MiWuLa News TV: Dezember 2011 Teil 2

Welcome to the second part of the MiWuLa News Christmas Edition!
There are two new airplanes at the airport.
Gerrit and his Team are testing the Concorde at the moment.
Many features have already been implemented, such as the lowerable nose -
important for the landing approach and the runway -
as well as impressive lighting in the jet engines.
It performed well during testing
and will receive paintwork soon.
Another machine is the now completed, propeller driven Lockheed Super Constellation.
With its four individually selectable propellers
and paintwork in the original design, it's a real eyecatcher.
The whole crew of the original airplane was present for the maiden flight,
to accompany the replica's first take-off.
At the Airport Days, the oldtimer days near the Lufthansa-Technik Hangar,
another plane of the past can be found beside the DC-6 and the new Concorde.
For our funfair in Middle Germany, Holger is working on
new rides or is restoring the existing ones.
This section will be filled with even more life than before.
For this purpose, funfair rides are being collected
and equipped with electromechanics and lighting.
Several hundred tiny LEDs are used for each ride.
A continous operation without errors is an issue here, because
most components by the original manufacturers are too delicate.
After modification, they are gradually brought back to the layout.
The Wunderland district hopes to draw more visitors this way.
We will keep you informed about this.
The lighting of our buildings is much more detailled than in our early years.
Many rooms inside of the buildings can be switched on or off.
Numerous buildings on the layout are receiving new lighting.
Outdated incandescent bulbs are being replaced by modern LEDs.
They use a lot less electricity while lasting a lot longer.
The reconstruction of one of our train stations,
the Dammtor Bahnhof in the Hamburg section, is another large-scale project.
The hall is completely redesigned and rebuilt.
The old station hall is several years old,
and the quality of our models has increased considerably.
Today, we are replacing things we couldn't do properly in the past
with more impressive new buildings.
In this case, the whole Dammtor area is being replaced.
From the train tracks to the roof construction to the lighting,
the modelmakers are preparing everything for the coming renovation.
Even the station's stone ornaments and adornments are being recreated.
The static construction of the building is very sophisticated
because it serves to actually stabilise the miniature.
The goal is to be able to look into the large glass windows
and see far into the station hall.
Benches for visitors and information schedules at the platform
are only a few of the countless details to be found here.
The polar sea in Scandinavia has finally been renovated.
The many hours in constant operation have taken their toll
on the sensitive water surface in the past years.
It was time for an overhaul.
Stefan explains why this work led to the complete removal of the surface panel:
This is the old panel for the polar sea.
We levered this out to remove the old water surface.
We sealed it with blue paint.
Then we repainted it.
Then we added a special kind of clear laquer,
to avoid bubbles when we pour.
Unfortunately, this clear laquer didn't agree with the base coat and soaked through.
That's how this damage was caused - it foamed up.
The surface became frizzy, no way you can pour on it now.
It would take the three times as many hours to remove this than
to just replace the whole thing.
And whose fault is it?
Now we also have better quality here,
and with a new and easily replacable plexiglass plate, we hope to
keep this part of the layout in even better shape.
A lot of the old technology was replaced.
Stefan explains how our Flying Dutchman works:
This is the magnet that pulls the ship above.
When I pick up the ship, you see:
There's another magnet up here, similar to our cars.
To charge the ship - for the lighting -
there are two contacts below.
Inside are gold cap capacitors that supply the LEDs.
It drives automatically on these contact strips
and then reaches its charging position.
It charges just enough to go another round,
charges again, and so on.
New details such as seals, polar bears, ice floes and icebergs
fill the scene with life.
On Christmas Eve, all children under the age of 16 are traditionally
let into the Miniatur Wunderland free of charge.
Come visit us with your loved ones
and enjoy your free hours before the celebration.
We are open on that day until 4 PM.
After years of experience, we suggest to look up our waiting times
during the holidays and between Christmas and New Year.
You can use the internet to book free of charge to avoid waiting times.
If you can't decide on an exact time beforehand,
try to come in the morning or evenig time.
Usually, there is hardly any waiting time during these hours.
We have extended our opening hours during most of the holiday season.
For further details, visit www.miniatur-wunderland.de
We wish you and your loved ones
a wonderful Christmas and a Happy New Year,
Your Miniatur Wunderland Staff