The million guilder line
Maastricht is quite a cosmopolitan town in so far that it is only a short distance from its neighbors Liëge in Belgium and Aachen in Germany. This was not reflected in the train connections around 30 years ago when I first came to Maastricht. At that time Maastricht was very well connected by Belgian intercity trains continuing directly to Brussels via Liëge. Between Maastricht and Aachen, however, you were required to change from the Dutch train to a German Diesel railcar in Heerlen. The railcar dandled comfortably across the border to Aachen. For unknown reasons the intercity’s between Maastricht and Brussels were discontinued and replaced with about the oldest EMU the Belgian SNCB had on offer. However, I cannot remember that any were ever late.
The Belgian train between Liège and Maastricht before the introduction of the three country train
Not long ago some Bureaucrat fishing for EU subsidies came up with the idea of the 3 country train, a train running through from Liége via Maastricht to Aachen. Why anybody should travel from Liége to Aachen via Maastricht is a mystery for me … the direct ICE on that line takes not much more than 20 minutes and the local creeper around an hour. Via Maastricht the new train takes at least 1,5 hours. If it runs….
The futuristic station of Liège designed by Caltrava
What the bureaucrats did not take into account upon establishment of such a connection is that the rail infrastructures in the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany have only one thing in common – the track gauge. Otherwise Germany runs their electrified lines with AC 15 kV, 16 2/3 MHz, the Belgians with 3000 V DC and the Dutch with 1500 V DC. The security system in each of the countries is entirely different. The new trains not only have to cope with a different electricity supply, but also with three different security equipment. While street signs and traffic rules are more or less uniform all over Europe, the drivers of the 3 country train are confronted with three completely different sets of signs and signals along the line.
Station hall
The modern European Train Control System which supposedly would help overcome the difference in security systems is not even planned to be introduced in the Dutch railwork around Maastricht in the existing plans reaching until 2032. In Belgium, the line to Maastricht is equipped with ETCS L1 LS. Germany, which is the most backward of all European countries in ECTS introduction, is introducing the system between Aachen and the Belgian border on the lines to Liège and the goods line to Hasselt. Therefore from the countries involved, only Belgium has introduced the only security system suitable for the 3 country train.
Access to the platforms
The consequence is that the new trains usually have a problem. Either a driver knowledgeable for the part of the track the train is supposed to go is not available, or the EMU suitable for all three countries is not available (they did not built enough) or the train has a problem. In many cases the doors are the reason for trouble. At each stop this adds a bit more to the delay.
Train chaos in Liege after the accident
Today however, the reason seems to be a human accident on the direct line between Liége and Aachen. The futuristic station of Liége-Guillemins planned by the Spanish architect Calatrava is paralyzed. The platforms are full of clueless passengers. Strangely enough the accident also affects the line to Maastricht. The “three country train”s are operated by Arriva. One of their trains is ready to depart at the platform but it is supposed to go to Aachen. There are no other Arriva trains in sight anywhere, so I guess the next train to Maastricht will be canceled.
Makeshift heating in Calatrava's station
Calatrava is not only known for his exceptional ideas but also that the resulting products usually have a lot of shortcomings. Some years ago, when I arrived in Liége in what probably was the last cold winter ever, it turned out that the station had no heating. The merchandises and offices in the souterrain had installed mobile heaters and spun cables like spiderwebs across the floor. I guess heating a station is not a thing you have to worry about in Spain. Another problem arises when the entire support structure of a station is white. Cleaning the windows on the outside already is quite a task, but how to clean all the white girders, supports, lintels and cantilevers? Meanwhile they have adapted a grayish green hue which frustrates the elegance of the structure.
The station of Visé
Another problem of the three country train might be that it is operated by yet another, a forth party, Arriva. When the network owner, in this case the Belgian SNCB, has to manage a problem, it is even aggravated when it has to be communicated with another party. Since there is no sign of a train to Maastricht we take a train to the Belgian border station of Visé. It runs normal and on time.
New access under construction in the station of Visé
The people around us on this local trains are very friendly and helpful. They all complain about the functioning of the three country train. They tell us that looking for a bus is no way out – it is better to hope that the next Arriva train passing through Visé will actually run. So we get off and linger with other hopeful passengers who had the same idea at a platform next to the motorway from Maastricht to Liége which is so loud that even a conversation is difficult. They are busy building a new platform and barrier-free access bridge in Visé. It is unclear why the old one is not good enough. It looks much nicer anyway. Meanwhile Belgian interciy’s thunder by which seem to be detoured onto the freight line between Hasselt and Aachen resp. Walkenraedt.
