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    Pandemic keeps German model trains chugging along

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    Saturday, January 16, 2021
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    Pandemic keeps German model trains chugging along

    72-year-old Gerhard Berndt's model railway has been three decades in the making


    Published:  December 16, 2020 10:29 AFP and Compiled by Devadasan K P, Picture Editor

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    TRAIN 1-1608099835138
    Model train enthusiast Gerhard Berndt explains details of his layout in his living room in Berlin. Gerhard Berndt's model railway has been three decades in the making, but this year it's been full steam ahead for the 72-year-old Berliner. The retired carpenter has had more time on his hands in 2020 due to coronavirus restrictions and has dedicated that time to build up the intricate model village in his living room. After years of stagnating sales, the model railway market has seen a boost in 2020, due to the restrictions imposed during the Coronavirus Covid-19 pandemic. Image Credit: AFP
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    TRAIN 2-1608099838277
    Model train enthusiast Gerhard Berndt poses with one of his locomotives in his living room in Berlin. Image Credit: AFP
    3 of 10
    TRAIN 3-1608099841473
    Model trains and other vehicles are seen in model train enthusiast Gerhard Berndt's "train cabinet", in his living room. "This stuff takes time. And I have used that in this corona situation," said Berndt, who would otherwise be too busy jetting off to railway conventions to spend hours a day working on his hobby. Image Credit: AFP
    4 of 10
    TRAIN 4-1608099844689
    Berndt is one of many Germans who have turned to model railways and other analogue toys this year as restrictions to curb the spread of Covid-19 leave them looking for ways to entertain themselves and their families at home. Image Credit: AFP
    5 of 10
    TRAIN 5-1608099847687
    As a result model train sales have surged. Forecasts from the Association of German Toymakers (BVS) predict total turnover for the toy industry will be 3.7 billion euros ($4.5 billion) in 2020, an increase of eight percent on last year. The boost is being driven by board games and puzzles, outdoor toys and construction kits, according to the BVS. Image Credit: AFP
    6 of 10
    TRAIN 6-1608099850307
    A likeness of East Germany's longtime leader Erich Honecker waves to wellwishers from a train in model train enthusiast Gerhard Berndt's "train cabinet", in his living room in Berlin .The country's toy market grew 11 percent, or 172 million euros, on-year in January-October, according to the market research company npd Group. Germany has the largest toy industry in Europe in terms of both employment and turnover, accounting for a quarter of all people employed in the EU toy industry. Image Credit: AFP
    7 of 10
    TRAIN 7-1608099853350
    The country's toy market grew 11 percent, or 172 million euros, on-year in January-October, according to the market research company npd Group. Germany has the largest toy industry in Europe in terms of both employment and turnover, accounting for a quarter of all people employed in the EU toy industry. Image Credit: AFP
    8 of 10
    TRAIN 8-1608099855883
    A Mitropa dining carriage, complete with model waiters, is seen in model train enthusiast Gerhard Berndt's "train cabinet", in his living room. Image Credit: AFP
    9 of 10
    TRAIN 9-1608099858971
    Model train enthusiast Gerhard Berndt poses in his living room next to his layout (L) and his model cabinet (R) in Berlin. Image Credit: AFP
    10 of 10
    TRAIN 10-1608099862142
    That is certainly true for Berndt, who bought a starter kit for 30 deutschmarks with his first paycheck and has never looked back. Today, his model with 30 trains, 300 figures and fully functioning miniature street lamps takes up the whole of his living room - but if virus rules are eventually lifted, it can be winched up to the ceiling to make space for normal life. Image Credit: AFP

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