Stoomtrein Katwijk Leiden (formerly Stoomtrein Valkenburgse Meer, abbreviated SVM), is a
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...
heritage railway line around the
Valkenburgse Meer in the south of
Katwijk
Katwijk (), also spelled Katwyk, is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands.
The Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and into the North Se ...
,
Netherlands
)
, anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau")
, image_map =
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands
, established_title = Before independence
, established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. Although the name translates as ''Steam Train Valkenburg Lake'', technically actually
tram
A tram (called a streetcar or trolley in North America) is a rail vehicle that travels on tramway tracks on public urban streets; some include segments on segregated right-of-way. The tramlines or networks operated as public transport are ...
s are used for the tourist attraction. Carriages are mostly remakes of early-20th century tram carriages, built by the
Nederlandse Smalspoor Stichting
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
(''Netherlands Narrow-gauge Foundation'') in Katwijk.
History
The SVM finds its origins in the south
dunes of
Katwijk
Katwijk (), also spelled Katwyk, is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands.
The Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and into the North Se ...
. From the starting point ''Vrieze Wei'', not far from the city center, volunteers started in 1973 to operate a steam train line on the tracks formerly used by the dune water company, which abolished the transport of goods using these railways through the dunes. Having bought steam- and diesel locomotives from companies also ceasing their activities on narrow gauge railroads, the passenger carriages were built on site by the volunteers themselves.
Relocation
By the end of the 1980s,
Staatsbosbeheer
Staatsbosbeheer, founded in 1899, is a Dutch government organization for forestry and the management of nature reserves.
Staatsbosbeheer currently oversees over 250,000 hectares of land in the Netherlands. Usually this land is open to the public ...
, the owner of the South Dunes, decided that a tramline through the dunes were no longer tolerated. The narrow-gauge foundation decided to create a museum with a
heritage tramline. A location was found at the Valkenburgse Meer, in the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
of
Valkenburg (in those days a separate municipality, now part of
Katwijk
Katwijk (), also spelled Katwyk, is a coastal municipality and town in the province of South Holland, which is situated in the mid-western part of the Netherlands.
The Oude Rijn ("Old Rhine") river flows through the town and into the North Se ...
). In 1992, the last ride through the dunes was made, a year later was the first ride around the lake. The museum was opened in 1995, with a major expansion in 2003.
Gallery
File:Route SVM.jpg, Route of the tram line
File:Dutch narrow gauge engine.jpg, Locomotive no. 1; "Marijnke"
File:Marijnke.jpg, Tram stop in front of the museum; "Marijnke" is coupled onto a tram
File:Tramhalte Wassenaarse Wetering.jpg, End stop Wassenaarse Wetering
File:P-serie Valkenburgse Meer.jpg, Tram at museum grounds
File:P-serie met dieseltractie.jpg, Tram with diesel traction ( Diema DS40/2 dieselloc)
File:Henschel Lok 21147.jpg, Henschel no. 21147
See also
*
Narrow-gauge railways in the Netherlands Numerous industrial narrow-gauge lines were built for peat extraction, clay extraction for brickworks and construction sites. The dominant gauge for industrial lines was , contrary to the gauge used in neighbouring countries.
Nowadays, much of thi ...
References
{{coord, 52.1590, N, 4.4429, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Katwijk
Heritage railways in the Netherlands