Who is behind project Waldbrunn an der Veluwe

Let me introduce myself: my name is Martin Domburg. Born in Ermelo (NL) in 1983, I have been passionate about model trains since I was a child. It quickly proved to be the best remedy for effectively managing ADHD, my superpower. In 2009, I married my love Ellen, and we have two beautiful children who we enjoy immensely.

In 2008, after a career as a motorcycle racer, I made my return to the hobby and dove headfirst into the digital side of things. With my background as a measurement and control technician, I quickly mastered the technology. In 2015, I founded Domburg Train Support, which focuses on helping model railroaders in the wonderful world of digital technology. It didn’t stop at conversions, repairs, and advice. DTS has since grown into the largest specialist in the field of model railway automation within the Benelux. From advice and sales to building completely automated model railways. This went completely viral after our participation in the TV program “De Grote Kleine Treinen Competitie” on the Dutch broadcaster MAX in 2021, hosted by none other than Andre van Duin. You’ll be able to find him on the show layout :). We even made it to the final in this program!

For a long time, a hectic life and working with model railways daily took away the motivation to build a layout of my own; the technical side is no longer a challenge for me to play with. Scenery, on the other hand, is where my big challenge lies. Ellen handles the scenery for us; she’s a star at it. So the idea arose to build a high-end model railway in H0 scale. It’s also an interesting trigger because I’ve always been an N-scale modeler myself.

As it happens, our showroom needed a show layout to demonstrate all the technical possibilities. That’s how Waldbrunn an der Veluwe came to be. A show layout to showcase our company’s technology, and a chance for me to learn how to build a beautiful scenery-focused layout.

The Waldbrunn concept

The concept behind Waldbrunn is quite simple. I have planned the following goals:

  • Running analog and digital trains using the Dinamo control system
  • Achieving every conceivable lighting effect and movement with the OC32/NG
  • Moving digital cars and vehicles with the MCC Car System
  • A large steam depot with the Roco turntable controlled by the DinaSys DTCv3 controller
  • Day and night simulation
  • A romantic branch line with passenger and freight traffic and handling
  • An electrified double-track main line as a parade track
  • Based on a West German example in Era IIId/IV
  • Era-appropriate
  • Trying to work as realistically as possible with products available in all shops, such as Faller, Noch, Busch, Lars op ‘t Hoff, etc.
  • A staging yard for each side of both the branch line and the main track
  • Everything automated with iTrain

These are all big goals, but that shouldn't spoil the fun. There is no time pressure or deadline. Just building for enjoyment whenever I have time. In the meantime, I built this website to post build reports and show my inventory.

I hope you enjoy Waldbrunn, and come by for a look sometime 🙂