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If you want to write to Frits Osterthun, please click on the logo at the left. |
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6.11.2008 |
Good day Frits.. It is a great pleasure for me to write to you... I discovered your incredible web site by accident? and since my discovery, I have spent many solid hours soaking up the atmosphere and the many wonderful Photographs, which are to be highly commended!
I can honestly say ,yours is probably the best Railway Web Site I have ever had the privilege of viewing, and you and your friends deserve a great deal of praise.
I nearly forgot. I must briefly introduce myself. I am English, but have lived happily in Norway for several years. I married a Viking! My passion for railways started very early, growing up near a main line in Yorkshire, Northern England..
I am now 52 and the passion is stronger than ever regrettably my body is not and due to many factors not least long term ill health any thought of modeling as had to remain a dream... and after many false starts and an inability to make my mind up? it is only now in recent months that i finally started to put together a collection of European H0 locomotives & stock. They sit in my display cabinet and give me a great deal of warm pleasure... I have quite a few Brawa items (I love Brawa) and a few from Trix, Roco etc. Only 5 locos at the moment, everything is German era 1&2 some Wurttemberg, Bayern etc. Actually I have come a very long way in a very short time.
I do not know if I will ever have a layout. Hopefully one day... but for the moment i collect what i can when I can as I do not work, it is not easy. my wife Jo is a Teacher and she puts up with my fanatical passion for model railways! With good humor.
There are about a 1000+ questions I would love to ask you, Frits, but I do not wish to take up your valuable time...
Only to ask you a specific question if I may. I love Railway Cranes. I can not begin to express how much. Whilst viewing your wonderful pages, I came across the crane sets from Trix Number T21250 & 23517.
Can I please ask if you know anyone/anywhere I could purchase one of these wonderful sets? I am aware it is most difficult. But I would be overjoyed if I could own one of the lovely sets there was another item in the Bavarian Loads section of your site, which fascinated me, after reading your glowing description, it was item number T23518 wagon from 1990.
Anyway my friend I have taken up enough of your modeling time. All the very best to you, look forward to hearing from you.
Kindest regards Steve Sylvester Kristiansand, Norway
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7.10.2008 |
Dear Fritz, It is one of my absolute favorite model railways and is mainly responsible for my decision to switch from modeling America's Southern Pacific to Bavaria Epoche I.
Thank you for posting so many pictures. Each one tells a
delightful story. You can never have too many!
Rogier Donker took one at an angle but it is too small
to see very much.
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5.10.2008 |
On 5.11.2008 Jim Thompson wrote on WorldRailFans:
Frits,
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30.8.2008 |
John Hickson wrote on http://www.worldrailfans.info/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=7480&p=79564#p79564:
This is truly a fantastic work. Very inspiring!
David Ingram-Seal replied
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20.7.2008 |
Ich muss schon sagen, das ist bei weitem die schönste Modellbahn Seiten die zur Zeit von einen Privatmann gezeigt wird, ich gratuliere für diese schöne Arbeit, ich wünsche mir weiterhin eine Aktualisierung der LOKS dann ist die beste Seite schlecht hin.
- Gratulation -
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Heinrich Roscher (Henry) h.roscher@gcm-coating.com
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28.6.2008 |
Frits wrote:
Jim Thompson wrote:
Frits,
Wowsers!
It also looks like an amazing undertaking of which I am in awe! If there was a way I could help you in this I would, but I think that the big pond out there is kind of 'in the way'. While I (for myself) admire those who create Wikipedia pages as resources, I generally take most of those pages with a grain of salt.
And as there is little
or no guidance or administration on the page level, I would
not think that you would want to leave your hard work open
to editing by others.
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15.05.2008 |
Dear Frits,
I have just completed a tour
down memory lane through your Cochemer Bahn website. I loved
your craftsmanship, your ideas, your art, and creativity.
But nothing had me prepared for the section “Tribute to my
father”!!! and leave all the rest of your story as is. Your thoughts, your very words, your descriptions of imprinted memories, would have been identical to mine! Even the age at which you begin to have your first memories of Märklin trains is the same as mine, although a bit much earlier chronologically since I am older than you!
I share the exact sentiments
and emotions... And you have brought tears to my eyes as I
say “been there... done that”, having seen my last layout
demolished just as yours after 15 years in my basement in a
house in USA.
The link referred to can be
found
here. |
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12.05.2008 |
Dear Mr. Osterthun.
