My Two Dads!

 Part One: Introducing Mister 'H'

If fortunate, you are blessed with a father who supports and nurtures you.  This I posted in the blog "Happy Birthday, DAD!" (March 08-2023).  But as luck would have it, I gained another father when I married his daughter, a thousand years ago way back in 1983.   My Dad is on the right, but who is that man on the left...?

That gentlemen is Hartmuth Wilfried Barnhard Mundt, and today would have been his 92nd birthday.  (You may remember him as Mr. H from the November 24-2019 posting "My First Commission")  But life is not fair, is it?  Unfortunately he passed away in late 2023 from complications due to cancer.  So I would like to take this time to delve into his past, his life, and accomplishments.  

He was born January 26, 1934 to Wilfried and Gertude Mundt in the small rural town of Norenberg, Pommern, in Eastern Germany.  His father was a barber/hairdresser, mother was a Hausfrau (Housewife), and he also had an older sister.   The first five years were good, but we all know what transpired in 1939.  This is where the story turns tragic, and not much is know of this time in the years  following, as he did not like to talk about it very much.   Luckily living in a farming community, food was easier to come by.  But in 1941, his father was taken to a Detention Camp for being a conscientious objector, remained there for three years, but then was given a choice of death or the army; he chose the army.  After a brief visit, he was sent to somewhere in the Eastern Front.  

A year later, the Americans arrived, the war ended soon after in 1945, and his father returned home.  The land was given to Poland; the village was renamed Insko.  The family was given an hour to pack up and get out, leaving most of their possessions behind.  What followed were three days on a train into Berlin, (where he had an aunt), and then at some point in these few years the family settled in another rural town called Benterode.  For the next 10 years his history is very blurred, but we know his father passed during this time.  He finished school, became an apprentice in the Tool & Die trade, got his papers, and then was married in 1955.  Apparently he would have preferred to have been a teacher, specifically of history.  But at the time a trade was more in demand and paid better.  (I decided to forego any photographs of him in "short trousers", but found this very dignified pose amongst the surviving photos).  Unfortunately, I have no idea where or when it was taken.

A few years later (after helping to build their own apartment), Hartmuth and his new wife Els, made the decision to leave Germany.  So in late August of 1958, they boarded the QSS Arkadia at the port of Bremerhaven, and emigrated to Canada, where skilled tradesmen were needed.  (FYI: QSS stands for Quadruple Screw Steamer).   Having a few flashbacks here; I'll be doing something similar in six years time...

The ship arrived in Montreal, Quebec on September 1, after a roller coaster ride in the North Atlantic where many of the passengers were incapacitated for a good part of the journey, Hartmuth though was one of the lucky ones!  He found employment very quickly, as did partner Els.  Working hard with his tool & die skills at a major manufacturer, he quickly saved enough money to purchase a new home about an hours drive outside of Montreal, and set about raising a family.   Their first daughter (my future wife), was born in 1963.  Here she is helping Dad with a model kit:

Still have that building!  The second daughter arrived in 1968, and there they remained until 1975.  At this time Bill 101 was making the headlines, so rather than endure French Immersion, they packed up and headed for Ontario.  Purchasing a newer home in Kitchener, he had no difficulty in finding employment with his European skills, and set about starting again, but at least this time it was not from scratch.  

I entered the picture in 1982, when I began dating his daughter.  During visits and conversation, I discovered he too was a fellow model railroader, although his layout was much more impressive.  (More on this in Part Two).  I joined this family in 1983, and then what followed were 40 great years.  Besides his Tool & Die and precision metal skills, he was also adept with carpentry, automotive repair, electronics, and construction.  He was literally a Jack-Of-All-Trades, mostly self taught, and then he taught me a lot too.  Growing up without a father he was forced to become very self-sufficient, and wasn't afraid to try new things, including the installation of a new roof...

 This is about 30 years ago, and muggins there on the left is also learning a new skill, mostly never to do this again!  It's also a rare event when two model railroaders emerge from the basement and work on the roof! It's awfully bright up here...

Tragedy struck again in 2014, when his wife, Els, died of complications due to Alzheimer's; she was 79.  (My father died of the same disease 4 months later).  Life became simple routine, as he was long retired.  It wasn't until 2021-2022 when things started to go downhill.  Medical examinations revealed he had Non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and a tumor was found on his spine.  Radiation therapy removed it but by then the damage to his spine had been done and he became wheelchair bound.  We did what we could to help, even installing a chair lift so he could work on his model railroad.  But needing almost 24 hour care and with his lack of mobility, he appeared to give up.  The cancer continued to spread, and then on November 8, 2023, we got the phone call everyone dreads.  The PSW could not wake him, and he passed peacefully in his sleep.  He was only two months short of 90.  

