Ascension Day is traditionally a holiday in the Netherlands. The following friday, though officially a working day, is often bundled to link to the following weekend as a four day leave. Museum societies take the opportunity to display their work and attract people. Such was the case this Ascension weekend in 2009 at the Museum Tramway Hoorn Medemblik. Extra tours and special historic programms were staged under the motto "Stations under steam"
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1 My first walk was aimed straight to the museums workshop. This is the view from within. Locomotive no 26 is preparing to leave with the 11:30 train. On L2 (the middle track of the shed) the newly restored Wickham motorlorry, specially build for the line Hoorn – Medemblik
2 Since my visit last year considerable progress has been been on the 6513. The Dutch Railways owned 12 loco's in the 6500 series. They were bought from standard stock design, type "Victor", from Hohenzollern. All examples were scrapped in the thirties. This loco, built in 1888, served its working life in Germany and is technically identical to the 6500 series loco's. It will be restores and subesequently numbered 6513.
Later that weekend the newly made Gresham and Graven injecteurs (the same will likely be used for Bello) and gauge-glasses were test fitted to the back-head of the boiler
3 One of the re-bused cylinders
4 Just a photo for the sake of the atmosphere
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6 The shunter and the shunted. And this is what's being shunted: GS 18 and both NTM “koppelwagens”, coupler wagons, which were used to connect rolling stock with train draw gear with rolling stock with tram draw gear (Vicineaux)
7 Tramway loco no 18, "Leeghwater", one of the very few surviving "box" locomotives. It originally served as a tramway lcomotive at the Goois Tramwegmaatschappij in the Hilversum area. It was built in 1921, rather late, since the heydays of tramways were already over, and this is especially so for the outdated box design. This loco is probably one on the last box loco's built. After ending operation on the GS it eventually earned its bread of charity at a sugar plant as a shunter. Weighing only 15 tons this nasty little thing delivered 2700 kg drawbar power. This loc really amazed the people of the Bluebell railway for it’s pulling power. Also it’s top speed is significant.
8 The diesel showed some resistance
9 All normal equipment is postioned on the side of the loco. Most of these loco were arranged to operated from either front, always allowing the driver to stand at the front. By no meand a luxury whereas these trams often crossed roads and very often whole stretches were embedded in the road and the tram had to share available space with the increasing road traffic.
10 The upper panel commemorates the sugar factory from which the loco passed on into preservation, the lower is self explanatory I suppose.
11 Steam bell
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14 The carriages (coaches for our American friends) are Swidd hand-downs. When I travelled Switserland in the seventies I actually was on them in their last years of active service!!
15 Interior
16 No 30's whistle
17 Steam-oil pump. This steam oil (used for pistons and glands) is to thick for running by gravity. Therefore a pump is used. All the pipes leaving the pump upwards go to the various to be oiled parts. The two pipes on the rear are used for heating the oil with steam during the colder periods. Loc 30 did not have a pump like this in its original condition, but since it is now running 20 km in one go, it needs a better oiling then when doing short shunting moves at the gas-works
18 Walschaerts valve gear, in reverse gear
19 Lifting link
20 Brass slide piece bolted to the radius rod. The brass piece slowly wears down and is replaced during maintenance. The wire prevents the bolts to work loose.
21 Double barred crosshead. The brass pieces contain oil to lubricate the sliede bars
22 The valve piston has a lubricator cup of its own. This cup was originally used when working at the Rotterdam gas works. Nowadays the oil is supplied from the oil-pump earlier on. You can see the feeding pipe behind and below the cup
23 The valve for the steam-heating of the coaches. This is the model used for “normal” coaches. There is a version as well for tram-coaches.
24 We set off at 12:45 and halted at every station. At each there was something to see or do.
25 Like original traditional clothing. The little purse the lady is wearing is hand knitted with some 20.000 beads, costing some 200 hours to make. The gold looking thingies in her cap, brooch and necklace are actually gold. A gold cap ment her husband was an independent (and rich) farmer. The lady showed her whole set of clothing which was no less than impressive. The whole set weighs ten pounds!!
These people are regularly visiting the SHM, they are not only there during festivals
26 O yes, mesmerized by steam, I forgot to mention that the weather was exceptionally fine. Some 20 degrees Clesius and a fair wind.