I' am model railroader and
living in Brazil.Your layout is very good, great. Could you send me the track plan of your layout? Best regards,
José Luis Fernandes Pinto. Brazil.
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14.04.2008 |
Frits, 1. I found you website on Cochemer Bahn through my recent joining of the Wordrailfans and Germanrailfans web digests. I am very impressed with the images of you modeling skills. I am interested in rebuilding a rail model. I was planning to build a large model, but after viewing the detail in your Cochemer Bahn, I believe I will create a smaller design than I had originally planned. This will reduce maintenance and allow for more time on the model.
2. Your photos create a comfortable look to the layout.
The tunnel and switch back design appears to climb the hillside
to a quaint village and monastery.
Is this you reference to a fake branch line? Is there more than
the siding at this location? Is the photo of “Einzelfahrt mit "Tuchersche"
Kühlwagen” at the shadow station level? Where did you source
those wonderful tunnel entrances?
Perhaps a school photo and a group posing in front of the
Rathaus. Perhaps a horse drawn Omnibus at the station for
travelers further from the village.
3. I like the theme of not putting the track up at the forward edge. Placing the forest provides a scenic transition. I am impressed with the layout and the photography. Keep up the great work.
Paul Franz
PS: I like the rolling stock list of available models from the
manufactures. This is a fantastic resource. |
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04.01.2008 |
NClight (webmaster) wrote on http://www.malezeljeznice.net/_forum/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=144&p=1409:
Cochemer Bahn |
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30.12.2007 |
Rogelio Pedraza of the Spanish website LCTM wrote these kind words about my site of the Class 05:
Hola a
todos:
que tenemos unos modelos incluso superiores a los
que tenemos en nuestro poder.
En fin todo un MAESTRO.
Hola a todos, David las fotos para mi gusto
son muy buenas por iluminacion y muchas de ellas por el entorno y
por su calidad yo diria que estan realizadas con una muy, muy buena
maquina. Saludos http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/LCTM/message/46210
About the 01 147 LCTM wrote:
De nuevo el maestro Frits Osterthun nos deleita con sus fotografias de ensueño, en este caso ha preparado un "especial" de la 01 147 marklin referencias 39010 y 39015. Señores preparen los
baberos:
http://www.osterthun.com/4Einsatz/DB~01.147/DB~01.147.htm
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05.11.2007 |
Hello I really like your photos. They are beautiful to watch and they have a very nice atmosphere. My favorite is the
abandoned part where a track almost covered by grass goes under
an old bridge that are blocked. It's hard to visualize the whole layout when it's only close pictures. I would also be happy
if you could send me an overview picture of the layout. A
picture that shows a big part, or the whole layout. Anton Torstensson, Sweden
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19.10.2007 |
Chris Manvell wrote these kinds words on his site:
The Cochemer Bahn – Frits Osterthun (in English) Some spectacular photography, mainly of HO scale stock covering many Epochs, but including photographs of the Webmaster’s own railway. Frits has helped a lot by correcting many of my early (and not-so-early) locomotive identification errors. Thanks.
http://trains.manvell.org.uk/links.htm
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9.10.2007 |
http://www.osterthun.com/4Einsatz/DB~05.003/DB~05.003.htm
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7.07.2007 |
Ovako to
rade u njemačkoj: Cochemer Bahn - K.Bay.St.B. EPI
http://www.osterthun.com/ djelo jednog čovjeka... H0 ali nakon
što ga vidite... http://www.railfan-belgrade.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23390&sid=f0de69545f8ed2b52ec9dbb50aa888cb
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10.06.2007 |
Chris Manvell, a very kind chap who kindly offered me all of his fine N-Scale pictures, wrote at his link to my site:
Some spectacular photography, mainly of HO scale stock covering many Epochs, but including photographs of the Webmaster’s own railway. Frits has helped a lot by correcting many of my early (and not-so-early) locomotive identification errors. Thanks.
http://trains.manvell.org.uk/links.htm
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06.06.2007 |
Página personal de Frits Osterthun Modelista que se interesa por la época del vapor en alemania, y sus modelos en miniatura.
Su maqueta, The Cochemer Bahn es un dechado de
ejemplos a seguir. http://personales.ya.com/iguadix/personal.html
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22.03.2007 |
From Belgrado:
"Ovako to rade u njemačkoj: Cochemer Bahn - K.Bay.St.B. EP I http://www.osterthun.com/ djelo jednog čovjeka... H0 ali nakon što ga vidite..."