Part Two:  Der Modelleisenbahnmann

No one in the family seemed to know for sure when or where his passion for trains was born, or when he turned it into the miniature hobby that dominated his life.  Hartmuth modeled the Deutsche Bundesbahn (West German Railway) in HO scale (1:87).  Staying roughly within the parameters of the railway epochs 3 & 4 (1949 to 1990), although if he liked an engine, wagon or other subject, he would include it regardless.  Steam was the primary interest, although diesels and electrics were present.  We think that perhaps he had a small layout in the apartment in Montreal, but no photos exist.  The first large pike was built in the basement of the Quebec house, but dimensions and timelines are unknown.

These pictures are probably from the early '70s, and is still under construction.  You will notice, when compared to the upcoming images of his Magnum Opus in Part 3, he kept most elements of his  previous layouts and very rarely threw anything away.  But once the decision had been made to move to another city again, the layout was carefully dismantled and packed away for shipping.  

Part Three: The Magnum Opus

When I appeared in '82, Hartmuth had already been rebuilding the layout for only 7 years, but it was already quite large.  At this point it was only about 30% completed.  But as any model railroader knows, a layout is never really finished.  At this time Hartmuth was using the Marklin M Track system, combining rails and ballast on metal sections.  But he found it limiting and then one day decided to rip it all out and replace with standard HO track from Atlas, Roco, and Fleischmann.  Probably the best way to describe and showcase this layout would be to have a reference map for your convenience.  Also, this part of the blog is going to be very long, so now would be a good time to stretch your legs!

I apologize for this basic map as it was drawn based on the following photographs and memory.  The layout at this point only encompassed sections 2 to 5, (30' x 6'), but over the next 35 years, it expanded to the basement-filling 700 square foot empire you are about to see.  

There never was an official name given to the layout, nor did it have a formal track plan.  His railroad planning comprised of doodles on graph paper; he had the finished product in his mind!  Once the track was replaced, he expanded into sections 6 to 9 over the years.  The layout could function both as a continuous loop or when there were multiple operators, it became a point to point at the flick of a switch But it was also during expansion time he discovered the DCC system from Lenz, where engines were controlled by coded computer chips and you could run several units on the track without the bothersome block wiring necessary for DC.  So to implement this he had to learn computers, and as usual taught himself the skills required.  The final spur line sections 1-1A were the last constructed, completed by 2005 or thereabouts.  

Steam engines were his primary interest, the 01-150 class being the favorite lok (he had about two dozen variations of this engine!).  Diesels and electrics comprised about 25% of the final inventory, which was over 150 engines!  He liked to run both passenger and cargo, so as with the loks, there was no shortage of coaches or wagons.  Roco was his preferred manufacturer, but the layout was filled with a who's-who of German model railroad companies.  Also represented were Trix, Liliput, Fleischmann, Gutzold, Brawa, Piko, and Marklin.  Structures by Faller, Vollmer, Kibri, and Pola covered the layout, and vehicles & people from Wiking and Prieser.  Not to mention all the raw materials needed for benchwork, wiring, and scenery.  He used to joke about this by commenting "When I'm gone, all this will be your problem!".  And two years later it still is.

And now it is time to view the layout.  We'll start with Section 01 and pan around the room, which is probably the best way to begin and slowly drink it all in.  So down the stairs we go, watch your footing, and on the right is the man himself!

You had to be thin to operate this layout!  Those aisleways are only 18" wide.  But there was a purpose to the layout.  It wasn't just loops of track to run trains 'round & 'round.  It had four service yards (with 3 turntables), two major passenger terminals and two minor, three large yards for wagons & coaches, and all industries had designated wagons to justify their existence.  Coal was the primary industry, and a typical operating session was to "unload" raw coal from the barge docked at the pier (in section 7), to go all around the layout stopping at various facilities and then finally finishing the run at section 1, where it was again fake unloaded into the power plant (or should I say kraftwerk...?)  Sometimes some of the wagons were diverted to "replenish" the coal bunkers at the yards.  A session like that took usually about two hours; scale speeds and procedures.  Operating at the main control panel, the Yardmaster directed us at our various substations, which were located at the other stations.  Four people could operate for hours, which usually happened at Christmastime.