Train leaving Maastricht in the direction of the Belgian border
When opened in 1853, the trainline from Maastricht to Aachen was the first international rail connection in the Netherlands. It underlines the attraction of Maastricht to its foreign neighbors that Maastricht’s second railway connection was also international: in 1856 to Hasselt. The latter does not exist any more. In 1861 Maastricht got yet another international connection to Belgium in Liége while the first connection to the rest of the Netherlands to Venlo was only established in 1865.
Maastricht station
The enormous current station building built in 1913 after a design by George Willem van Heukelom was constructed of 2 million bricks with granite details. The entrance hall preserves its tall stained glass windows. Like many old station buildings in the Benelux and France it includes a tower. The clock in the top was visible across the whole rail yard. Today only a clock in the facade of the entrance hall remains.
The old Belgian train in Maastricht in 2021 in the through part of the staation
Originally the building housed the customs facilities of the Dutch and Belgian authorities. The customs functions have disappeared, as have the three waiting rooms and the separate waiting rooms for detainees and the mentally handicapped although they would be especially needed nowadays. They have been replaced by commerce. When you buy a sandwich and want to eat it you either have to retire to one of the few benches on the platform or sit on the stairs of the station square.
The terminal part of the station
The inside of the building has beautiful art nouveau decorations. If you look for them the signs for the customs formalities can still be found. The platforms are a combination of a terminus where the NS intercity trains towards Eindhoven and beyond depart and a part for through trains which serves the Arriva trains to Liège, Venlo, Kerkrade and Aachen.
Signal Box designed by architect Sybold van Ravesteyn built in 1933
At the end of the platform serving tracks 4 and 6 is the beautiful signal box designed by architect Sybold van Ravesteyn built in 1933. The inscription “post T” stands for the word “telegraph”, indicating that the post was equipped with a telegraph connection. In contrast to neighboring Germany where stations and railway attributes deteriorate into ugly ruins, the sign box is a national monument and well preserved. On the tracks beyond one of the Hondekop Mat 54 electrical units is parked. They were running until 1996 and this one is preserved in its original green livery.
IC passing through the station of Elsloo on the wrong track
We spend the night in Elsloo, two stops north of Maastricht in direction of Venlo or Eindhoven. When we come to Elsloo station the next day it turns out that a defect in Maastricht causes disruptions. The trains towards Maastricht do not stop at the main station. Sprinter trains towards Sittard and Roermond are cancelled. NS intercitys which are still running pass us on the wrong track. They do not stop in Elsloo. However, a bus arrives at a stop in front of the platforms. The direction indicator announces “Maastricht Station”. We take the bus to Maastricht, but the trains towards Kerkrade and Aachen are also canceled. We have to wait a while until the first train to Valkenburg is running again.
Station of Valkenburg of 1853
Valkenburg is on the original train line between Maastricht and Aachen opened in 1853. The station building is the original built in the time when the line opened. Valkenburg is known for its quarries where Marl (in Dutch “mergel”), a specific sort of soft limestone was mined since the Roman times. The station, like most of the old part of town, is built from blocks of this material.
Station of Valkenburg of 1853, street entrance
Much of mergel was mined underground. Miners called blokbrekers loosened the rock boulders in the caverns with crowbars and saws. South Limburg has a labyrinth of 250 km of those underground mine shafts. Several in Valkenburg are publicly accessible in guided tours which are very popular with the masses of visiting tourists. The guided tour in the “Fluwelen grot”, which was exploited since the Roman times and has corridors of around 5 km long, lasts an hour and focuses on the art which was created in the mines after they were closed for mining. Of course one of the numerous big charcoal drawings shows the members of different generations of the royal family. Charcoal is the only material which can be used on the wet mergel surface. But there are also multidimensional figures, for example of the dinosaurs that used to live in the sea which were the reason the mergel deposits formed. Mergel is known for the fossils which were buried in the material as deposits from the ancient ocean. In the Napoeonic times, when the people of Valkenburg where not allowed to use the church any more, a chapel was built in the cave to be used by a local preacher.
Currently only one quarry is still operating. Mergel is a very soft rock and the structures tend to erode quickly when not protected. The remaining quarry produces blocks for the restoration of historic buildings. For commercial use the mining of the material is too expensive today. Historically it took a day for a miner to get out one mergel block. In the modern mine they are able to produce 12 blocks.
Entrance to the Gemeentegrot
The Gemeentegrot, which was used between 1500 and 1950, is so big that they have a tour by train – well not a real train but an electric tractor pulling two coaches. Like the “Fluwelen Grot”, the Gemeentegrot was used by people seeking shelter during attacks, but also from the cold of winter since the average temperature is 12 degrees C. During the times of the cold war it was converted into a shelter for the population during a nuclear attack. There was sufficient space for 15.000 people. There were dormitories, kitchen facilities, toilets and even showers. Access is through a double security lock.
