My name is Dirk Kuhlmann, and I was born in 1961 in Opladen and later became a member of the model railway club Freunde der Eisenbahn Burscheid e.V. (FdE Burscheid). Even as a child, I had a close relationship with the railway: As a young boy, it was a personal highlight for me to visit the Opladen depot accompanied by my grandfather to his old workplace in the depot.

A ride on its turntable was a thousand times better than a ride on the fairground carousel. What a privilege I had to be part of a family of railwaymen...

So, it was no surprise that I was given my first H0-gauge railway at the age of five. In 1974, I switched to Märklin Mini-Club. Fortunately, I always had an eye for other gauges and scales!
Over the years, I have made many national and international contacts through my model building. As a guest author, you may already have noticed me in the magazine before 1 January 2017, my date of joining the editorial team, and know that I focus primarily on designing layouts and dioramas.

It is always a great concern of mine to bring the “generous” possibilities of landscape design in Z gauge closer to enthusiasts of other gauges as well.

It is my point of view is that even the finest and most beautiful rolling stock only really works when it is framed by a beautifully designed landscape.

And so, my editorial tasks since then have mainly been in the area of landscaping, the accompanying photography, advisory and planning tasks, as well as, writing articles. I also very much enjoy the always very intensive contacts with our readers.