diff --git a/buba/animations/dbf.py b/buba/animations/dbf.py
index 0d74729..0bca3f1 100644
--- a/buba/animations/dbf.py
+++ b/buba/animations/dbf.py
@@ -10,12 +10,18 @@ from time import sleep
 
 from deutschebahn.db_infoscreen import DBInfoscreen
 
-from buba.bubaanimator import BubaAnimation
+from buba.bubaanimator import BubaAnimation, LineLayoutColumn
 from buba.bubacmd import BubaCmd
 
 LOG = logging.getLogger(__name__)
 
 class DBFAnimation(BubaAnimation):
+    dbf_layout = [
+        LineLayoutColumn(12, BubaCmd.ALIGN_LEFT),
+        LineLayoutColumn(81, BubaCmd.ALIGN_LEFT),
+        LineLayoutColumn(27, BubaCmd.ALIGN_RIGHT),
+    ]
+
     def __init__(self, buba: BubaCmd, ds100="AHST", station="Holstenstraße", count=3):
         super().__init__(buba)
         self.dbi = DBInfoscreen("trains.xatlabs.com")
@@ -99,20 +105,9 @@ class DBFAnimation(BubaAnimation):
         train = train.replace(" ", "")
         return train
 
-    def write_row(self, row: int, line: list[str], split=100) -> None:
-        if len(line) < 3:
-            super().write_row(row, line)
-        else:
-            self.buba.text(page=0, row=row, col_start=0, col_end=11,
-                           text=line[0])
-            self.buba.text(page=0, row=row, col_start=12, col_end=104,
-                           text=line[1])
-            self.buba.text(page=0, row=row, col_start=105, col_end=119,
-                           text=line[2], align=BubaCmd.ALIGN_RIGHT)
-
     def run(self):
         self.pages(self.station, [[
             self.short_train(train['train']),
             self.short_station(train['destination']),
             self.countdown(train['actualDeparture'], train['isCancelled']),
-        ] for train in self.trains[:self.count]])
+        ] for train in self.trains[:self.count]], layout=self.dbf_layout)
diff --git a/buba/bubaanimator.py b/buba/bubaanimator.py
index 255eb1b..27b9fd9 100644
--- a/buba/bubaanimator.py
+++ b/buba/bubaanimator.py
@@ -1,4 +1,5 @@
 import logging
+from dataclasses import dataclass
 from datetime import datetime, timedelta
 from itertools import islice
 from threading import Thread
@@ -19,7 +20,18 @@ WEEKDAYS_DE = [
 ]
 
 
+# class layout with width, alignment; list of layouts
+@dataclass
+class LineLayoutColumn:
+    width: int
+    align: int
+
+
 class BubaAnimation:
+    default_layout = [
+        LineLayoutColumn(90, BubaCmd.ALIGN_LEFT),
+        LineLayoutColumn(30, BubaCmd.ALIGN_RIGHT),
+    ]
     def __init__(self, buba: BubaCmd):
         self.log = logging.getLogger(type(self).__name__)
         self.buba = buba
@@ -82,22 +94,32 @@ class BubaAnimation:
             text = text[:max - 2] + "..."  # we can get away with just 2, since the periods are very narrow
         return text
 
-    def write_row(self, row: int, line: list[str], split=100) -> None:
+    def write_row(self, row: int, line: list[str], layout: list[LineLayoutColumn]) -> None:
+        # pass a layout with n columns, or make it an instance variable
         if len(line) == 1:
             self.buba.text(page=0, row=row, col_start=0, col_end=119,
                            text=self.ellipsis(line[0], 35), align=BubaCmd.ALIGN_LEFT)
+        elif len(line) < len(layout) and len(line) == 2:
+            self.write_row(row, line, self.default_layout)
         else:
-            self.buba.text(page=0, row=row, col_start=0, col_end=split, text=self.ellipsis(line[0], 25))
-            self.buba.text(page=0, row=row, col_start=split+1, col_end=119,
-                           text=line[1], align=BubaCmd.ALIGN_RIGHT)
+            col = 0
+            for i, ll in enumerate(layout):
+                t = line[i] if len(line) > i else ""
+                if ll.width > 24:
+                    t = self.ellipsis(t, int(ll.width / 3.7))
+                self.buba.text(page=0, row=row, col_start=col, col_end=col+ll.width-1, text=t, align=ll.align)
+                col += ll.width
 
-    def pages(self, title: str, lines: list[list[str]]) -> None:
+    def pages(self, title: str, lines: list[list[str]], layout=None) -> None:
+        # pass the layout through to write_row
+        if layout is None:
+            layout = self.default_layout
         pages = list(self.chunk(lines, 3))
         for n, page in enumerate(pages):
             if len(pages) <= 1:
-                self.write_row(0, [title])
+                self.write_row(0, [title], layout)
             else:
-                self.write_row(0, [title, f"({n + 1}/{len(pages)})"])
+                self.write_row(0, [title, f"({n + 1}/{len(pages)})"], layout)
             for i in range(3):
                 if i >= len(page):
                     self.buba.text(page=0, row=i + 1, col_start=0, col_end=119, text="")
@@ -105,7 +127,7 @@ class BubaAnimation:
                     p = page[i]
                     if isinstance(p, str):
                         p = [p, ]
-                    self.write_row(i + 1, p)
+                    self.write_row(i + 1, p, layout)
             sleep(10)