27 Approaching Midwoud-Oostwoud. In the distance another tram is awaiting crossing.
28 SHM 5 (Enkhuizen) at the siding awaiting the crossing
29 Carefully watching to assure safety. Though museum trams seem to operate loosely, safety is always paramount.
30 A portrait underway at Twisk. Behind the loco you can see one of the three “Gz” (goederenwagen-zand) now used for transporting bicycles
31 Symphony of form and colour
32 At twisk a steam thresher was on demo
33 Marius van Rijn (CME SHM) en profile
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35 End of the line
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37 In Medemblik I could reach left side of the loco (in Hoorn it very hard to get on this side) to record some details there. The pump for the air-brake system in the train. This feature was also non-existence when the loc was working at the gas works. The cooling ribs are for dispensing the heat from the compressed air. This distinguish an air pump from a feedwater pump (which only “Bello” had once)
38 Feed water pipe and clack-valve. At the bottom is a drainage-valve for winterizing the loc
39 Medemblik station
40 Horse drawn fire engine
41 Steam powered (the pump not the horses)
42 The engine
43 Guess what's the red line for ;-)
44 Now, is he having a good time or not?
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47 Scenic impression from the IJsselmeer
48 Part of the programme was the option to take a tour with a steam tug
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51 Well, set asdide these disagreeable thoughts, I took a look a the tram itself. A consist of no less than seven carrieages and two goods wagons are a testimony to the strength of the 7700 series. Look at the narrow profile of that originally 1067mm gauged carriage
52 AB 24 from Breskens – Maldegem
53 NTM 205 (normal gauge)
54 GoTM 21 (normal gauge), the more luxurious coaches of the Gooische Tramwegmaatschappij (the one from the box loco, yes)
55 as compared to the no nonsense built RTM AB 370 (“cape gauge” 1067 mm) of the Rotterdam Tramweg Maatschappij which had to serve villages of no wealth whatsoever.
56 RTM AB 395 (“cape gauge” 1067 mm). The RTM used to run along a few hundred meters away form my parental home. I saw them a lot until operations ceased in 1966.
57 AB 6 (ZE / Zutphen – Emmerik)
58 GoTM 22 (normal gauge), another more luxurious carriages from the Gooische
59 Number and Works plates of Bello, while taking water at Medemblik
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61 Speaking of gear: Stephenson's valve gear, with its complex radius link motion. The bit of metal to the left of the crosshead is a modern day improvement to the valve gear. This keeps the side-play in the very long Stephenson valve gear at bay, thereby reducing the wear and tear to it.
62 and excentrics
63 Steam bell for local and tramway services
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68 Taking water. Here you can see both the normal and tramway couplers/buffers.
The pipe starting slightly above the footplate is the pipe for the vacuum-braking. This was used during the visit Bello made to the Bluebell.
The head-light are now displaying “shunting movement”. Once in front of the train the rear light will go to the front as well.
69 The square boxes are the coal bunkers. The water tanks are located between the frame plate below the footplate
70 Oiling
71 Topping up the oilpot on the coupling-rod.
Here you can see more into detail the addition to the Stepenson valve-gear which prevents the sideplay
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73 The old, hand-painted, RTM logo
74 Detail of the RTM AB 370, also with hand-painted signs
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77 Second class, no sptting, 29 seats.
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79 Ruud Overweel (CTr or Chef Tractie) looking back at his train
80 Company, following the tram
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83 Snow in May?? No, approaching Hoorn the exhaust of the 7742 stirred the trees, spurring them eject large quantities of seeds
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85 Loco no 16, relatively young: built in 1943 by Jung..
The fireman (right) is holding the device which will place the lid on the chimney. This will prevent the heat from escaping from the boiler and therefore slow-down the cooling of the boiler. Some of the SHM still have pressure in the boiler even with having the fire taking out 12 hours ago. This thorough insulation reduces thermal stress on the boiler
86
87 Main crankpin
88 Pump
89 Brass handwheel for the blow-down valve
90 The simplest of splashers. This reduced cleaning time (especially on rainy days) by hours
91 Cylinder
92 Backing into the workshop. The, relatively, clean shirt from the fireman is hanging from the lamp
93 Oil pump
94 Feed water pipe
95 Attending 7742 for the night
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97 One final view. Loc 30, 16 and 7742. Behind loc 30 is the steamcrane 39 and next to Bello / 7742 as the cab of NTM 101, one of the first diesel loc’s in the Netherlands, which is being restored at the SHM