From the beginning of FREMO
Curt G. Zillmerised -
that´s how it was
How was it 25 years ago? How was FREMO founded? And which persons were involved? From the founding of FREMO and how it happened, one of the characters from the first hour tells us: CG Zillmerised from Sindelfingen, by the way some years editor of FREMO Hp1 (from when there was only one, but that's another story?).
I remember it as if it were yesterday. It was on a Saturday in a weekend in late February 1981. My wife and I sat after breakfast at the table, she was reading the newspaper, I sat with Model Railroader, who had arrived the day before. Unlike today, when the leaves came from U.S. a month later in Germany.
Those who know the Model Railroader, knows that the first fifty or sixty pages are filled with ads, a fact that made some people in the German model railway editorial pale. Interrupted or often accompanied by news reports and letters to the editor. The like to read these, because they often provide additional information or critical comments on the articles brought in earlier published articles.
Here in January '81 issue, a reader writes extensively on live steam in Missouri and another difficulty is concerned the assembly of the timber sets of Campbell and this one - no, that sounds different: European Readers printed with bold writing. Probably an American who directed to us Europeans, is something quite new! What does he want to know?
No, this is not an American, but a certain Otto O. Kurbjuweit - never heard of. His letter reads as a contact ad, disguised as a Letter to the editor, even at no cost. Good idea!
Now I knew that my colleague Gerhard Kunze like I was in Model Railroader subscribers. So I phoned him and asked him about this letter to the editor. Yes, he said he had already read it and was considering writing. I would also, and thus went a little letter to Nienburg, where I asked for more information. Even my son, who many years ago was infected with "Bacillus Mibanicus" was interested.
It evolved into a brief correspondence with this unknown from Nienburg, which ended when we received an invitation to Nienburg. Date: 26 September 1981. It was a Saturday. To arrive timely in the morning we had to leave already Friday from Sindelfingen and spend the night somewhere en route. This meant, for my part to take a holiday and for my son to play truant from lectures. But what do you not do, when it comes to the beloved hobby!
The first hour of FREMO
Exactly 10 o'clock Saturday morning we met at Nienburg in the Warta River Road 21 and met already a bunch of people, a lot of new faces except one: Gerhard Künzer from Holzgerlingen had arrived before us.
All in all we were seventeen model railroaders from Germany and the Netherlands: First mention our hosts: Otto O. and Anneliese Kurbjuweit, so Hans van den Bosch (NL), Ivo Cordes (D), Klaus Döring (D), His Fazler (D), Gerhard F. Künzer (D), Martin Methner (D), Hans Wolfram Nicolaus (D), Paul Nitzsche (NL), Bruno Oebels (D), Reinhold Scherf (D), Helmut Schmidt (D), Alfred Spühr (D), Ulrich Streiter (D), Curt G. Zillmer (D) and Detlev R. Zillmer (D). After all present had greeted each other and it brought module was studied, was continued with the official part. Mr. Kurbjuweit explained his plans to us again.
First to form an association to provide creative and activity-oriented modelbanere a home. The next step was then to find members to build the so-called modules. This idea came from the United States and allowed at meetings of carry modules and building and operating large facilities..
The basic design was followed by a long and informed debate. The association should be called "Freundeskreis europäischer Modellbahner", we knew already from the previous exchange of letters. Only a "powerful" short name was missing. My suggestion, calling us "FREMO", was first rejected. It was too close up of Frelimo, one in 1962 in Tansania founded the National Movement, which was "active" in Mozambique. Then some other proposals discussed, but in the final vote, the Committee decided nevertheless to use my proposal to use the proposed abbreviation "FREMO".
With the intention alone to form a club, work is obviously not finished. The specific objectives and roads to be determined. When we first and foremost wanted to operate a primary technical hobby and build modules that were compatible with each other, to develop precise standards. It was agreed that the scale used, namely H0. And of course, two-wire DC-System. In principle, running single-track branch line / main rail operation.
For these and many other detailed preparation, lack of course time. Therefore, tasks are divided, we got homework. The individual members would then report to Nienburg.
One of my tasks was to design a FREMO logo. My first draft showed everything that can be seen in the page below the emblem, with the difference that it was round. Bruno Oebels proposed to, make emblem oval and delivered at the same time more oval proposals, from which I chose the all familiar oval emblem.
But back to Nienburg. The time had come, a small snack prepared by the hostess gave us new strength and spurred the discussion already diskutede in detail. Late in the afternoon at the inaugural session, signed the 17 members of the founding declaration. So it was finished and foreingsregisteret in town Stadt Nienburg / Weser had a new baby. How would it develop?
Now today ?
- unfortunately, only seven of the 17 founding members are in FREMO, namely Ivo Cordes, Martin Methner, Hans-Wolfram Nicolaus, Bruno Oebels, Alfred Spühr, Curt G. and Detlev R. Zillmer.
Initiator FREMO, Otto O. Kurbjuweit is today a successful publisher of a narrow-gauge sheet. Another co-founder, my colleague Gerhard Künzer, is already dead. About the other founding members, I unfortunately know nothing.
That is out of our then small group would become an association with over 900 members (meanwhile 12/2008 is approx. 1,200), as in mental and physical freshness celebrated its 25-year anniversary, had no one in Nienburg could predict. The more we can be proud of this achievement.
FREMO and its members wish hearty congratulations silver jubilee and more Hp1!
(Published by Curt G. Zillmer in HP1-Anniversary Booklet "Hp1 Modellbahn - second and third quarter of 2006," the work of FREMO-NET 12/2008 by Rüdiger Bäcker.)
