About GATRA Modellbau Union

Hello,
I am Holger Schramm, owner of GATRA Modellbau Union, head of production, logistics manager and chief accountant all in one person. Put more simply: I have realised my dream and turned my long-standing passion for model making into my profession.

It all started in my childhood, in fact even before I was seven years old. My grandfather, himself a long-time Reichsbahn railwayman, often took me on excursions to stations, depots and line sections. With his fascinating explanations and anecdotes he made my enthusiasm for railways grow from one visit to the next.

When I was seven, the time had finally come: I became a “railwayman in the children's room” and received my first model railway as a Christmas present. The elves had done a great job – it was built practically under my nose and I still did not notice a thing. A few years later I knew: I could do it myself – larger, more detailed and above all more individual. So I dismantled the elves' layout and started to build my first own model railway, completely on my own.

Given this background it is hardly surprising that my career choice also turned out in favour of the railway. I became a surveying engineer with Deutsche Reichsbahn. During that time I surveyed countless tracks, points and ancillary installations and not only internalised railway construction standards, which can also be applied in model building, but above all trained my eye for details: proportions, materials, colour nuances and the characteristic surroundings of railway facilities in the landscape.

With every project, it became clearer to me that industrially manufactured model products can only inadequately reproduce the diversity and vibrancy of nature. You surely know those forests made of plastic trees that look as if they came from a “clone army” of bottle brushes — just in different sizes. When my surveying business kept confronting me with new structural changes in the landscape, the moment had come for me to draw a line under it. And so, on 17 February 2004, GATRA Modellbau Union was born.

Since then, we have been crafting model trees that look as if they had grown outdoors in nature: every tree is unique, with its own shape and a believable structure. Over time, an extensive range of materials and accessories from various manufacturers has been added, enabling you to design your model landscape or model railway layout realistically. We also take on commissioned diorama work — from a small scene section to a complete layout segment.

Have I aroused your curiosity? Then feel free to browse through our full range – or contact me if you have special requests. Many ideas arise precisely when a customer asks: “Can it also be done differently?”

Yours sincerely,
Holger Schramm