Nije to
nemac nego holandjanin, Frits Osterthun, znam ga sa jednog engleskog
foruma:
http://www.worldrailfans.info/. http://www.railfan-belgrade.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=1370&sid=d72bee46fc1e07d2a5c1c5ae6a487c7f
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03.02.2007 |
Hello Frits, I have visited your wonderful website (which I accessed from the WRF *) site) over the past two days and found it to be very artistically laid out and attractive. Most of your photos are excellent. You have certainly tackled a big job in attempting to catalogue all those Epoch I and II models!
I collect and run Ep I and early-mid Ep II (to about 1935) articles in N-Spur. Here in the USA my collection is "in the wrong gauge, in the wrong era, and of the wrong country" - US railroaders are supposed to model HO-gauge Santa Fe trains of the 1950s, not N-gauge Prussian equipment of the WW I era! This is why I enjoy sites like yours and forums like WRF. I have been cataloguing the models that fit my area of interest. Some of the information I have compiled may help you complete your lists.
In addition, as part of my own attempt to catalogue N-spur loks, coaches, and wagons according to my areas of interest, I have compiled an extensive spreadsheet of such N-spur models, mostly of the major manufacturers. If you ever wish to expand your own listing of Epoche I and II coaches and wagons to cover N-Spur types, you might want to use it as a starting point.
I hope this will help you improve your excellent website.
Best regards, Bill Devins
*) WRF = WorldRailFans
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02.02.2007 |
Hello Frits:
I am a marklinist fan of your web page. I am following in worldrailfans (WRF) you intention to make a digital photo archive of every model loco. Regards David Ariz-Navarreta
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31.01.2007 |
Frits,
Sorry for the delayed response.... simply amazing. I would guess that the layout is about 4' x 10'. The pictures on your website would lead someone to believe it could be as larger as 15' x 20'. The two reverse loops in conjunction with the Märklin 3 rail system must work quite nicely. I'm guessing the last photo is from the upper most section (branch line) with a dead end terminus. I too will be working with very limited space. Thanks once again for the inspiration and motivation to make something work regardless of the size of your room.
Your layout looks like it is also a lot of fun.
Thanks again,
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15.01.2007 |
Hola, Animo a todos a practicar con la
cámara y enviar sus obras maestras, a ver si nuestro sitio se nutre
mayoritariamente de material propio. http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/LCTM/message/39601
See: http://www.lctm.info/index.htm
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8.01.2007 |
Frits,
Jeff here from WRF. You have a gorgeous layout and your pictures are wonderful. I was wondering,... I didn't search your entire site, .... do you have a picture of your entire layout or more specifically your track plan? I am always looking for new track plan ideas and there just aren't too many sites that have them.
I was fortunate enough to win a really good layout book from Fleischmann on eBay recently (Die Schönsten Fleischmann Anlagen).
I don't like to copy layouts, but I do take ideas and implement them into designs that I would like to use. A couple of years ago, I owned a home that had a fairly large (almost dreamy) layout room. Well the wife decided we should move and my room went from 16x13 to about 12x10. The "dream" was shattered, but not the ability to have others.... The above mentioned book helped me come up with a fairly decent double mainline railway with a token yard, a sizeable branch line and an area for a turntable. It is fairly tight, but it looks like I can keep a 2% grade AND use a minimal amount of R2 curves - sticking with mostly 3 and 4.
Anyway, your pictures were sooooo fantastic, I thought maybe you could add even more inspiration with your design. I don't know if anyone has commented on this, but I especially like one of the first pictures on your site where there is a deer on an abandoned track with a bricked up overpass/tunnel entrance. Very nice... a detail which few could afford, but adds a tremendous amount of realism.
Anyway, kindest regards from the other side of the Atlantic. Hope you and yours had a great New Year and thanks again for the wonderful pictures that provide a tremendous amount of inspiration.
Jeff Smit
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21.12.2006 |
Dear Frits, I am sending you hi-res pictures at the Kemalpasa Enginehouse (Bahnbetriebswerk Kemalpasa).
Feel free to use on your website. Don't worry about tearing down layouts, I also had to tear down my layout as well, I am moving and I need to move the layout.
I am sure you have heard of the bird "Phoenix", our layouts are the same,
they will rise again.
Let's keep in touch. http://www.ferendeci.com/trains/
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16.12.2006 |
I let Frits have copies of all my locomotive material as my
own Website was getting way, way behind, and his is really beautiful.