So perhaps the best way to get a better tour of the layout would be to follow the coal train.  It will be numerically backwards but just refer to that map up there if you get lost.  We will begin at the engine facility at Section 07.

Section 07 - Upper Level

This multi level area is home to the secondary engine facility, turntable, through yards, passenger terminals, some buildings and four industries (coal, petrol, aggregate, & generic freight).  The second control station is also here, where I spent most of the operating sessions.  So first you acquired a suitable engine (depending on your preferences) and went through the prep.

See that light blue building above the lok?  That was the one Mr. H was building in the kitchen way way up at the top of the page!  Once the engine was parked at the coal bunker, you acquired a diesel switcher and went to Section 09, via Section 08,  to pick up "empty" hoppers and brake vans.  This large yard held most of the wagons from other various industries.  The wagons spotted for the coal loads were not always available, so most times some shunting and puzzle solving had to be done.  

This section is also home to a large train station, about 48" long.  Passenger trains would come in from the left and pick one of three lines; station and canopies.  Line 4 was for freight only.  When passengers had "disembarked", the engine was sent to the engine house or holding tracks.  This layout was very procedural, and rules were strictly enforced.

Section 08

Which leads to the major holding yard, was a large gully with two bridges.  It had a junction point to go to yet another holding yard behind that large station I mentioned.  He had way too many wagons!

Once past the bridges, you entered a large staging yard.  Six long tracks with a low relief warehouse along the back.

Section 09

Once trains had been assembled here, you returned to Section 07 and dropped the load at track 04.  The switcher is swapped for the heavier freight engine, and the completed train went into the tunnel, past a secret switch, and then went backwards down a steep incline to the lower level were the pier is.  (Sometimes we just went down were some wagons were already waiting by the barge...)

Section 07 - Lower Level

Passing the aggregate factory, you spiral down to the pier, with the barge and a crane.  Adjacent is another industry, petrol.  Same procedure was used for these too.

Once you bring the hoppers back to the station (sometimes it took two or three trips due to the steep grade), its back to line 4 and then assembled coal train heads out of the station through the tunnel, and don't forget to sound the horn!  (Yes, about half of the DCC engines had sound as well).  

Section 06

Now you are inside the mountain.  It's the highest point on the layout, just slightly below the ceiling.  It's so high it is permanently covered in snow all year round.  Inside is a double-track helix which spirals down to the tunnel exit in the valley.  On the side of the mountain is a small mine, and higher up there are skiers.  

The raw material is transported to the aggregate crusher back at Section 07.  But access to the mine is from a point at Section 03, so you have to go the long way around.  Directly adjacent, with more variable elevations, is the next part of the layout.

Section 05

In the upper corner is a small station, for both light freight and smaller coaches.  Totally out of reach, it can only be operating by remote and with the use of a mirror.  This again is that spur line to the mine.  The double main line is just visible at the bottom of the pic.

The double main line continues out of valley into the next multi-level area.

Section 04

This is the transition area where trains wait to proceed to the next yard; we stacked them up going both ways!  Parked just before the large bridge, there is a mill race above, and then higher still is a small station for tourists going to the mountain.  

The borderland between 04 and 03 have a few industries.  It was the last area he worked on before he was unable to continue, and that was the new concrete plant (My First Commission).  Unfortunately it was never completed.  There are some homes here too plus a church, a greenhouse, and signal hut.  That is how you get to the mountain.

Changing operators (FYI because of DCC, you could control a train anywhere on the layout from any station, as long as the switches were set right), the train traverses the bridge and into a tunnel, where it goes under sections 03 and 02 to end up at the main terminal.

Section 03

This area is the urban center of the layout.  No name for the town, but lots of residential structures.  Beyond the station there are warehouses, a fire station, brewery (yes there are beer wagons out there too), a town square and farmers market.  

Engines are changed here, so the revised train leaves the station and heads out to the power plant through Section 02, which is the main engine facility and yard.  

Section 02

The bulk of the engine collection is stored here.  Besides an 18 stall roundhouse (there were two loks per berth...), serviced by a turntable, there were coaling facilities, cranes, bunkers, wash stations, and a staircase down to a passenger pick up area.  A warehouse and a kiddee playground are also near the yard.  It was in front of this section where the main control panel stood.

I left it as he had left it after our final operating session.  The whole layout could be controlled from here, but only he had the knowledge on how it all worked.  When I had to dismantle it, it was a Frankenstein nightmare of old and new power packs and transformers, some weighed a ton and they were no doubt the original units from way back.  Even a model railroad is not without paper work.  At the main and second control panel, was a ledger where you had to log in which engine arrived or departed, plus keep inventory in the yards.  Here now is the rest of Section 02.

