Project Zwanzebeek (H0)
Zwanzebeek is a model railway based on a fictional municipality somewhere in the Brussels region around the 1950s-60s.
The project is still under construction, but once finished I will take this layout to several expos. Below you can follow how the project started, and how it is progressing now.
Current state of the Layout
The layout is still under construction, and a number of buildings remain to be added. The landscape and railway scene also needs further dressing up.
The buildings
All the buildings on Zwanzebeek were designed and built by myself. I am mainly inspired by the architecture in the Brussels region, and try to create a rich yet realistic variety on my layout.
The buildings are built using a diverse range of techniques, but most are scratchbuilt from styrene and Slaters plasticard. I also work a lot with the material Forex, and roof boards from Auhagen.
In some cases, I have also used a laser cutter to realise specific designs.
The start of the current layout - Zwanzebeek 2.0
In 2022, I started designing a new, better version of Zwanzebeek. With the help of my friend Evan Daes, six new bins were built in Birch Plywood. The layout was given a length of 360 cm. The landscape is 80 cm deep.
The beginning - first layout
The Zwanzebeek project began in 2020, when I first started making Brussels-inspired miniature buildings. I wanted to use them for a diorama, but the idea kept growing until I had the plan for a full model railway. The first layout was constructed while I was still living in my student room and it was shotty to say the least. It was my first time undertaking such a project and I clearly still had a lot to learn.
The first layout was nevertheless exhibited at MTD expo in 2021, but already during this event it became clear to me that all the woodwork needed to be redone.
In the end, only a few buildings remain on the current layout from the first version of Zwanzebeek.