However, I have done a lot of work on my site recently, though I have a
massively long way to go (I haven't even thought about coaches and wagons,
etc.) but have sorted out the locomotive pages, along with railcars/MUs and,
partially, sets. (The latter are difficult because the thumbnails get a bit
out of hand, and each set requires up to ten images!) I just wish I had more
than a tiny Lima prebuilt oval to run it all on. (The time will come.)
His Website is just amazing with
superb photography. http://www.manvell.org.uk/personal/trains/index.htm
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04.11.2006 |
Charles Winter's daughter, Katrina Webster, added these most kind words a day after:
1. My name is Katrina Webster, My father Charles Winter III, told me about your site and I just had to see for myself. He was not exaggerating, it is breathtaking. It is hard to look at the photographs and remember that they were not taken at the actual place- but are models-they are so life-like! You are truly one of the best artists I have ever seen. Between all four of my grandparents, I am part Norwegian, Swedish, & German. I bet to see your pictures would be like going home for them, truly marvelous. The care and time you must have put into this is easy to see. I have parents that love railroading and the memories that go with that are precious. I cannot remember a Christmas with my father without a model train quietly swishing by on the tracks around the tree. You have truly made a beautiful memorial of your father and his legacy by continuing to make such beautiful artwork.
2. Dear Frits, I saw the photographs depicting the dismantling of your fathers layout, I tried to respond but had technical difficulty. I agree with many of those who replied, that instead of deleting, you should make this a memorial to your father, maybe adding pictures of him building it, you all playing with it as children, working on it too? It would be a fitting memorial for such a talented man. Tomorrow I will attend All Saints Day church service to remember those who passed away Nov 1, 2005-Nov 1, 2006. I will light a candle in honor of your father. It is so obvious in the pictures and in your words the pain you are feeling in your heart. I realized I was crying as I finished looking at the pictures and reading of your experiences. My stomach was in knots to see the pictures of the remains of the tracks. I am now at a loss for words... I am sure many people feel the same way I do. I can see from the responses (and the countries they are from) that you have touched people from all over the world, your father would be so proud. Take care and take it a day at a time.
Sincerely, Katrina Webster
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03.11.2006 |
Charles Winter wrote:
I am
a recent member of WRF and have spent the last two days printing most of
your website. I took a pile of paper (approx 100 pages) to my local
office supply house (Staples) and had it bound with a spiral binding
into a book, which I will use as my standard when I begine my layout. I
have been collecting DB rolling stock for 35 years and have hundreds of
other kits, etc. (buildings, people, vehicles, animals, and so forth)
and plan to build a layout showing my own imaginary piece of Germany
from the 1950's. Your website is an inspiration to me, and I hope my
layout will look as good as yours someday. I don't expect it will ever
be quite finished, but I'm already 60 years old and am limited,
therefore, as to the amount of time I have to get something done that I
can pass on to my daughter, who also has the railroad modeling disease
(chuckle, chuckle). I plan to make the layout at least somewhat modular
so it can someday be moved without destroying it. Wish me luck, and I
thank you for your website.
Williamsport, PA, USA
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02.09.2006 |
Pete Mason wrote on his site, while linking to my homepage:
This
is not intended to be a page of endless links most of which will never get
viewed, I have selected a small number of suppliers who I have used and
been very happy with, also a number of homepages of inspiring or of unique
quality.
This
is a layout not to be missed whatever your interests, it's a big site and
well worth setting aside some time to view it, I won't spoil your fun by
trying to describe it, only needs saying that it is one of the finest
layouts you'll ever see. http://www.petesproject.co.uk/layout/links.html
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12.07.2006 |
Hola,
Animo a todos a practicar con la cámara y enviar sus obras maestras, a
ver si nuestro sitio se nutre mayoritariamente de material propio.
Saludos, |
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12.07.2006 |
Ken Sooley (Ottawa, Canada) wrote on the WorldRailFans Forum:
I have to admit that I have nothing to add on the subject. Just wanted to use this as an opportunity to say that the quality of the layouts illustrated by forum members (in this case Jacq and Frits) never ceases to amaze me. The pictures are always inspirational... And it's nice to know that when I finally have the space for a real layout, I can count on the experienced members here for high quality advice.