Decoration in the Gemeentegrot spottet from the "train"
During each cavern the guide switches off the light to give the visitors a shocking experience. Imagine what would happen if the electricity supply would fail in a shelter full with thousands of people. In 1993 two boys of 15 and 17 disappeared from a juvenile detention center. It took weeks of search which even extended into neighboring Belgium and Germany until, after 20 days, somebody had the idea that the boys could have entered one of the caves. Eventually somebody started searching in the labyrinth. It turned out that the boys had entered with a torch, but were left without light when the batteries were exhausted. One was found only about 400 m from the entrance.
Valkenburg castle
Another cave houses roman catacombs. However, they are neither catacombs nor Roman. Begin of the last century a rich Valkenburg resident who had visited the catacombs in Rome thought it would be a good idea for tourism to build a copy in one of the caves in Valkenburg. The walls were painted with early christian motives. Likewise fake is the subterranean coal mine on the slope above Valkenburg.
Valkenburg castle
One of the buildings built from the mergel blocks was Valkenburg castle. It is the only castle positioned on a hilltop in the Netherlands. The first castle dated back to the 12th century. The current ruins were left after the siege of 1672. Like the surroundings the hill below the castle is riddled with tunnels like Swiss cheese. There is a rumor that the besieged inhabitants of the castle could get out by those underground tunnels. However, some were also carved out by invaders to get into the castle.
Valkenburg castle
Some of the inhabitants had their own cave – in the cemetery. There are only a few big grave monuments on the Cauberg Cemetery, but the gates reveal a staircase which leads underground into the unknown. Maybe there is this hidden button, which you press and the wall of stone opens to let you into the dark unknown…. Enid Blyton should have known.
Cauberg cemetery
Graves in Mergel grottoes
Not far below the cemetery one of the open caves houses a Lourdes grotto. After pilgrims came back from the real grotto in Lourdes copies were built in various places in the catholic parts of the Netherlands.
Lourdes grotto
However, caves were carved in Valkenburg a long time before mergel became a building material. Layers in the mergel contain deposits of flintstone. In the stone age the hard material was popular for tools and weapons. More than 5000 years age stone age miners dug shafts deep enough to arrive at a layer of flintstone, then dug horizontal corridors to exploit the deposits. The corridors sometimes appeared at the surface, for example when the top layer of the rocks was removed for road construction.
Stone age flintstone mine
The original railway built in 1853 continued from Valkenburg to Aachen via Simpelfeld. The increasing importance of the Dutch coalmines in Limburg required additional railways. In 1896 another line was opened between Limburg and Aachen, the line from Sittard via Heerlen and Herzogenrath. Another 8 km long line was opened between Schin op Geul on the 1853 line to Heerlen. From there it connected to the older line to Herzogenrath and the German rail network. The idea was to connect the mining and industrial region in Limburg and around Aachen with the Dutch waterway system.
The preserved Nulland shaft of the Dominiale mine in Kerkrade
However, there was still need to connect the coal mines around Kerkrade. The Domaniale mine there had six shafts: Willem I and II shaft, Beerenbosch I and II shaft, Nulland (Neuland) shaft and Baamstraat shaft. The shaft building of the Nulland shaft still exists.
The enormous station building in Maastricht, platform side
Construction of the line connecting Simpelveld on the original line built in 1853 to Aachen to Kerkrade and Schaesberg on the line from Heerlen to Aachen built in 1896 began in 1925. The Simpelveld-Spekholzerheide Domaniale Mijn section, a branch line from Aachen to Maastricht, had been in use since 1871, and was incorporated.
Arriva train at the platform in Maastricht
The line soon became nicknamed the Miljoenenlijn (million guilder line) because of the estimated cost per kilometer. The 12.5 km long line cost approximately 12.5 million guilders. The entire line was double track. The high costs were caused by the hilly landscape, which required the movement of 3.5 million cubic meters of earth during construction to achieve acceptable gradients.
Arriva train at the platform in Schin op Geul
The line opened for freight trains in 1934. Passenger transport did not begin until 1949. During World War II the second track was dismantled. During all that years the main connection between Maastricht and Aachen remained at the direct line built in 1853 further to the south.
Rail Bus of the ZSLM in Schin op Geul
On December 17, 1965, the Dutch government announced the complete termination of coal mining. The Staatsmijn Maurits in Geleen was the first to shut down. The closure had enormous consequences since the economy of the area depended heavily on coal mining. In 1969, also the Domaniale Mine in Kerkrade was shut down. Freight transport became less significant in the area. It nevertheless took some time until the Million guilder line between Kerkrade Centrum and Simpelveld closed in 1988. Only the connection between Heerlen and Kerkrade was maintained.
