Today 6 members of the Dutch Group met at the RTM steam tram museum at Ouddorp in the southwest of our country. The RTM was a 3ft 6ins gauge steam tram network that used to connect Rotterdam to the old islands stretching out into the delta of the southwest. Originally a preservation group operated from the town of Hellevoetsluis, but in the early 1980s they moved to Ouddorp and over the years built a narrow gauge line of several miles along the Grevelingen sea barrier.
The RTM museum (http://www.rtm-ouddorp.nl/start-engels.html) has a wonderful collection of RTM motive power and rolling stock, and during the summer months they operate a service along the line. Apart from some of the original steam locomotives they have 4 operational bogie diesel railcars.
We travelled on the steam tram - it is quite an experience to be hauled up to sea wall level in a 5-coach train behind a 350hp 0-6-0 tank. The exhaust noise is terrific. After the steam service we did another trip on an ancient diesel railcar. Dick van Beek, our diesel addict, managed to get them to run the M1804, powered by an 8-cylinder Deutz diesel with a mechanical transmission. On the way back I got a cab ride on the M67, a diesel-electric car rebuilt from a former luggage van that came from another line in the 1930s.
I do have a lot of video and more photos, but regrettably my home network is disconnected and stored due to building work in our house, so I cannot yet edit and publish the video - this post is written on my tiny laptop. I did select a few photos and reduced them to manageable size though, a taster for what is to come within a few weeks.
No. 50 being prepared for the first train of the day.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125732.jpg&hash=1dcfdceeba3530c14c8157515ceea9e4b6758045)
Blowing down the boiler.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125735.jpg&hash=402b7d7493669d053dd7ac3ce19bc1d791cf251e)
Bogie diesel locomotive 'Meeuw' - the RTM diesels were named after birds.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125743.jpg&hash=a738155d609748c08a30d02c7fbc7d87533f5eaa)
The diesel-electric M67, waiting in a siding where it had been stored earlier that day.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125746.jpg&hash=19ba02b290b8a1cb27b2892c7d24609b8d3ed7b7)
No. 50 again. A 0-6-0 tram loco by Henschel, with inside cylinders and pannier tanks under the footplate. Its stubby appearance belies the 350hp hidden in its boiler.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125755.jpg&hash=3a45299c6e7c122fcd00c67ab5a960e1a6823750)
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125760.jpg&hash=2a0f2d1a4b536d28ed59d9b0d0bb683072ee09c8)
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125761.jpg&hash=ed1d6f5df9321d815174d81750c2fa6364729d2a)
The diesel railcar M1804 waiting for the road.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125773.jpg&hash=9802ba39be99a76b1eaf78888802c4e1f666be97)
M67 and M1802 share the same chassis and power unit. M1802 was rebuilt from its original guise in the 1950s.
(https://forum.009society.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.narrowgauge.nl%2Falbums%2F201509rtm%2Fimages%2FP9125774.jpg&hash=bc95b360b2157ac81b03940cedd7bae9c02e1627)
Bogie parcels van 296.
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Lovely.
Very nice Ted. When I saw the heading I did not think I would be interested in this but I was wrong. Just one question. Why was the line built to an Imperial gauge rather than a metric one?
Thanks for posting, Ted. I bet all that sand plays havoc with the motion and bearings!
Doug
Looks like a splendid day out for the Dutch Group Ted! Super consolation for not being able to come over to the Welsh Highland "Great and Small" weekend.
I look forward very much to seeing more of the RTM Museum and its very distinctive and attractive stock.
Mick
Apologies for missing the replies - I have been rather busy lately preparing for the Valkenburg show, and editing video in parallel!
Rod - the Cape gauge was very common on steam tramways in this country. It was the standard gauge in the former Dutch East Indies as well, and remember the ties we had with South Africa back in the Railway Age. There was some metre gauge predominantly towards the Belgian border, but nothing compared to 3ft 6ins.
Doug - evidently the sand isn't that much of a problem. I suppose they clean it off after a running day. The original tramway ran from Rotterdam to the coast at Oostvoorne - it was a narrow gauge main line with 50kph allowed on some parts. They ran right to the beach so the sand was something they managed to overcome.
Yes, Mick, it was a good alternative to the WHR show, especially as I hadn't been there in 35 years!
Meanwhile I posted a video on Youtube which I hope you like.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpip-4Qt2p0 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jpip-4Qt2p0)