Der Deutschlandexpress, Model railroad layout in Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Der Deutschlandexpress was a digitally controlled Märklin model railroad layout in the Nordsternpark in Gelsenkirchen, built at H0 scale (1:87). Its more than 700 m² of exhibition space held over 250 trains with more than 4,000 wagons, 1,100 buildings, 1,750 road vehicles, 5,000 lamps and over 15,000 figures. The route ran from the North Sea through the Ruhr district and the Rhine slopes to Lake Constance and Switzerland, with the Tetraeder of Bottrop, a moving hot-air balloon, a fairground and a cemetery with grave lamps and ghosts among the scenes.

Construction began in 1997 and the layout was largely finished on 30 April 1999. With more than 700 m² it was the world's largest model railway until 2001, after which it ranked third worldwide behind Miniatur Wunderland and Loxx MiniaturWelten Berlin. Operation stopped at the end of August 2016 because of high running costs, and the layout closed permanently on 31 December 2016.

Der Deutschlandexpress recreates real places from across Germany, from Ruhr Valley industrial sites to Rhine vineyards and North Sea harbor scenes. Visitors walking through the layout can compare the different regions side by side and see how varied the country looks from one area to the next.

The layout closed permanently on 31 December 2016, after operations were suspended in late August 2016 because of high running costs, so it can no longer be visited in the Nordsternpark. The exhibition was built on a scale of 1:87 (H0) and controlled digitally with Märklin systems. Two Spur-1 layouts for children and a cinema on the upper floor were part of the visit.

When the layout switches to night mode, over 5,000 miniature lamps light up streets, buildings, and trains across the entire scene. One of the most unexpected details is a lit cemetery with glowing tombstones and ghost figures placed among the graves.