Spoorwegmuseum, Utrecht, Netherlands

The Spoorwegmuseum (Railway Museum) is located at the site of the former Maliebaan station which is near the center of the city of Utrecht. The museum was established in 1927. After several moves, the collection ended up at its current location, at Maliebaan station, in 1954. The current collection includes eight steam locomotives.

The museum has something for everyone. Many locomotives are on display inside the main building. There is an outdoor playing area for kids including a small train ride. The outdoor rail yard can be explored. A gift shop and restaurant are on-site.

"De Arend" (The Eagle) is an operational replica built in 1938 by Werkspoor Zwolle for the centenary celebration of the establishment of the railways in the Netherlands. The original "De Arend" was built in England and in 1839 travelled from Amsterdam to Haarlem for what was the first offical train journey in the Netherlands. It was scrapped in 1857.

"De Arend" runs on 1945mm (6'-4 1/2") gauge track. At the time, this extremely wide gauge was thought to be safer. Later, the Netherlands changed their gauge to 1435mm (standard gauge) to match that of the surrounding countries.

Photos

• De Arend
• De Arend

"De Bril" is the oldest surviving steam locomotive in the Netherlands. The large drivers suggest it was used for passenger service. The locomotive was owned and operated by "SS", Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (State Railways Exploitation Company). The name "De Bril" translates to "the glasses". This name arose from the fact that the cab had two round windows which looked like spectacles.

The tender is from SS 8. The 1868 SS 8 suffered a boiler explosion. The engine was destroyed but the tender survived.

Photos

• De Bril

Nestor was owned and operated by "HSM", Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (Holland Iron Railway Company). The HSM gave its locomotives both a name (Nestor) and a number (89). The locomotive also was nicknamed "Tiender" (which translates to "Tenth") because of the 10-bar (145 psi) operating boiler pressure.

One unusual thing about this locomotive is that its cab was constructed of wood instead of the more usual metal.

Photos

• Nestor cab interior
• Nestor

"Grote Groene" (Big Green) got its name from its large wheel and green paint scheme. As the large driver wheels suggest, Grote Groene was used in express passenger service. During WWII SS 326 suffered serious damage. In the 1950s it was restored to its current appearance.

One unusual thing about this locomotive is that its controls are on the left-hand side of the cab. The SS was the only railway in the Netherlands that placed its signals on the left side of the tracks. When the SS merged with the HSM, the locomotives were converted to right-hand controls.

Photos

• Grote Groene
• Grote Groene piston and steam chest shafts
• Grote Groene rear view

NRS 107 was built and operated by the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg Maatschappij (Dutch Rhine Railway Company). NRS 107 represented a significant change in the design of Dutch steam locomotives. It was the first locomotive designed with a two-axle leading truck. The name "Rhijn Boog" is combination of a shortened version of its railway name and the English word "Bogie" for the two-axle bogie at the front of the engine.

The NRS 107 is displayed in the front of the museum on raised rails. It was placed on this high pedestal before the museum building was built. The museum building was later built around this locomotive.

Photos

• Rhijn Boog
• Rhijn Boog
• Rhijn Boog Stephenson valve gear
• Rhijn Boog Stephenson valve gear

SS 3737 (731) had an odometer. The odometer showed that 3737 traveled almost 3,000,000 kilometers before being retired. It was a very successful and reliable steam locomotive. It was built in 1911 and filled in for diesels in the 1930s when they would out of service for maintenance. It ran until January 1958 when it made its last run from Geldermalsen to the Railway Museum marking the last official steam train journey in the Netherlands.

NS 2104 is another high-speed express passenger service locomotive. It has 2100mm (83") drivers. It was nicknamed "Blikken Tinus" (tin tinus) for the clattering noise its rods made when travelling at speed. This class of locomotives were difficult to drive. Because of the large wheels, it was difficult to accurately position them at the station so that they could be refueled and watered.

Photos

• Blikken Tinus piston rods and valve gear

73755 was a military steam locomotive. It was named after the British Longmoor Military Railway Corps. It was built by the British and operated military trains to repair tracks in liberated parts of Western Europe.

Because these locomotives were built during the war, cheaper materials were used. As a result, these locomotives did not have the longevity of many other steam locomotives and lasted only eight years in service.

Photos

• Longmoor

70269 (508) was a wartime diesel-electric locomotive built by the British. It was sent to the Europe mainland in 1944 with the liberation army. These were well-liked locomotives. The NS ended up purchasing 20 of them. Their top speed as 32 km/h and were used in shunting service.

1201 is one of 25 of the 1200 class electric locomotives. They came about as a result of the Marshall plan investment post-WWII and were built by Werkspoor in the Netherlands. The design and look of them is very American. They were designed by and licensed from Baldwin for the mechanical parts and Westinghouse for the electrical parts. Westinghouse worked with Heemaf, a local Dutch electrical equipment maker to manufacture the traction package (motors and controls) in Holland. A couple of them are still running around working for a freight operator, but most were withdrawn and scapped in the early 2000s.

This locomotive was nicknamed "Hondekop" (dog's head) because of its drooping windows. This class was built in 1962 and retired in 1996.

This class of diesel-electrics were built between 1960 and 1963. They were nicknamed "Rode Duivel" (red devil).

This class of diesel-electrics were built between 1960 and 1963. They were nicknamed "Rode Duivel" (red devil).

This railcar is nicknamed "De Kameel" (The Camel) because of the two domes. It was built as an inspection saloon for the directors of the NS . The driver sat up in the cupola and the executives sat down in the saloon and can look out of the front.