For one thing, it's very easy to follow and understand. Also the tidy routing of the cabling, and adherance to the Märklin colour-code system makes troubleshooting considerably easier.

The downside, if you call it that, is that yes, noticably more wire is used than the straight line principle, but we've all seen the underside of layouts where it's a jumbled birds-nest of wiring. They can be a nightmare.

Digital defintely makes some of that much easier but unless you have decoders at each accessory, you're still going to have some longer runs, especially for feeders and contact/feedback sections so might as well have it tidy.

This is the wiring of my own factory layout, and topside.



Topside



And the original schematic has all the connections noted as to which contact track operates which signal or turnout in automatic operation. What's not to love