The rail bus leaves Schin op Geul for Simpelveld
After the decline of freight traffic the railways in the area mainly depended on passenger traffic. While the line from Maastricht to Aachen via Schin op Geul and Simpelveld only served minor communities after Valkenburg, the other line between Schin op Geul and Aachen also served the bigger cities Herzogenrath and Heerlen. Therefore, a partially different route via Heerlen and Herzogenrath was choosen for the train connection between Aachen and Maastricht after 1992. The line between Schin op Geul, Simpelveld and to the connection with the German railway line to Aachen at Richterich was closed. The fate of the first international Dutch railway line seemed to be signed.
The steam train in Schin op Geul
That is when the Zuid-Limburgse stoomtreinmaatschappij came into existence. In 1995, the line from Kerkrade Centrum to Simpelveld was reopened as heritage railway. The ZSLM also reopened the line between Schin op Geul and Simpelveld and between Simpelveld and the German border at Vetschau. Because of the connection to Vetschau the ZSLM is one of the few international heritage railways worldwide. There is another one which might run between Bosnia and Serbia.
Swedish steam engine number 1040
The steam train waits for passengers at the historic station of Schin op Geul, where it connects to the Arriva trains between Maastricht, Valkenburg, Heerlen and Kerkrade or Aachen. The station building is privately owned but beautifully restored. It was built in 1913 after plans of Van Heukelom who also designed the enormous station in Maastricht. It occupies an island between the platforms to Heerlen on one side and to Simpelveld on the other.
Departure of an Arriva train from Schin op Geul
Access to both pairs of platforms is by a level crossing. The crossing of the main line is secured by booms which close automatically when a train approaches. The mechanism makes a difference for trains arriving from the direction in Heerlen which stop in Schin op Geul and the express trains which pass through. In the first case the boom only closes after the train had its stop and actually departs. A convenient and cheap arrangement which allows easy access for the handicapped and owners of roller cases. The neighbors across the border probably would build a bridge with elevators which probably would never work. Or they would close the station altogether…..
Inside the historic Belgian coaches
For the opening of the heritage railway the ZSLM bought four steam engines from Sweden. For a long time after steam locos were retired from ordinary service the Swedish government maintained a strategic reserve of steam engines. They were stored in non-descript sheet metal sheds and sealed in plastic bags with dehumidifiers to preserve them in working order with minimal maintenance. Most of the reserve was disbanded in 1990, but the last two were kept in a shed until 2016. The engines were sold at a nominal fee.
Our train is powered by number 1040, a Swedish E2 consolidation (1’D) type built in 1910 by Stork. The engine is pulling a train of beautifully restored Belgian express train coaches from the 1930ies. The level of comfort of these coaches is astounding. The upholstered seats are cozy although you can see that many passengers have enjoyed sitting here. The seats are arranged in two open-plan compartments with groups of 4 and two secluded coupés with six seats. There are folding seats in case the train is very full. Even those are cushioned. Unfortunately they would not survive the vandalism of our time for very long. The interior with the high-gloss lacquered woodwork and the chrome detailing gives a luxury feeling. The seats have luggage racks with braided nets like those being used for shopping at the time. Some are decorated with suitcases from before the time they all grew wheels. All the windows can be opened.
Container freight cars stored on the unused second track
In the first part of the line after Schin op Geul the second track is preserved and used for storing modern freight cars. Renting out the track is one of the sources of income for the ZSLM. Soon the second track disappears. The train stops at the intermediate station of Eys-Wittem. There are no new passengers, my part of the coach stays empty.
Landscape in Zuid Limburg
The attractivity of the landscape of rolling hills in Zuid Limburg might be thanks to its small scale agriculture. No big fields here but lots of hedges which were removed in other places. Although the sun stays behind the low lying clouds the green fields look inviting. From time to time the train passes a village with a pointed steeple. The line tries to as much as possible maintain the same altitude. Cuttings and dams compensate for the topographical differences. In 1853, when the line was built this must have been a gigantic task. Today, old trees grow on the slopes of the dam. Their leaves start to turn autumn-colored.
The windows of the cab of a steam engine was open during the ride. Usually it was too warm inside anyway. The driver and fireman usually were hanging outside the window looking at the track in front. While the visibility from the cab at the end of the boiler was limited even at daytime it was zero at night. The weak headlights were not penetrating the darkness beyond the immediate front of of the moving train. In particular in fog it was also difficult to see the mechanical signs. The structure to the left of the track is to warn the engineer that a signal is coming up. It is designed in a way to reflect the sound of the engine to draw the driver attention.
