All Aboard the Swabian Railway!

The Echaz Railway runs from Reutlingen to Münsingen in Baden-Württemberg and was completed in 1893. It was the first standard-gauge branch line opened in Württemberg and at the same time the last railway project to be granted its own name.

Honau railway station was at the heart of this: the steepest standard-gauge rack railway in Germany up to Lichtenstein began here with a gradient of 100%. Mainly, BR 97.5 locomotives were used. After the Second World War, the line again played an important role in goods traffic until it was closed in 1953. Since it was completely in the French-occupied part of Württemberg, military transports could be carried out over the route to the military training area in Münsingen without having to pass through the American sector. Due to the enormous gradient, a BR 97.5 rack-and-pinion locomotive had to be used at the end of the trains in pushing mode on goods trains, which at that time were the BR 50, BR 52, BR 57.10 and, rarely, the BR 93.5.

Architecturally, Honau’s station building and its two extensions are remarkable: the entire station was built in the Swiss chalet style and served as a prototype for the Württemberg standard station type III or later IIIa.

The beautiful half-hipped roof construction and many of the lovely details on the beams, wooden cladding and porches were reserved exclusively for Honau station and were later not implemented in the standard buildings for cost reasons. After the line closed in the mid-1950s, the building fell into disrepair until the Förderverein Bahnhof Honau e. V. took on the station on a voluntary basis in 2003. A lot has happened since then, and the building has been restored to its former glory.

Note: the kit consists of the main building and a separate ramp. The Laser-Cut Kit includes detailed instructions and a suitable Laser-Cut Adhesive.

Förderverein Bahnhof Honau e. V.

The Förderverein Bahnhof Honau e. V. (Friends of Honau Station), founded in 2003, celebrated its 15th anniversary in 2018. Members have been taking care of the reconstruction and maintenance of the original railway station building on a voluntary basis for years. Over time, what was a ‘ruin’ has become a great event location, where parties, Christmas markets and many other events take place again today.

We would like to express our special thanks to the society for their help in realising this model, which is why we are donating part of the sales proceeds towards the preservation of the real thing.

You can find more info about the Förderverein Bahnhof Honau e. V. at www.bahnhof-honau.de.

TOPPMODELL®

Station “Honau” appeared in TOPPMODELL®’s range years ago. The main building and the toilets were inspired by this model, but are considerably easier to build and don’t have to be specially painted, as the components’ colours are based on the original colour scheme. The shading, beam constructions, windows, window shutters and many other details are particularly beautiful.

Selected models based on real models appear in the TOPPMODELL® Exclusive Series. These are realised in a particularly realistic and detailed way. The combination of selected materials and very high-quality coloration of some parts of the kits in Germany results in top-class models that truly live up to the name TOPPMODELL®.