"The Ghibli Modules" is planned to be a set of 6 modules inspired by the anime (Japanese animation) movies created by Studio Ghibli, and more specifically those directed by Mr. Hayao Miyazaki. The main themes will be scenes from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (Kaze no Tani no Naushika - IMDB link), Princess Mononoke (Mononoke Hime - IMDB link) and Spirited Away (Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi - IMDB link.) Also featured will be smalled parts from My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro - IMDB link), and possibly Laputa, Castle in the Sky (Tenkû no shiro Rapyuta - IMDB link.)

The modules will form a U shape, with on one end a terminal station, and at the other end a transition from the fantasy world to the real world.

Detailed information, track plans and pictures will be added once they're available.

Following is the complete initial trackplan. For a better view and a short description of each trackplan, just scroll down.

Module 01

Kaze no Tani no Naushika: The village

Module 1 will feature the village of the Valley of the Wind. The terminal station will be situated here, and will consist of 2 tracks for passengers and 1 track for occasional freight. The landscape will be rolling grassland with some houses dotted around. The castle of King Jihl will also be (partially) featured, including te brige leading to it. I also hope to be able to fit in 1 or 2 windmills. Other than that there will be various paths, several crop fields and a hint of a forest near the side of the module that leads to module 2.

Following is a preliminary trackplan idea, the maroon section is for freight traffic. Jhil's castle will be used as train station to save some space, and having a trainstation partially on a bridge seems like an interesting feature. One of the freight spurs will have a decoupling track, the other one a loco servicing shed. The trackplan is very simple, but then again, these modules are all about the scenery.

Module 02

Kaze no Tani no Naushika: The canyon

Module 2 will feature a fairly sudden mountain range. The tracks will zig-zag through the mountains, and bridge a canyon once or twice. There'll also be a watefall, river and small dam. The trackplan will be quite a challenge, since the trains have to go up 4 or 5 levels (maybe more) in the same module. The track will snake a lot, and will come out of and go back into the mountains quite often. Scenery will be mostly a regular rocky canyon, with a slight transition towards something that looks like a spore forest.

Following is an initial trackplan of the module. The dark blue tracks are hidden, and through the horizontal center of the module there'll be a river. The canyon walls will grow up quick from the water's edge.

Module 03

Kaze no Tani no Naushika to Mononoke Hime transition

Module 3 is the first of 2 corner modules, and will serve as a transition from Nausicaa to Princess Mononoke. One end of the module will have the spore forest, whereas the other end will have a green forest, a shear drop down to bottom level, and a lake. Somewhere in the green forest part there might also be room for one of the extra's, but I'm not sure what yet. The tracks will go from upper level to bottom level using a spiral, and at their lowest point, they will float on the water surface.

Following is an initial trackplan for the module. The idea is that the train will go down 6 to 7 levels towards sea level. This is achieved by a helix which for the most part is hidden in a mountain. The helix will also have a sidespur so trains can pass eachother. Once the train is all the way down, the track will be on a sort of floating bridge. Just imagine a threstle bridge but without the supporting structure.

Module 04

Mononoke Hime: Lady Eboshi's ironworks

Module 4 is another corner module, and the main Princess Mononoke module. It will feature mostly a lake, and Lady Eboshi's ironworks. Trees (living, dead, and felled) will be dotted over the landscape where possible. Optionally, the track will go through the ironworks for a small passenger stop, and possible a freight siding.

Following is the initial trackplan. It's all fairly simple, there'll be a small station outside the gates of the ironworks, and a freight track which will go into the ironworks. A large part of the track will follow the principle of module 3, and will float on the water.

Module 05

Mononoke Hime to Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi transition

Module 5 is the transition from Princess Mononoke to Spirited Away. The transition here will be real easy, as the water will make place for grassland. Several houses will be dotted around, 1 of them possible based on the house of the Kusakabe family from My Neighbor Totoro.

Following is a very simple initial trackplan. Somewhere in the middle will be a tiny stop. Left side will be water, right side grassy fields with some old houses.

Module 06

Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi: The abandoned railway station

Module 6 is the transition module from real world to fantasy world. The idea is to build the actual gate from the movie that leads from the real world to the fantasy world (it's also referred to as an abandoned railway station.) The only difference being that in this case the gate will have 2 entrances, 1 for the tracks, and 1 for pedestrians. A modern day train (Kiha40-400) will enter the real world side of the gate, and at the other end a double Kiha02 railbus will come out.

Following is a trackplan. Can't get much simpler then this. There'll be a building hiding the 2 parallel tracks, so that visuall it'll look like there's only 1 track which goes through the building. A modern train enters from the right side, an older train will exit from the left. I'll have to time it somehow so that when the modern train enters the tunnel, the old one will leave the tunnel.