Belgium and Holland

[31A]

Back in July I had a quick trip to Belgium and Holland - two nights in Namur and one in Maastricht.  I didn't take many railway pictures but in view of the interest shown in the area in another (completely unrelated!) topic http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/114244-electrification-arrangements-at-manchester-piccadilly/, I thought I'd post a few here anyway; hopefully they will be of interest.

 

On the first day we set off to Charleroi; a couple of the guys wanted to go on the CF3V Mariembourg-Treignies heritage line, but I'd already been on that twice so the other two of us set out to explore the Charleroi metro / tramway system.  This impressive signal box greeted us at Charleroi station.

 

 

The metro / tramway system turned out to be more interesting than expected.  I'd read something of its torrid past, with the plans to convert the tramways into a metro dating back to the 1970s having been blighted financially and then gradually a scaled back version brought to fruition over the years since.  Some of this is explained in "The Vicinal Story" by the late W.J.K. Davies although he takes 1991 as his cut off date, being the year the Vicinal organisation was wound up. The central area includes an unusual underground reversing loop at the Waterloo city centre station, which is traversed by cars in passenger traffic.  The long street running line out to Gosselies was closed for several years and seems to have been relaid and upgraded prior to reopening a couple of years ago, and in many ways resembles modern tramways such as the Nottingham system.

 

The advertising livery carried by this vehicle outside the main station refers to the system having been reorganised as four routes, although in fact two seemed to share the same metals.

 

 

The line to Anderlues was the most interesting; after leaving the city centre metro tunnels, it becomes pure Vicinal in character, running through back streets and alongside the main road to reach its terminus.  Here car 7406 has dropped its passengers at the Anderlues Monument terminus and runs forward into the reversing spur.  There's no turning loop at this terminus (unlike elsewhere) so we couldn't really understand why it needed to do this, but the spur curves to the left and seems to follow the alignment of a previously longer line.

 

 

The following morning saw us at Liége Guillemins station.  I've passed through here many times over the years and witnessed the long drawn out rebuilding, but this was the first time I'd gone outside the station since it was finished.  It's a fine building, but we couldn't wait to get out from under the glazed roof in the heat wave!

 

 

On then to another fine station, from a different century, changing trains at Verviers Central.

 

 

The Class 19 on the right was on the rear of a push-pull set, most likely an Oostende-Eupen service, whilst on the left is one of the oldest type of EMU still in service, the design of which I believe dates from 1966.  These seemed to be common in this part of Belgium, with the new Siemens Desiro type units being conspicuously absent.  Difficult to believe the blue sky, as I type this in a rainy Yorkshire!

 

The station has seen better days but is well preserved.  No time to seek refreshments in the town, but enough to have a look around the station.  The grand booking office is sadly no longer used, but unlike many European stations it does still have a Travel Centre of sorts, in a room which has had at least two previous functions!

 

 

 

The reason for this change of trains was to travel on the branch line from Pepinster to Spa-Géronstère, which is well worth a visit. Unusually for Belgium, the line is quite steeply graded and in places almost resembles a roadside tramway.  The elderly units used add to the atmosphere.  The main station at Spa is quite large but again has seen better days, and the line continues to the very basic unstaffed terminus at Spa-Géronstère.  In the distant past, it had continued further.  After a quick look around the town, we joined unit 643 at the terminus, forming the stopping train which continues beyond Verviers through Welkenraedt and on to terminate in Germany at Aachen Hbf.

 

 

We left the train at Pepinster, the y-shaped junction station where the branch joins the Liege-Aachen main line, in order to back track to Liége.  The station has an ornate canopy spanning the area between the branch and main line platforms.

 

 

 

The stopping train back to Liege was a pair of elderly units.

 

 

From Liege we travelled to Maastricht in Holland for the last night.  I find some Dutch cities a bit soulless, but this couldn't be said of Maastricht.  Unfortunately the station forecourt was a building site, but the building looked quite grand by night, with the stained glass windows nicely illuminated.

 

 

Back at the station in the morning, no DB battery units on the service to Aachen any longer; in fact no direct service to Aachen any longer, with part of the route now a heritage railway.  However the local trains to Heerlen are now formed of these units operated by Veolia Transdev:

 

 

Some NS EMUs were also stabled, a "Koploper" and a double deck set.

