2018 Nürnberg Toy Fair

18 Years in a row -- wow -- it seems like it was just yesterday that I went to my first Toy Fair.

A lot of new and interesting Marklin, Trix and LGB items, some very nice "real" trains and...
lucky for me (and you) Germany didn't run out of food since my last visit!  I hope you'll enjoy this year's photos once again!


OK, you've been very patient, and you're about to be rewarded.
An entire year has gone by and, I know, you're hungry (still or again).

First stop again this year was Munich, in the heart of Bavaria.
So, what's more appropriate than a pair of authentic Münchner bratwurst with home made potato salad?

Here we have a little "before and after" set of photos and, yes, it's as good as it looks:

We get our bratwurst at our favorite stand near the Marienplatz:

OK, that was lunch. So, how about dinner?

For an appetizer, we ordered a very special delicacy: Bavarian Würstsalat (or Fleischsalat).
It's an incredible mixture of strips of meat with onions, pickles and a sweet/sour vinaigrette.
We loved it so much last year, so we figured we'd do it again:

As usual, I had my all-time favorite:
 Spanfärkel (roast suckling pig), potato dumplings and red cabbage.
And, no, this is not a photo from last year, I promise:

My traveling companion's tastes run to the less exotic, but just as wonderful, wiener schnitzel:

The next day was Wednesday, and that means it is "Toy Fair" day, where we get to see
all the new and interesting products from Marklin, Trix and LGB.

Even a "simple" trip from Munich to Nürnberg gets us up to 300 km/hr; pretty cool:

I know you've been waiting for some decent photos of this year's special
Toy Fair locomotive and car set, so here you go.

Here's a great shot of the beautiful 39058 BR 05 Steam Locomotive with tender:

The color and the detail is amazing.
But, if you'd like one, you must order it immediately -- this one will sell out quickly:

And the 43224 Passenger 3-Car set goes along perfectly with the locomotive:

Here's a great way to get started (even if you're not just starting).
The 29051 starter set contains two complete trains with full sound functions and TWO Mobile Station 3 units:

 Another item that got a lot of attention (and will unquestionably sell out as well) is the 49570 Ardelt Era III Steam crane.
If it's anywhere near as popular as last year's crane (and I think it will be), it too will sell out quickly:

One of the most impressive models is the new version of the S 2/6.  This one is the 37018 K.Bay.Sts.B. (Bavarian)
Era I model for the "Palatine Railroad".  The violet coloring is striking and really looks very cool:

But the one model that everyone was talking about, believe it or not, was the new 37797 TGV 5-Piece train set.
It's an exact model of the world record-breaking train that reached -- are you sitting down -- 575 km/hr, that's 360 mph!
This is a very, very cool looking train set. Quantities will be very limited, so act quickly if you'd like one.

A train that goes 360 miles per hour needs a lot of fuel, and so do I, so ... it's lunch time!

Don't let anyone tell you they're out of sausages in Germany -- I did leave a few:

OK, back to the Toy Fair, where we see a few more of the very nice models for 2018.

OK, I know it's not everybody's cup of tea, but the new 39622 "Coca-Cola" F7 A-B-A set does look pretty cool.
Add a couple of car sets (or at least a caboose) and you have a nice looking train:

The 37326, class Re 62 SBB "Xrail" locomotive sure looks very nice:

There are many new Swiss models.  Here's an Ae 6/6, item 39364 with an mfx+ decoder and lots of sound and light functions:

And there's a very nice looking new commuter train that includes the 37447
Class 146.5 Electric locomotive and cars 43481, 43482, 43483, 43484 and 43485:

OK, time for dinner in Nürnberg.

First course, potato soup -- one of my favorites!
(Spoiler alert, my wife has been practicing making this and she can now compete with the best!):

Most of the people at the table had wiener schnitzel. OK, I know, you've already seen one photo with wiener schnitzel.
Could you possibly manage to look at one more (I know I can):

As for me, I like the Franconian dish they make here: Schaufle (means small shovel in German):


OK, after a good night's sleep, it's time to visit Göppingen.
Not much happening at the museum today, but there IS lunch at Nordsee.
A nice piece of fish and some potato salad hits the spot:

And off we go to Stuttgart to wander around town and have dinner.

