2016-12-31 ZLSM

We spent the week covering New Year's Eve 2016/2017 in the very south of the Netherlands, in the Province of Zuid-Limburg. The ZLSM (Zuid-Limburg Steam Train Co) runs the most scenic museumline in the country, from Kerkrade to Valkenburg.
I booked for the last Christmas Express of this season on 31st December 2016.

1 The cold start of a beautiful day..	2	3 By noon we checked in at Simpelveld station. Motive power would be provided by the Swedish 2-8-0 no 1040. Built in 1910 as an 0-8-0 by Nohab in Sweden, it was reconstructed to a 2-8-0 in 1946.	4
5	6	7 The inside motion. The engine has two cylinders between the frame plates.	8
9	10	11 Quite some steam is leaking from the train heating, quite visible in the cold air.	12
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25	26 At Schin op Geul the train ventures from the private part of the museum railroad onto the mainline. But first a "for real" service train has to pass.	27 The station building of Schin op Geul dates from 1913.	28
29 A gorgeous ride through the Zuid-Limburg landscape	30	31 Running round at Valkenburg	32
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41 The frosty weather makes for a dramatic steam shroud.	42	43	44
45	46	47 Waiting for the ready	48 Last preparations for the return to Simpelveld
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53	54	55 Arrival at Simpelveld	56
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