 

 

Whilst our train back to Liege was formed of SNCB "Break" units.  The Belgian and Dutch electrical systems are different but there are  no special arrangements here; the SNCB 3000v DC units run at half power under the Dutch 1500v DC catenary for the short distance to the border.  Although not 'old' trains (dating from the 1980s), we did wonder how the accessibility regulations would be complied with!

 

 

 

The rest of the journey back to London was accomplished efficiently with little of note; leaving Brussels Midi, a last look at SNCB traction looking down from the flyovers on leaving the station.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[rockershovel]

I'm not a fan of "modern image" but the Dutch railways are worth a look, if only as an alternative to ours. Very functional, not expensive and the unified liveries are much smarter than the "soft drink can" appearance of most MUs in the UK

[Legend]

Thanks for posting. Back from Brussels last week and while not coming into close contact with railways, the flight out on Wednesday showed large marshalling yards still in operation. I'm also a big fan of NS operations. They always seem very efficient to me catching onward trains from Schipol to Amsterdam and Delft . I like the double deck NS intercity units . Fine looking trains. Lima used to make a model of them , don't know if anyone else does now.

[The Stationmaster]

Thanks for posting. Back from Brussels last week and while not coming into close contact with railways, the flight out on Wednesday showed large marshalling yards still in operation. I'm also a big fan of NS operations. They always seem very efficient to me catching onward trains from Schipol to Amsterdam and Delft . I like the double deck NS intercity units . Fine looking trains. Lima used to make a model of them , don't know if anyone else does now.

 

SNCB were down to two marshalling yards about 20 years ago.  As far as I can trace they now appear to have one one - at Antwerp - although others survive for wagon storage and infrastructure trains and probably for local tripping.  According to their website all the international wagonload freights run to/from Antwerp.

 

They do of course have some large passenger yards in various places.  Overall I've always found SNCB quite a 'tidy' concern with some good operating folk and a fairly British sort of attitude to running their railway although their upper echelons were at one time regularly figuring in various financial scandals.

[Legend]

It was just after leaving Brussels . So it would have been in Brussels suburbia . I could also see the atomium structure after so may indeed be s big passenger yard on way into Brussels . The other one was later in the flight but interestingly even though it was BRU-EDI we flew directly west up the Thames estuary before turning right onto a Northerly course . Wednesday was a great day for flying. So I think we were too far south for Antwerp and I was Port side so looking south at that stage. It could indeed have been northern France

[The Stationmaster]

It was just after leaving Brussels . So it would have been in Brussels suburbia . I could also see the atomium structure after so may indeed be s big passenger yard on way into Brussels . The other one was later in the flight but interestingly even though it was BRU-EDI we flew directly west up the Thames estuary before turning right onto a Northerly course . Wednesday was a great day for flying. So I think we were too far south for Antwerp and I was Port side so looking south at that stage. It could indeed have been northern France

 

The Bruxellesw one would almost certainly be Schaarbeek - fairly massive area of loco and rolling stock stabling and depot space with a former freight marshalling yard beyond which now seems to be infrastructure and wagon storage.  The first time OI passed was very much at ground level heading towards Germany on a train - with loads of condemned steam near the mainline so I got to see some SNCB atlantics even if they were dead.

 

The other one might be Ghent - unless it was on the coast, doesn't sound as if you'd have got as far south as Tourcoing or Lille.

[31A]

It was just after leaving Brussels . So it would have been in Brussels suburbia . I could also see the atomium structure after so may indeed be s big passenger yard on way into Brussels . The other one was later in the flight but interestingly even though it was BRU-EDI we flew directly west up the Thames estuary before turning right onto a Northerly course . Wednesday was a great day for flying. So I think we were too far south for Antwerp and I was Port side so looking south at that stage. It could indeed have been northern France

 

 

The Bruxellesw one would almost certainly be Schaarbeek - fairly massive area of loco and rolling stock stabling and depot space with a former freight marshalling yard beyond which now seems to be infrastructure and wagon storage.  The first time OI passed was very much at ground level heading towards Germany on a train - with loads of condemned steam near the mainline so I got to see some SNCB atlantics even if they were dead.

 

The other one might be Ghent - unless it was on the coast, doesn't sound as if you'd have got as far south as Tourcoing or Lille.

 

 

I went past Merelbeke yard (to the east of Gent, were the main loco depot for the area is) last Autumn; it was still a big yard but there seemed to be redevelopment taking place, with some of the area now stabling sidings for the new Siemens Desiro EMUs (Class 08 I believe), other sidings still containing wagons but whether in use or stored (or awaiting repair at the nearby Gentbrugge wagon works) wasn't easy to ascertain, while in other parts sidings were being lifted.  There's another group of marshalling sidings, which still look busy, at Gent-Zeehaven, north of Gent Dampoort station where the lines to Antwerpen and Eeklo diverge to the east and west from the freight-only line northwards to Terneuzen, in the Dutch enclave south of the Scheldt estuary.