Number 1040 ready for departure to Schin op Geul in Simpelveld
The timetable allows a visit to all the lines of the ZSLM in one day including a visit to the workshop in Simpelveld. When the steam train arrives a rail bus waits at the track across the platform to provide a connection to Vetschau on the former, presently disconnected line to Aachen.
Number 1040 ready for departure to Kerkrade in Simpelveld
Simpelveld is the center of operations of the ZLSM. But it always had been an important station. Not only was it a railway hub but it also housed the Dutch and German customs offices. Including the goods shed, the station building was a hundred meters long. Unfortunately, in 1975, it was partially demolished and today only 38 m are left. The large freight shed, but especially the beautiful waiting rooms, are gone. On the ground floor, only the ticket office and the former rooms for the Dutch and German customs remained. The latter have been converted into a restaurant and kitchen.
One of the historic signal boxes in Simpelveld
Cables for setting signals and points
The security and signaling of the station had already been modernized when the lines were closed. One of the modern light signals is left standing in the scrub next to the platform. Instead the old mechanical security and signaling system was rebuilt. Post T (Train Service Control) in the station building communicates with two signal boxes. The signal box keepers there operate the various switches, (shunting) signals, and level crossings. All is operated via cables connecting them with the signal boxes where the keeper operates them with levers which are secured in a way that a signal cannot be operated when the switches are in a wrong position.
Branch signal indicating the departure towards Vetschau
On the east side of the station are three exit signals. The normal signals turns their arms up in a 45 degree angle when the train is allowed to depart. Next to track 3 is a special signal, a branch signal. From track 3 trains can depart both towards Kerkrade and Vetschau (Germany). The left signal is for trains towards Kerkrade and the right one for trains towards Vetschau. This signal not only shows the driver whether he is allowed to depart, but also in which direction. To make it clear that it is a branch signal, the wings are not round, but dovetailed.
Historic advertisements on the platform in Simpelveld
On the platforms they have painstakingly tried to recreate the looks and atmosphere of a station a hundred years ago. Signs are suspended on posts next to the track to indicate the destination of the next train. The old fashioned benches are decorated with advertisements in the art-deco style. Most, however, advertise for modern enterprises in an old style. Barrows wait for luggage and luggage is ready for being loaded. And of course there are the water columns necessary for supplying water to the steam engines.
Staatsmijnen historic tank car
The sidings of the station are full of historic freight cars typical for the mining industry. Some carry inscriptions like “Staatsmijnen”. Most are loaded with spare parts and material necessary for the maintenance of the line.
ZSLM conductors
The station in Simpelveld became an important booster for the surrounding area and attracted employment such as traders, customs officials, railway workers, and military police. After the Second World War, the German population came to Simpelveld to stock up on coffee, tobacco, butter and other scarce products. The Simpelveld middle class flourished as a result. Years later, this situation would reverse. Dutch border residents then visited Aachen to do their shopping. Eight cafés were located close to the station. None still exist. Stationstraat also housed several warehouses for the fruit and potato trade. When the fruit (especially apples) was ripe, dozens of farmers brought their harvest to the station, from where it was exported to Germany in freight trains.
Unloading a wheel chair from the rail bus
The rail bus to Vetschau is full. After the second world war the Deutsche Bundesbahn looked for ways to make the operation on their network of 11700 km branch lines more economical. In 1950 -1951 a number of different rail busses was delivered for tests. This led to the production of 557 busses with one engine between 1952 and 1958 and 329 with two engines after 1958. Eight more were equipped with a rack drive. Additionally hundreds of trailers were ordered. Soon these railbusses were present on all branch lines. On some main lines they were even used as express trains where a supplement had to be paid for their luxurious interior.
Seats where the direction can be changed
At least all of these busses and the trailers had toilets. Obviously the passengers don’t need those so much any more nowadays because even modern trains traveling on longer distances are now delivered without. Another novelty was that the direction of the seats could be changed so that the passengers could travel facing in the forward direction. Of course there was no accessibility for the handicapped. However, our driver shows how he helps passengers with a stroller (in this case for a dog) and somebody with a wheel chair in and out of the vehicle.
Driver's seat of the rail bus
Our rail bus to Vetschau is of the more modern version with two engines. It is basically operated like a bus but has brakes acting magnetic on the rails. In Germany the last of the rail buses ran until the year 2000. As kids we loved them and the were affectionately called “Rutschen” (Slides).
Passenger in the Dutch part of the line
Most of the line to Vetschau is surrounded by trees and scrubs and we ride in a green tunnel. The German border is immediately recognizable: after the border the trackbed is overgrown since the application of herbicide is not permitted in Germany.