http://www.worldrailfans.info/forum/viewtopic.php?p=72053
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12.06.2006 |
LCTM (Spain) wrote:
Hola,
Y nos envia una estupenda foto de la P8 37031, que he puesto en la
sección fotos "http://es.ph.groups.yahoo.com/group/LCTM/photos/view/c52e?b=14"
,
Animo a todos a practicar con la cámara y enviar sus obras maestras, a
ver si nuestro sitio se nutre mayoritariamente de material propio.
http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/LCTM/message/39601
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12.06.2006 |
Hola, http://es.groups.yahoo.com/group/LCTM/message/39603
Pues sí, tiene que ser bastante triste, y más en el caso de esa cronica
por todo lo que conlleva. En mi caso durante mucho tiempo simplemente
montaba y desmontaba un tendido en suelo, despues por fin construi mi 1ª
maqueta, la actual es la 4ª, y cuando me he puesto a arrancar arboles, a
destruir alguna cosa sí es cierto que se siente pena, muchas ilusiones,
trabajo, esfuerzo desaparecen, pero es como lo del ave fenix que renace
de sus cenizas, volvemos a empezar, hemos aprendido cosas nuevas y
partimos de nuevo llenos de nuevas ideas.
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03.04.2006 |
Charles Winter (Williamsport, USA) wrote on WorldRailFans:
I have recently retired and am
planning building my lifelong dream layout in my basement. Frits'
memorial to his father has inspired me to try my utmost to construct
something for my children to enjoy. Unfortunately, of my three children,
only one daughter has caught the railroad modeling bug, and her two
children (boy 4, girl 2), but I hope to give them the kind of memories
Frits' father gave him and his brother. I have also learned something. I
plan to build modules, so the layout can be disassembled and moved
without destroying it. I thank you, Frits, for that
valuable lesson. I hadn't even thought of it until I saw your pictures.
http://www.worldrailfans.info/forum/viewtopic.php?p=71281&highlight=#71281
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24.03.2006 |
DGEG wrote about the Cochemer Bahn:
"Reines Genießen wenn man diese Leidenschaft mit einander teilen kann." |
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18.03.2006 |
Noticed:
Buenas, ne
nuevo. Por cierto no hace mucho dije un enlace de una maqueta fabulosa (por modelos, ambiente y fotografía), ambientada en estos trenes. El enlace
es
http://www.osterthun.com/, y hay que pinchar sobre la fotos,
hasta llegar a un menú ( poner resolución de 1024 x 768). Saludos
http://www.railwaymania.com/forumthread.asp?ch=3&th=100193
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17.03.2006 |
Dear Mr. Osterthun
Congratulations,
it is very well presented, organized and your layout is fantastic. I
do not usually send out these remarks because I am the owner of a model
train shop in
Best Regards Paulo Antunes
Av.
Miguel Bombarda lote 3, Loja B Portugal
comercial@comboioselectricos.com
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16.03.2006 |
Hello, I’m a modeler in N-Gauge. I must say that your work is a must!
You are a master on what you do.
Can I ask if it is possible to show a complete track plan, just to see what is possible to do in a small place?
Please, feel free to visit also my website at http://modelismo.luislopes.net
Many thanks.
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24.02.2006 |
Found on the Länderbahn Forum 2006:
++ weiter in der Vorschau ist auf der Homepage die Tenderlok T 7 der KPEV, spätere BR 89.78 der DRG. Eine weitere wunderbare und umfangreiche Homepage übrigens zum Thema Länderbahn und DRG ist Frits Osterthuns "The Cochemer Bahn ..." http://www.osterthun.com/
See: http://www.lbforum.com/messe_2006.htm (at the remarks of DRG-Modell-Berlin)
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04.02.2006 |
Hello Frits, Surfing around for Märklin layout ideas, I came upon your website. A truly remarkable site! Congratulations. Your work is a true inspiration. Thanks for sharing it with the rest of the world. I am die-hard analogue operator, in the process of building a new layout, still using my original roll stock from the 1960s plus lots of new.
Regards, John, Pittsburgh USA
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30.1.2006 |
Hello Frits, Thanks for writing to us and of course you are invited to visit the club when in Israel. I'll be happy to send you directions as we are not far from Tel Aviv. I've looked at your site, and it is impressive. Is all the work there yours? I will forward your site address to all our members so they can take a look.
Don't hesitate to contact me for any information you may need.
Best regards, Dan Plonsker
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30.1.2006 |
Hallo Frits, Congratulations for your website, very rich in contents and photos. Added to my favorites. I’ll forward your address to my friends. Best regards from Italy Alberto Pedrini
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13.1.2006 |
Hi Frits,
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