HO scale train sets get raunchy

Spicing up the HO tabletop train set. German police raid a brothel.

Playing with table-top train sets is a passion with hobbyists all over the world. You may know someone who has converted his basement or the garage into a miniature railway, complete with super realistic train station, a switching yard and colourful painted backdrops. Train sets, from the electric HO scale to the larger steam powered versions which transport kiddies around the zoo, are as popular today as they were a century ago.

Toy designers are nothing if not creative. Last week's huge International Toy Show at Nuremberg, Germany (Feb. 1 -6) was the opportunity for model train designers to offer their newest wares. If these photos are an indication, much more may be going on in the basement than Dad has been letting on to his family!

Anti-terrorist police here detain suspicious foreign passengers at a train station. It's a typical sight at most European rail terminals these days. Why not add drama to your table-top train setup?

We knew that Europeans are much more daring in their lifestyle choices than we Canadians. These scale figures, called "Lovers in Motion" are intended to add spice to an afternoon of Gramps "playing with his train". If this is what Germans may observe from rail coaches, then the purchase of a Eurorail ticket is more of a bargain than we've been told.