History

The NCS, Nederlandsche Centraal Maatschappij,
Dutch Central Railway Company

The NCS was founded in 1850 to build and operate the railway from Utrecht - Zwolle - Kampen. The line Utrecht - Zwolle, fully opened in 1864, was to be the main artery from the centre of the Netherlands to the North.

As the line ran through a rich part of the country where the establishment of Amsterdam had their large stately homes the railway soon offered relatively luxurious services. Plans were big and hopes were high. Income of the railway however was ever a precarious matter so aside from a few minor extensions radiating from the existing mainline nothing came from it.

Basically it was a comparatively small company operating only 100 km of real mainline, with only 56 locomotives in total, of which only eight high profile express locomotives and no special freight locomotives.

Owning a highly prized line, crucial in the country's economy, and having a weak financial position, it may come as no surprise that the eyes of competing companies turned desiringly on the NCS. As early as 1885 control of the railway was handed over to the NRS which on its turn amalgamated with the SS (a then innocent short for StaatsSpoorwegen, State Railways) in 1890. Contrary to the NRS the NCS continued to exists as a name until 1919 when the new NS, Nederlandsche Spoorwegen, Dutch railways was formed into which the four remaining big companies SS, NCS, NBDS and HSM merged. On paper the NCS continued to exist until 1934 when the remainder of the company was liquidated.

Locomotives of the NCS

Remarks

• The tractive effort is calculated with a factor as a percentage of the maximum boiler pressure. In the UK this factor was usually set at 85% where in Europe 70% was used.
• 9 members of the original 1-12 class were rebuilt twice. Little of the original locomotives may have been left by the time they met the scrapper's torched, but they are counted among the longest living steam locomotives in Dutch railway history, some having operated over 70 years!
• The NCS never owned specialised freight locomotives. Only one class really stood out, the express locomotives 71-78, a sister design to the famous Bavarian S3/6 pacifics, which were among the most beautiful designs to see the light in the Netherlands.

The NCS 41-50, SS 151-150, NS 7001-7010

A model of NCS 41 showing off its lush original ochre livery. Photo by ©Femke Lockefeer, kindly granted Dutch Railway Museum, Utrecht.

No 42 of the N.C.S. in Utrecht, close to the Boorstraat. 1905-1910. This is still a saturated steam locomotive.
Public domain. J.W. Deetman. Catalogue number 165061, Het Utrechts Archief

The class was built in three batches. The first two batches of one and three locomotives were supplied in 1899 and 1901 by Sächsiche Maschinenfabrik ehem. Richard Hartmann in Chemnitz, Germany. The first engine was thoroughly evaluated before the conditionally contracted other three were confirmed. The third batch of six locomotives was supplied in 1902/1903 by Hohenzollern, Düsseldorf, Germany.

Even the modest 4-4-0 class must have looked posh in its abundant lining of its initially ochre color scheme. For their relative small size they were strong engines accelerating well. Surprisingly they were suited for a respectable 75 km/h.
Starting from 1909 members of the class were provided with Verloop smokebox superheaters. For that end the smokebox was extended and the chimney moved forward. It wasn't until 1929 before the last of the ten was modified to superheating. The locos were revised and improved pretty often. The story goes that the ten locomotives of the class were identical at only two moments: when delivered and when scrapped.

During their NCS days all engine resided in the middle of the country. Starting from 1927, already under NS rule they started duties elsewhere, around Apeldoorn and Doetinchem. Others where located at Hoofddorp, to serve the so called Haarlemmermeer lines, for which they will be remembered best.

All members of the class survived the war, but no 7010 was beyond repair and written off in 1947 and no 7007 was withdrawn in 1948 and scrapped for her bad general condition. After closure of the Haarlemmermeer lines in 1950 four members were sent to Rotterdam Fijenoord to work in the harbour areas. The rest was dispersed over various depots but not for long.

In 1954 the last engine was withdrawn. No 7009 was sold to a chemical plant in 1951 and survived until 1965. It is most unfortunate that even as late as that, this engine did not make it into preservation and was scrapped.

Table of main dimensions

Remarks

• As in the locomotive table the tractive effort is calculated with a factor as a percentage of the maximum boiler pressure. In the UK this factor was usually set at 85% where in Europe 70% was used.
• I added the only other 4-4-0T that existed in the Netherlands, which was also an NCS design. Although this enginge was superior on paper it was not continued. The crews did not like it and it was not nearly as efficient as the earlier 41-50.
• I added the NCS 71-78/NS 3600 express engines for comparison. It turns out that the diminutive 41-50 did very well compared to this four cylinder giant.

Photo section

Builder's photo of Sächsiche Maschinenfabrik ehem. Richard Hartmann of no. 41. 1899
© Public Domain, Catalogue number 151380, Het Utrechts Archief

No. 45 with a train leaving Utrecht. 1905-1910
© Public Domain, J.W. Deetman. Catalogue number 165067, Het Utrechts Archief

A local service headed by an unknown NS 7000 heading towards Arnhem, at the junction to Nijmegen (left) en Utrecht (right). 1921-1929
© Public Domain, Catalogue number 808541, Het Utrechts Archief

Nr. 7001 probably at Uithoorn shed. 1946-1954
© Public Domain, Catalogue number 166962, Het Utrechts Archief

Arrival of no. 7003 with one coach and one goods van at Amsterdam Haarlemmermeer station. At the right a third claas coach. 22 February 1952.
© CC BY 4.0, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, D.C. Gerdessen. Catalogue number 151289, Het Utrechts Archief

View on Amstelveen station with no. 7001 one goods van a coach. 22 February 1950.
© CC BY 4.0, Nederlandse Spoorwegen, D.C. Gerdessen. Catalogue number 151281, Het Utrechts Archief