 

The carriage sidings area to the north of Schaerbeek loco depot is a huge stabling area; during the daytime a lot of the loco hauled sets that form evening rush hour additionals ('P' trains) which pass through Brussels in a north-south direction are berthed there.  However the loco depot is a shadow of its former self, in fact it looks as though it might be closed as a regular loco depot.  I first passed Schaerbeek depot in the mid 1970s and there weren't any withdrawn Atlantics there by then, although there were still some derelict 'American' 2-8-0s!

 

There's another large carriage stabling area to the south of Brussels at Forest (Vorst), which includes the buildings of the high speed train depot used by Eurostar, Thalys and TGV sets as well as sidings for ordinary passenger trains and 'P' trains which head south - north through Brussels.

 

If you're on the right trains, you can get an almost aerial view of both complexes from passenger trains negotiating the complicated flying junctions which now exist both north and south of Brussels!

 

Edit: typed St. Pieters when meant to write Dampoort!

Edited August 28, 2016 by 31A

[jjb1970]

Belgium is a very under rated rail system. They have a high frequency service and it is generally very easy to get to where you need to be. The trains tend to be quite gimmick free and basic but comfortable enough and the fares seem quite cheap. They still have quite a lot of locomotive hauled passenger trains although they also make heavy use of multiple units. Some of the stations are very impressive, Antwerp must be one of the most impressive station re-builds anywhere in the world. The new multi-level station is very impressive and the retained the old building. At some point I'd like to get the LS Models model of the SNCB class 18 electric locomotive and some double deck coaches.

[The Stationmaster]

Belgium is a very under rated rail system. They have a high frequency service and it is generally very easy to get to where you need to be. The trains tend to be quite gimmick free and basic but comfortable enough and the fares seem quite cheap. They still have quite a lot of locomotive hauled passenger trains although they also make heavy use of multiple units. Some of the stations are very impressive, Antwerp must be one of the most impressive station re-builds anywhere in the world. The new multi-level station is very impressive and the retained the old building. At some point I'd like to get the LS Models model of the SNCB class 18 electric locomotive and some double deck coaches.

 

Alas I haven't been to Antwerp since just after they started digging the hole in the middle but it is a brilliant and very adventurous idea - great shame we can't do things like that in Britain where, with very rare exceptions, we always seem to go for the cheapest, often short term (and usually poorest) option - Crossrail being a prime example of all of those.

[jjb1970]

You should visit Antwerp, it's a lovely city and it is worth going there just to see the station as it really is impressive. The idea of a three level design must have been hideously expensive but it is stunning. I go to Brussels quite a lot on business and make an effort to visit Antwerp if I have an overnight stay to have dnner with a good friend in Antwerp, there are lots of good eateries in Antwerp and it is just so much nicer than Brussels. Antwerp is like the anti-Brussels, as attractive and interesting as Brussels is drab and boring. At least IMO.

[Legend]

Regrettably I only get to see the offices or plants in these places, but thanks for advice on Antwerp .

[jjb1970]

Business is business, it is always a shame to visit places and not have time or opportunity to mix a bit of pleasure with the trip. Antwerp is a very historic city and it retains much of its character. Unfortunately most of my travel to Belgium is to Brussels which is not my favourite place. I remember the blank looks from my office manager when I asked him to book a trip to Rotterdam by using Eurostar to Brussels and then Thalys to Rotterdam, the idea of using the train for that trip was completely alien to him yet it doesn't take that much longer than flying when you compare a door to door journey and is so much nicer than flying. After I did it a few of my colleagues tried it and it became a popular way of getting to the Netherlands.

[The Stationmaster]

Business is business, it is always a shame to visit places and not have time or opportunity to mix a bit of pleasure with the trip. Antwerp is a very historic city and it retains much of its character. Unfortunately most of my travel to Belgium is to Brussels which is not my favourite place. I remember the blank looks from my office manager when I asked him to book a trip to Rotterdam by using Eurostar to Brussels and then Thalys to Rotterdam, the idea of using the train for that trip was completely alien to him yet it doesn't take that much longer than flying when you compare a door to door journey and is so much nicer than flying. After I did it a few of my colleagues tried it and it became a popular way of getting to the Netherlands.