West wall bunker and tank barriers along the German part of the line
The border was well protected on the German side as part of the West wall. Next to the rails is the remains of a bunker and concrete anti tank barriers for the case that a tank would mistake the railway for a road. In reality an invader could just cover the low barriers by a car load of sand and the tanks could still rumble across.
View from the front of the rail bus
The former railway line between Aachen and Maastricht is full of superlatives. I already mentioned that it was the oldest international railway in the Netherlands, that it has the oldest surviving station building of the Netherlands in Valkenburg and that ZLSM runs the only international heritage line. In addition km 8.5-9.1 of the line between the border and the stop at Bocholtz is the highest point of the Dutch rail network. The rail car climbs to the breath-taking height of 185 m NAP
End of the line in Vetschau
Vetschau is a little village. The rail bus stops at a makeshift platform before a buffer stop. There are no points or sidings. Therefore it would not be possible for a locomotive to run around the train. Only 700 m lack for the connection with the German main line to Aachen at Richterich. The ZSLM is interested to reopen the entire line, but it is a long bureaucratic process.
The conductor of the rail bus
The conductor is a volunteer. However, he is a professional volonteer. During the week he drives freight trains in the harbor of Rotterdam and on the line to the German or Belgian border. He both drives Diesel and electric engines. All are different - also industry has not agreed on any standaardisation yet.
Driver of the rail bus
After I come back to Simpelveld I have time to visit the workshop. It is only a short walk along the line to Kerkrade. The buildings are modern structures without much appeal but there is a turntable. A sign shows that it is restricted to 70 tons, not enough to turn even a rather small steam engine like number 1040. Next to it are the facilities necessary for the operation of a steam engine: water supply, a pit for removing ashes and a coal bunker. All are functional but not particularly photogenic or historic.
Turntable and dumped Swedish engine E 1090
Next to the turntable rests the remains of another Swedish steam engine together with a couple of out of service Diesel engines and a number of wooden box cars for storage. The steam engine is a 0-8-0 E type built by Nydqvist & Holm in 1911. Its tender is stored among the freight cars in the station sidings. E2 number 1040 is a rebuilt version of the E-type such as number 1090.
Swedish engine E 1090
The E type was designed for use in light passenger and freight trains. Between 1908 and 1920, 130 units of this type were built. E 1090 still has its original gas lighting. One of the lanterns sits in the Workshop next to a German “Oberwagenlaterne”, another item which was present in each station and on all the freight trains when I was a kid and has since completely disappeared. After a new boiler was fitted in the 1950s number 1090 remained in service until 1972 and then moved to the strategic reserve. It was the first steam engine which operated when the Miljioenlijn opened in 1995. Unfortunately it turned out in 1998 that the boiler was in such a bad shape that it will never see a fire again.
Vice and oilcan
The boring looking shed is highly fascinating inside. It is full of big modern machinery necessary for maintaining a steam locomotive. There are huge lathes, grinding, drilling and milling machines. A forge rests in a corner and a huge anvil waits next to one the locomotives. The tables are full of boxes with spare parts, drills, screws and hand tools. Another table carries a selection of cable reels and lubrication pumps. More tools like wrenches are suspended from the walls. Between the jumble on the tables are working gloves, empty soft drink cans and the most important tool, WD-40 spray.
Drilling machine and work table
Backdrop is a brand-new looking steam engine. It is a huge German class 52. More than 7000 of these engines were built during the war. It was a simplified construction, easy to maintain and designed to only last for a short time. After the war they ended up in most of the European countries, Russia, Turkey and some even ended up in Vietnam. Many are still used today, many years after their envisioned disposal, on heritage lines, It has already run but still needs some more tuning until it can go into the regular service. The head of the work-shop tells me that he worked on that engine for 10 years. There always is a lack of volunteers although he is able to bring together a group of 15-20 people twice a week. In particular, skilled volonteers able to operate lathes and milling machines for metal are rare.
Grinding machine
52 532 has an interesting history. It was put into service in 1943. After the war it was requested by the Soviets and ran there as TE-532. Only in 1962 it returned to the East German Railways. There it was even modernized and continued to run under the new number 52 8160. In 1994 it was transferred to the Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij in Apeldoorn, which renumbered it back to 52 532. There it was restored and returned to its original condition. In particular the unaesthetic trapezoid feedwater heater on the smoke box was removed. After it ran for some years it came to Simpelveld.