A view of Stuttgart from the cog railway we take up the hill each year:


We went to my favorite Bavarian restaurant in Stuttgart. First course was some (more) wurstsalat.
The rye bread, potato salad and greens make for a lovely start:

 Here's something I won't find at my local diner, venison steak, prosciutto and mushrooms -- yummy:

Does a bowl of fried potatoes warrant its own photo?  In this case, I think it does (you can, of course, decide for yourself):

It's Friday and we're back at the Toy Fair

Now, this isn't a Marklin item, but don't write it off just yet.
My friends at BEMO have introduced an H0 locomotive to go with their existing line of Glacier Express and Bernina Express cars.
Yes, I know, in real life this is a narrow gauge railroad. But, what about all us H0 folks?

As you can see, there are two different models available.

If you didn't get around to buying the Glacier Express or Bernina Express cars (there are 6 of each) a couple of
years ago when they were first produced, don't worry; they are still being produced. Only now you have an
appropriate locomotive to run with them. The locomotives, of course, come with sound functions, etc.

Back to Marklin, and here is the beautiful DB class 112 TEE locomotive that is part of the 26983
"Rheingold Offshoot Train" Train Set. The set is part of the first quarter's MHI offering and
comes with a full 5-year factory warranty:

Here is the 36635 Swiss Rail Traffic class 487 locomotive, a very affordable model with full sound functions and mfx decoder:

Many, many interesting freight car sets this year. Here's part of 48448, a 3-car WASCOSA pressurized gas tank cars:

Now here's a first. The locomotive pictured below is LGB item L28443, but it is also available in Marklin H0 as item 37351.
OK, maybe you don't fancy the idea of LGB advertising on your H0 layout. But, trust me, this locomotive is very
colorful and will look great pulling any set of Swiss passenger or freight cars:

While we're on the subject of larger scales, the LGB Napa Valley Diesel Locomotive (L20580) and cars
and the L20383 Streetcar look very nice:

In Marklin 1-Scale, the always-popular DB class 103, item 55105 looks awesome:

We're back in Munich and it's dinner time. Holy fowl play Batman...
This is unquestionably the best duck I've ever had -- absolutely fantastic,
along with the obligatory potato dumpling, red cabbage and, of course, a beer.
This place gets lots of tourists, but it is 100% authentic Bavarian in every respect:

Yours truly (on the left) and my trusted friend, Juan, enjoying dinner and life in Bavaria.
It really doesn't get much better than this:

Now, for some real trains...

At Munich's main station, we have an Austrian (OBB) "Taurus" locomotive with an Italian flag on its side, next to a DB ICE3:

We go to the Ostbahnhof (East main station) in Munich
where there are lots of interesting passenger and freight trains to see...

Here's an S-Bahn pulling into the station:

And here's a cool looking freight train passing through (headed East):

A DB class 245 stops to pickup some passengers:

And another freight train pulls through the station:

Every layout needs a DB class 218 diesel locomotive, and this station is no exceptions:

Headed East to Austria:

And another freight train:

What's that?  You're still hungry?

All right, all right, I won't leave you hanging.
The next stop was in Paris where we enjoyed foods of many cultures including...

Dessert at an Indian restaurant:

Incredible charcuterie at a French brasserie.
This was SO good we ordered a second platter!

One of my favorites is a salad with shrimp, smoked salmon, hearts of palm avocadoes and
lots and lots of other goodies, including the basket of French baguettes at another brasserie:

OK, I'll understand if you want to pass on this one, but I love steak tartare:

And while in France, who can resist some hearty French onion soup -- yes, it was very good.
No you can't see the onions under all that cheese but, trust me, it WAS there (operative word being "was"):

A lovely dessert at a restaurant that only serves mussels (and desserts, of course):

OK, OK, I know you wanted to see it with the chocolate sauce on it:

A north African dish (couscous) with some very tasty merguez (sausages):

And last, but not least, dinner in a Korean restaurant.
Please don't ask me what everything is, it was just good!

Until next year ...