 

Doing it by Eurostar - now much quicker than it used to be of course - also avoids the Schipol evening 'your turn to get bumped off this flight' lottery.  Mind you one thing I wouldn't recommend was the pre-Thalys train journey from Paris to Amsterdam which took what seemed an awfully long time to not go a very great distance but the air fare alternative was ruinously expensive in those days.

 

All of my past Belgian colleagues reckoned that Brussel was the worst place in Belgium to go out for a meal  (not absolutely correct as it happens but the really good restaurants are well hidden) although I regularly used to eat at a restaurant run by two old ladies in the Grand Place - of all the unlikely places to find such an establishment - and as long as you ate traditional Belgian dishes the food was tremendous (long closed alas). 

[jjb1970]

There are some good eateries in Brussels if you look, but also a lot of over priced and mediocre establishments living on people who are eating on expense accounts and so less likely to be as interested in the cost/quality balance. I think the fundamental problem with Brussels is that it is not such a large city but is the Belgian federal capital, the European capital anf home of the European Commission and hosts offices of the Flemish and Waloon regional governments with the result that it just feels over poweringly dominated by politicians, government functionaries, lobbyists and all the other hangers on that surround such institutions. London is large enough and with a diverse enough culture that Westminster and the associated stuff doesn't dominate the city, not even in Westminster. Ditto Paris and Berlin, but Brussels just feels like it only exists to serve political institutions. And the neo-Stalinist propaganda you see everywhere promoting the EU is either comical or slightly sinister. And I say that as a Europhile who was very much a vote remainer. 

[31A]

To be honest on trips to or via Belgium these days I usually allow time for a leisurely connection in Brussels from the Eurostar (usually 1028 ex St. P.) on to other parts of Belgium (or Europe) and have a quick lunch in one of the modern eateries that have sprung up outside Gare du Midi, in the pedestrianised Place Victor Horta on the north side of the station.  They're nothing special but you can get a croque monsieur or spag bol and a couple of beers for quite a reasonable price, then carry on by train elsewhere.

 

I've got some pictures from other trips, so when I get a chance I'll sort some out and put some more up, as these seem to have generated some interest!

[31A]

Almost a year since I last posted on this topic, but in view of Eastwestdivide's pictures of his recent trip to Holland I thought my trip in 2014 might be of interest.

 

Myself and three friends spent a few days in Holland, with the intention of visiting the Dutch Railway Museum, and all the preserved lines we were aware of.  When we got there, we discovered that there were others so a return trip may be called for at some stage, but hasn't happened yet!

 

Having travelled by train from the UK via Brussels, we stayed in Utrecht for three nights and in Vlissingen on the fourth.  First port of call was the Railway Museum in Utrecht, but Eastwestdivide's thread has pretty well covered that so I'll skip it and move on to the first preserved line, which was the Stoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik, in West Friesland in the area adjacent to the Zuider Zee.

 

The day started with breakfast in the ornate restaurant at Amsterdam Centraal station, complete with pet white parrot on a perch on the counter!

 

 

Arrived at Hoorn, the preserved railway's station and depot is adjacent to the NS station.  Everything seemed tidy and well presented, and we were welcome to look around the depot where friendly staff were happy to explain things in English.  The standard gauge line is described as a tram, and some of the locos are enclosed and / or have the wheels covered; however as far as I could see there was no actual on street running although it runs adjacent to the roadside in places and level crossings are frequent, many ungated; in some ways in that respect perhaps not unlike our own Wisbech & Upwell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On arrival at Medemblik, there wast time to get a better look at our loco, and the train we'd travelled in.

 

 

 

 

The railway advertises a round trip continuing on from Medemblik to Enkhuizen on the Ijsselmeer, on board the preserved M.V. Friesland (warning - maritime content); it seemed rude not to!  At times it seemed as though we had slipped into a painting by Vermeer or one of his friends.

 

 

 

 

Arrived at Enkhuizen, the ship tied up a short walk from the NS station, virtually on the quayside, where a Koploper waited to take us back to Hoorn.  Arrived back there we found the town 'en fête' and full of funfairs; by that time some local refreshment was sought and found!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[31A]

Thank you!  I'll post pictures from the other lines we visited when I get a chance to pick out the best ones - I took a lot!  The other lines we visited were the ZLSM, VSM and SGB - the other lines you mention are the ones that we only found out abut when we got to Holland.