Pillar drill and engine 52 532
On the adjoining track there is another engine built in 1943. Number 57, called Bonne, was built as shunting engine for industrial use by the Maschinenfabrik Esslingen am Neckar. First owner was Gutttehoffnungshütte steel works in Germany. During World War II the locomotive sustained significant damage during a bombing raid. Dozens of shrapnel impacts are still visible on the frame. The locomotive was restored, and after several other owners ended up in the hands of the HSIJ (Hoogovens Stoom IJmuiden) in 1972. It was busy with excursion trains in the steel works, but also went on excursion itself and now is on loan in Simpelveld.
Workshop
Ideally the fire in a steam engine is kept burning continuously. The use at a heritage railway where the engines are only used once a week or even less is highly inefficient and causes increased wear on the boiler since the temperature is not kept constantly. To move the cold steam engines a so-called SIK is waiting in the shed. It is a locomotor built by Werkspoor in 1935. When I was a kid, every station with a bit of freight traffic had such a locomotor. The Dutch railways had 169 of them, built between 1934 and 1951.
Anvil and engine # 57
The head of the workshop has a new project now. It is waiting in the second shed across the track to Vetschau. It is steam engine 50 3666. This engine is equipped with oil firing. The work shop had all the material to rebuilt the engine to coal firing. However, good coal for locomotive use is increasingly hard to get and more and more expensive. In addition, climate change is also an issue in Zuid Limburg. Long dry periods lead to increased fire risk. While car drivers throw their cigarette butts out of the window at leisure the railway is blamed for fire risks. Last year the line was not allowed to use their steam engine for 2 weeks. An oil-fired engine would solve the problem.
German Oberwagenlaterne and Swedish petrol lamp
50 3666 was built in 1943 as 50 2145 ÜK, a simplified war version of class 50, one of the most successful locomotive series of the Deutsche Reichsbahn. However, this engine was built in Belgium by the Société Anglo-Franco-Belge (SAFB). After the war the engine remained in the GDR. In 1961 it was reconstructed and got a new boiler from Schwermaschinenbau Karl Liebknecht (SKL) in Magdeburg and its present number.
In 1991, the engine was purchased by the Belgian Vennbahn in the country where she originally came from. That is when it was converted to oil firing. In 2006, after the Vennbahn became bankrupt, it was moved to the Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij (VSM) in Beekbergen. There it ran as 50 0073, the number designated for oil-fired locomotives of the 50 series in the GDR.
The second shed is full of other rarities. B 1220 is one of the two Swedish "tenwheeler" 4-6-0 engines which ended up at the VSM. It was built in 1914 by NOHAB. B 1220 served with the SJ until 1970 and then became part of the military strategic reserve from 1970 to 1992. In 1994, the locomotive was purchased by the ZLSM. After an extensive overhaul it returned to service in 2001. In 2009 it was fitted with the Dutch security system ATBe. However, in 2012, a leak was discovered in the welded boiler of 1950. Like her sister B 1289, which had a leak in the boiler in the same year, the locomotive had to be taken out of service.
The shed also contains a small Bavarian shunting engine built by Krauss of Munich 1921, a supply of the rail busses and corresponding trailers, a Dutch Diesel rail car, a Dutch Diesel shunting engine and the modern German version of a SIK, a Köf III.
German shunting engine Köf III
These locomotives were so omnipresent in bigger German stations that it only drew attention when they one day had disappeared. The reason was that the railways abandoned small scale freight traffic. Beneficiaries were the truck companies. Culprits were the politicians. Victims were the environment and those motorists who now loose plenty of time due to the traffic jams caused by trucks, truck failures and accidents on the road.
Dutch shunting engine SIK
After it had been put into service in 1965 it served the Deutsche Bundesbahn until 1997 in places like Hamm, Hagen and Mönchngladbach. Then it was bought by the railway manufacturer Talbot in Aachen for shunting around its factory grounds. After an accident it was bought by the ZLSM, restored and put into service in 2000.
ZSLM engine storage shed
The collection of the ZLSM is impressive. A lot of heritage lines focus on their engines. They pull a wild assembly of collected coaches along lines which have lost all the symbols necessary for their original use. The authenticity and detailing of the infrastructure of the ZSLM is a perfect background for their operations. After world war II the NS even had steam engines similar to the E built in Sweden. The German locomotives which were ubiquitous allover Europe were also used on this line. But the greatest asset is the patience, knowledge, friendliness and helpfulness of the staff who do their best to let everybody enjoy the ride on their trains.
Parallel departure of steam train to Kerkrade and rail bus to Vetschau
I take the next train to Kerkrade. For the last train of the day the ZSLM has turned the departure into an attraction. The steam train to Kerkrade and the rail bus to Vetschau leave at the same time and run parallel until the workshop blocks the view. I settle down in my soft cushioned seat and enjoy the comfortable ride. Between Simpelveld and Kerkrade is the proper Milijoenlijn, since 1945 only one track is left but the space for the second track is still clearly visible. While the railway shrunk, the motorways were proliferating. New bridges were necessary. The milijoenenlijn also crossed some tramlines here but all have long disappeared.
