Noch: Model Train in a Case for On-the-Go Fun

There really is a model train in a suitcase so that you can indulge your passion for trains while traveling. A high-quality product from the NOCH company that you certainly have to be able to afford.

Compact train set in a case for model train enthusiasts

Klas Bömecke: Mr. Topp, this is not only a miniature railroad, but also a very small, compact railroad system. How did that come about? Sebastian Topp: Exactly. The railroad theme has been around for decades and is always one of the classic game themes. Especially for adult men - a classic target group. Our target audience is 40, 50 years plus, successful and still enjoys playing games. Klas Bömecke: You have packed this train set into a suitcase. What must I be like to travel around the world with a suitcase that is a train? Sebastian Topp: Nobody can see that. The suitcase is closed in case of doubt. We actually have a lot of customers who really enjoy model trains and playing with them. Our customers are in successful positions such as managers or technicians, and they enjoy building their own little worlds themselves or taking them with them as - I'll call it an instant game in a suitcase. Open the case, switch on the controller and you can slow down the world with the train and play with it.

Klas Bömecke: And you seriously believe that there is a target group of people who take a train with them on a business trip and then make a little "hum" in their hotel room in the evening? Sebastian Topp: We don't just believe it, we know it. It really does happen. We have given these cases a major overhaul this year and brought them up to the latest state of the art. We have made them more beautiful in terms of the landscapes and background images. We've had the cases themselves in the range for a while and we wouldn't be making this investment in improvement if they weren't selling.

Model railroad with attention to detail - but you have to be able to afford it

Klas Bömecke: Wow! How much do they cost? Sebastian Topp: We start at €999 for the smaller cases. The big one, which is right in front of us and which has 2 traction circuits so you can run 2 locomotives, is €1,799. In terms of pricing, I need a certain amount of income to be able to afford it.

Klas Bömecke: And that's a decision? You really have to want it! Amazing. What can I do with this system? I can turn here, set forward and reverse, the little buttons at the back are for what? Sebastian Topp: We have various ways of setting the points. There are switches here that you can use to switch to the inner or outer circle. There are even lights that are installed in all the houses and we have - and this is brand new - the option of dimming the lights in the houses, making them brighter or darker, using the yellow rotary light control. This can only be topped by our winter suitcases - which we have over there. They have their own illuminated Christmas tree. You can't see it so well because of the fair lighting, but if you hold your hand over it you can see that it's lit up. The theme is childhood memories, Christmas, model trains. People associate these characteristics with it, they slow them down and have fun playing and reminiscing. Klas Bömecke: I'm sure there's an app for something like this for €2.99. But I think if you want to be really casual, you can buy a suitcase for €1,800, an analog suitcase with a real train! Sebastian Topp: Yes, 2.99 for an app, anyone can do that!