Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik

The line from Hoorn to Medemblik opened on 3 November 1887 as a local railway - not a main line but a light one, laid on a winding route to keep compulsory land purchase down, of a kind the Netherlands built in large numbers and then closed almost entirely. It lost its passenger trains in 1941 but the track survived, and since 1968 it has been run by a volunteer foundation with steam locomotives and wooden carriages of the period, twenty kilometres through the West Frisian polder with stops at village halts. The depot at Hoorn has the workshop and the collection. The standard trip is a triangle: steam tram from Hoorn to Medemblik, a boat across the IJsselmeer from Medemblik to Enkhuizen, and the ordinary train back from Enkhuizen to Hoorn, which takes most of a day and covers the region. Special services run at Christmas and there are dining and Wild West themed trips.

History

The line was built by the Locaalspoorwegmaatschappij Hollands Noorderkwartier and opened on 3 November 1887, on a winding route chosen to reduce the land that had to be compulsorily purchased. It ran on steam until diesel arrived in 1929, and lost its passenger trains for good in 1941; today its centrepiece is locomotive 7742 Bello, the only preserved light steam engine in the Netherlands, and the carriages are presented as they were in 1926 (Wikipedia, Hoorn-Medemblik heritage railway).

What to look for

• An 1887 local railway - a light line of a type that has almost entirely gone.
• Period locomotives and wooden carriages - run by a volunteer foundation since 1968.
• Twenty kilometres of polder - village halts through the West Frisian fields.
• The steam-boat-train triangle - the standard round trip through Medemblik and Enkhuizen.

When to go

April to October. A day.

Good to know

Seasonal and does not run every day - check the timetable and book. The triangle depends on boat sailings which are weather-dependent. Carriages are unheated and basic. Trips are slow by design.

Nearby

Medemblik and its castle are at the far end; Enkhuizen closes the triangle.

Key facts