Once the coal train had been processed through the main yard, it was off to the final destination.  He was always looking to expand.  We even entertained the idea of extending that mountain helix up into the room above, but we all sobered up and looked for other areas.  The area into the adjacent living room was available, so a shelf spur was constructed, which comes off of the end of 02 and wraps around the wall behind the wood stove.  

Section 01A

Dad was a fan of castles, and had always wanted one on the layout, so when entering the new spur you pass by Castle Falkenstein (a Kibri kit).  

Passing the stove pipe, and on a slight grade, we reach the next and final section.  

Section 01

Coming around the bend over the TV, the coal is unloaded at the terminal.  A scenic divider separates it from the Kraft Werk, which also has a large electrical substation.  Further along is a small engine facility and a turntable.  

Once the delivery was completed, it was then back all the way to barge, so you could fill the empties.  Never had any empty hoppers; you used your imagination.  Of course it wasn't always coal trains.  Besides the array of various sizes and styles of the coaches, mixed freight was run using specific wagons for petrol, beer, lumber, metal, aggregate, etc.  There were also special flat car loads, rail cranes and a couple of schnabel cars.  

One thing you may have noticed was the lack of weathering on the layout and loks.  Mr. H liked his engines pristine, as well as buildings and wagons.  No rust, maybe some dust or soot, but he preferred to run them right out of the box.

Workstations

A layout this size requires areas for work, maintenance, and storage.  He had several.  Just to the left of that spur was a cabinet with surplus wagons & buildings, and supplies.  Next a small workbench, and then a display case for a good portion of engines that could not fit on the layout.  Over the years he also did some kit bashing and scratch building when a suitable building could not be found commercially.

Just behind Section 02 was the computer station, used for programming engines, shopping for more engines, and watching YouTube videos of Miniature Wunderland.  He always wanted to go there; it is a damn shame he never made it...

In the next room was the main workshop, in which he had every hand and power tool known to man as well as some specialty tools he built himself.  Then about a month after his last operating session, he passed away on November 08, 2023.  He got the last laugh; it was officially our problem now.

Part Four - Deconstruction

The sad truth was the layout could not be saved;  the house had to be sold.  There was no way to dismantle it safely and then rebuild it, and unfortunately, a lot of the layout was already deteriorating due to lack of maintenance and time.  Because I was the train guy, the task fell to me.  It took several weeks, starting with cataloging and repacking all the loks, wagons, and coaches.  He had saved almost every box.  Next the structures had to go, along with all scenery, turn tables, and bridges.  I salvaged and saved what I could.  I kept my favorites or anything I could adapt to a 00 gauge "Tommy" layout.  It was literally one of the worse things I had ever had to do; I was destroying Hartmuth's life work, but it still wasn't over.  

Couldn't delay it any longer; spent the next five days ripping it apart.  All the benchwork, electrics, hard shell scenery (he was old school; paper mache over chicken wire), and track.  Again saving what I could if possible.  Upstairs in the garage was carnage:

And in the basement, a silent void:

And that was that.  The house sold and we have been doing the train show circuit for two years now.  Luckily due to his respect for the product and the care he gave it, the items sell quickly.  

Part Five - Epilogue

So how do you sum up a man's life?  I found it funny that his death hit me a little harder than my own father's death.  Whereas my father spent his free time building R/C ships, I was never actually involved with him in the hobby.  In all those years, I operated a boat once.  Sure we went to the regattas and helped out with driving & set up, but when it came to Mr. H and his trains, we spent hours upon hours operating, building, doing maintenance, watching documentaries & videos, and attending train related events.  On top of this is all the other skills I learned from him, all of which I mentioned earlier (in what must have become) the longest blog I have ever posted.  Says something doesn't it...

Hartmuth put his family first.  He worked hard both at home and in his profession.  (I don't think he ever had more than a handful of sick days in all his working years).  And he would not work overtime either as he would say it could always be finished tomorrow.  He did not sit around; he made sure he took a walk every day despite the weather.  He also liked sport, especially the Bundesliga, and because of living in Quebec, got to like hockey as well.  Again, we spent many hours watching games together.  

At the risk of becoming too melancholy, I think it is time to say good night.  I'd like to think him riding on the Galactic Railroad, on his personal journey and hopefully reunited with family, and finally without pain.

Keep those trains running, Dad!