more reliable running with fully detailed Bemo stock. I completely rewired the layout, constructing a new control panel at the left-hand side, automating the fiddle yard points and semi-automating the signals and level crossing lights. This has enabled one man operation and it is no longer necessary to duck under the layout to operate it from the middle.

The “Glacier   Express”  now   runs  beyond  St. Moritz to Chiavenna and with its new 2006 stock has become an international express. The “rail-rider” service has been extended and at weekends gives the patrons an exciting open air ride down the Maloja pass. There is also a local service from St. Moritz to Maloja and also from Chiavenna using “push-pull” working. The catenary is non-operational and is made by Sommerfeldt. All these trains can be seen in operation  on the video and photo gallery.

The time of year is early autumn and it is “Alpabfahrttag”, the day the cows return from the high Alpine pastures, and a folk festival is in full swing to celebrate the event. It is early 21st Century but in this RhB backwater some of the Locomotives and stock are still to be found in RhB Green and the consists are varied. There is much freight traffic going down to Italy and the Crocodile mixed goods still makes its leisurely  twice a  day  journey  from Samedan.

Maloja

Station

To Chiavenna

To St. Moritz

Maloja Track Plan

The layout splits into four boards for transit, two front ones and two “L” shaped ones for the rear fiddle yard - all connected together electrically by 25 way “D” type connector umbilicals.  The control panel sits over the track at the St. Moritz end of the layout.

© www.maloja.co.uk 2012

Maloja is basically a 9½ft by 6ft oval with three running lines and two sidings in front of the scratch built station and an eight track fiddle yard at the back. I electrified the points, Bemo motors in the fiddle yard and Tortoise ones in the station area; re-laid the fiddle yard  with Bemo Code 70 track and points and extended  the  layout  by  one  foot  front to  rear and six inches  in length  to  ease  the curves and give m

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Here we have the right-hand front baseboard on its own. It has just been cleaned and the matt black repainted ready for the 2009 exhibition season. Detachable clear plastic panels will be added to the front for public exhibitions to protect the layout.

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