E2 1040 running around her train in Kerkrade
In Kerkrade the ZSLM does not enter the station where the modern trains of Arriva end. A new stop was built with a wye to allow the engine run around the train. It is a short walk along the tracks to the proper station where the Arriva train to Heerlen and back to Maastricht is waiting.
End of the modern line in Kerkrade
View towards the ZSLM platform
The barrier across the second track
Kerkrade Centrum station or what's left of it is another typical example of the money-wasting idiocy of a railway administration. Behind the photographer, Arriva trains from Maastricht are stopping. The right-hand track ends there with a buffer stop. A fence (the favorite pastime of NS and DB) was then built across this track. The continuing track on the other side of the fence, where no trains run anymore, is renovated and reballasted. The left-hand track is still fully accessible. It is secured by barriers across the track (not across the foot path) to ensure that no one even thinks of walking on the railway line which is never used. In the background of the photo the track runs to Kerkrade ZLSM station. Their trains could therefore theoretically use this track to cross over to the NS side. This part of the track has not been renewed.
Discovery museum in Kerkrade
With the disappearance of the mining industry Kerkrade lost its raison d’etre. They have tried to find a replacement. Next to the station is the huge “Discovery museum”. The fly wheel of a mining rig towers above the modern building. I don’t see anybody in there. On the other side of the wide road is Germany.
"Front garden" and Halloween decoration in Kerkrade
It is Sunday and even at this time many of the shutters are still down. The only living beings I see while I take a walk around town are dog owners with their pet. In the residential areas most of the front gardens don’t deserve the word since they have been turned into parking spaces and pebble surfaces. The most popular plant seems to be the palm tree in its dwarf-like miniature form. Windows, balconies and palm trees have been covered with Halloween decoration.
School in Kerkrade
The other signs of life must be hidden in the cars which speed down the narrow alleys. The yard of the school is fenced of to give the cars the unlimited right of way. The limitation is on the children behind the fences.
Autumn in Kerkrade
Towards the center many of the shop windows are full of junk or empty. The Main street (Hoofdstraat) houses Hair Art by Kim, Fairplay Casino and the Tattooshop Kerkrade. Typhoon entertainment can plan your event. Lidl and Action are further afield where sufficient parking space ensures plenty of customers. The parking lots are empty.
Nulland shaft at the end of typical Kerkrade residential street
There are some pubs and restaurants at the market place. A couple of people sit on the benches staring in their phones. The square is decorated with rows of trees and is the town’s pedestrian zone. There are few historic buildings in Kerkrade. Not surprising the churches are the most prominent.
Shops in Kerkrade
Between the market place and the station is an empty lot. The area is protected from curious inspection by blinds covered with propaganda. “Kerkrade builds houses for the future here”. “DJ Riley in D’R pool”. The desolate aspect of the town is very much like many places across the border in Germany. Nothing compares here with the brick renaissance of traditional Dutch towns further to the west crisscrossed by canals.
Building project in Kerkrade
I take the train back in the direction of Maastricht. The train is full of people in alpine costumes, “Trachten”. It is October. The bourgondic Limburgers like to party and take advantage of every opportunity. This is the time for an Oktoberfest. Soon it will be time for Halloween. In Maastricht the world championship in Gravel biking is a reason to celebrate. Maybe it helps against the depression caused by the bleak and depressing environment.
Oktoberfest guests on the train
The good-humored party crowd leaves the train on time. After Eindhoven the brand-new ICNG has to take a detour via Dordrecht to Rotterdam because a train broke down on the high-speed line. Probably a sister model. Between the Hague and Rotterdam there is a problem in the tunnel in Delft. An announcement of a railway company is usually formulated in a way that it raises more questions that it answers. As usual they do not specify what the problem really is. Even the tram has a problem. It runs but on a detour. An accident.
Waiting for a train in Eindhoven
All that is usual business. A week later the line between Delft and Schiedam is closed because a rail is broken on the Poldervaartbridge. To do the repair the entire line has to be closed for several days because the rails on a rubber bedding are embedded in concrete. It takes days until the concrete is hardened enough after the repair that the trains can ride again. Of course that would never happen with ordinary sleepers.
One of the old Intercity trains on the Poldervaartbridge between Rotterdam and Delft in 2020
Today the problem is a lack of traffic controllers. The number of trains on the lines to and from Utrecht is reduced to a minimum because many of the controllers are on vacation and another did not show up at work being sick. It took half a day until they had found a replacement.
Maastricht CS
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