Going Dutch
De Lage Zij is set in The Netherlands. Or to be more precise, it is set in Holland. The landscape is based on western part of The Netherlands (known as Holland). The bigger part of the layout features wide-open polders. They are divided by canals, ditches, roads and of course railroads. The layout is not based on an existing region, but could very well exist today. De Lage Zij is a fictitious layout, but very realistic.
The layout plan was designed to be as realistic as possible and is based on various real stations of the Dutch national railways. De Lage Zij is – in contrast to Project Waldberg – a DC layout. The controls are completely digital. Construction of De Lage Zij started in April 2004. Take a look at the photos and you can see how the project is coming along. Under tips & info you will find some of the techniques I am using to build the layout.
Dutch towns
The biggest town is Zwabberdam. The little city has a historic centre with a few canals. The railroad was constructed in the middle of the 19th century. Like in other towns, the station was built on the edge of the town centre. During the first half of the 20th century the typical twenties en thirties quarters were built. They surround the centre and the station. To the north of the station one can find a cocoa factory and more industry.
The village of Magerveen is a typical Dutch countryside village. Most houses are on the main road that runs through Magerveen. In the centre is the school, the town hall and the station. The farms are on the other side of the canal. The farmers cross he canal via the typical ‘humpback’ bridges, which you can find all over the western part of the country.
2007
