Belgium Tour 13th. to 21st. May 2006
Leffe Blonde and Argentenian Beef Steak by Richard Morris
Anyone would think a group of English railway enthusiasts considered only drinking and eating when they visit a foreign country. Well the food and drink on offer in our host country, Belgium, for our 2006 holiday is amongst some of the very best you will find anywhere in Europe. But the main purpose of the holiday was to visit some lines upon which we had not previously travelled, to re-visit some favourite old haunts, and to witness some pretty efficient railway operation. Making our various ways to Brussels on 13th May, we foregathered at the Hotel IBIS Centre Gare du Midi for a week of travelling, eating, drinking, occasionally sleeping, and jolly good company. It was your scribe's first opportunity to travel over the new high speed line between Fawkham Jct and the Channel Tunnel. Something which many would now regard as the norm, it seemed almost incongruous to me to be drinking coffee at 300kph - in England! But it was done and that's another bit of track ticked off. Bit of a giveaway in the hotel name is that it was located right across the road from Midi Station in Brussels. Arriving there mid-morning some took the opportunity to pop up to Antwerpen for the afternoon. A distance of around 35 miles each way, a return fare was available for just € 6.80 (about £5 in our currency), valid on all services including Inter City. Oh for such a sensible approach to train fares in the UK!
 Preserved SNCB DMUs 4403 and 4620 at the Stoom Centrum Maldegem |
 Restored former TKP 0-8-0T No. 6281 at the Stoom Centrum, Maldegem. |
Our first day out on Sunday 14th was to visit Stoom Centrum Maldegem, a developing preservation site in the north east of the country. Making sure we were in the right portion of a 4 unit (12 coaches) AM96 train set on an Antwerpen to Knokke/Blankenberge service we headed for the latter location from Brussels. We had a thought that having arrived in Blankenberge we could hop on an Oostende tram to Zeebrugge Strand (€ 0.70 for a 20 minute ride), get a train to Brugge and from there to Knokke in order to board a bus to Maldegem. It was a good plan - shame about the tiny misprint in the train timetable which left us waiting for a train that didn't exist at Zeebrugge Strand. Ah well, time to catch up on news with folks we haven't seen for a while, knock off a crossword, enjoy some sunshine and a brisk breeze. The odd thing was we weren't the only people to turn up expecting a train - some of the locals did too! Frustration compounded when, on eventual departure from Zeebrugge Strand, a line up of half a dozen Cl.77 diesels we hoped to see the numbers of were completely blocked from view by some rakes of wagons. The locos were parked next to a road, which was only a few minutes walk from where we were waiting at the station. Can't win them all, and we were to see 120 of the 170 Cl.77s during the week which, considering their adeptness to hide in yards and docks, was pretty good going. Anyway we were not defeated in reaching Maldegem where we found an ex TKP 0-8-0 tank loco 6281 waiting with a couple of carriages for a run down the line towards Eeklo. Also on site were a couple of very recently withdrawn Cl.44 DMU cars - one (4403) nicely cleaned up and in use, the other awaiting return to service, and a similarly recently withdrawn Cl.91 shunting loco. All aboard one of the coaches - strangely the one containing a drinks bar, we set off towards Eeklo. The railway's plan is to reach Eeklo station, and indeed by the time this is read, may well have done so. They were expecting the final track sections to be in place for tamping and receive the safety inspection and approval a few weeks after our visit. It dawned on us that the current limit of line, short of Eeklo, did not have a run round facility. Imagine, then, our surprise at some bonus haulage as resident Cl.91 shunter 9151 had followed the train from Maldegem and was on hand to drag it back to a place where the steam loco could run round. We were allowed off to witness the manoeuvre and take some photographs, before 6281 returned us to Maldegem station. On arrival back there we visited the museum on site and had a run on a narrow gauge line which heads off the opposite way from the standard gauge. That was hauled by a numberless Simplex type diesel. A thoroughly enjoyable afternoon with the folks at Stoom Centrum Maldegem thus came to a conclusion and we headed off by bus to Eeklo and Gent for dinner before returning to Brussels.
Monday 15th May saw us heading right into the French sector of the country, visiting a number of termini of SNCB passenger services short of the border with France. Making our way from Brussels Midi to Quievrain we had cl.27 2712 on a rake of M4 hauled stock for travel. From Quievrain we made our way back to Mons, where amongst SNCB locos, a pair of SNCF cl.36 locomotives were resting in the yard. Off to Quevy on AM80/83 three car unit 346, we observed the lines through to France which are used for freight, but not passenger, duties. Time in the afternoon to do some train watching at Charleroi Sud, and to wander out past Monceau yard and back to see if there were any stored locomotives parked up there. There were but getting the numbers was tricky as some wagons were parked between the running lines and the locomotives. From Charleroi, and with a change at Jemeppe sur Sambre (station next to a chemicals factory) we traversed a rare-ish curve towards Ottignes before hopping on a train along a branch to Louvain University. The University station, lying in the shadow of the enormous campus building, has a 15 minute headway service to and from Ottignes and beyond right through the day. Back in Brussels for the evening, re-acquaintance with a Chinese restaurant a few minutes from Nord station was effected.
 SNCB No. 1601 at Brussels Nord with an evening commuter train. |
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Tuesday was Luxembourg day and what a change we found in that country since our last visit. Luxembourg City Station is undergoing a major rebuilding exercise. Soon after arrival, we had a minor brush with someone we presumed to be a security officer who perhaps slightly overstepped his authority. We wondered if he was using his dog to boost his own confidence but as the dog was a Labrador it would more likely have licked us into submission rather than done us any harm! A later conversation with the Stationmaster reassured us that we were perfectly welcome to be there. Time was when most of CFL's rolling stock was sourced from France and not exactly in the first flush of youth. Not any more. CFL has been almost completely transformed with new rolling stock, double deck hauled coaching stock, locomotives sourced from Germany, French designed low floor EMUs, the only slightly older trains on the books being the Cl.2000 tranch of two car units (identical to the SNCF Z11500 units). A run out to Wasserbillig and back on DB cl.628 DMUs (at least one noted carrying CFL logos on the side as well as DB), crewed with a German driver and Luxembourg guard. Off out past Bettembourg yard to Volmerange, followed by return to Brussels via Liege. Someone in the party wanted one SNCB Cl.15 locomotive. The remaining operational examples see rather limited use on commuter services out of Liege. Quite a bit of the line between Luxembourg City and Liege is single track with passing loops. Just as well, then, that we were travelling slowly along one such passing loop when 1504 when past in the other direction!
More branch lines to travel over on Wednesday, including a direct line from Burst to Aalst, which is only used during peak periods. That line was ticked off early on, but we needed to make sure we were travelling in the right part of a loco hauled train as half of the M4 coaches were dropped at Burst. Back into Brussels we then headed off for Binche, where we found the most amazing Gothic style station buildings I think I've ever seen. Miles down a branch line and seeing just an hourly service formed of AM86 units, the 3 platform station is not put to its best use. The centre platform waiting shelter had suffered rather from lack of care, but at least it was still standing. The vast main station building also could certainly do with some TLC but internally was very clean and showed off its classic lines to great effect. Returning as far as La Louviere Sud and on to Mons, where we found the same duo of SNCF Cl.36s still resting in the yard, we took a Wednesdays only train to La Louviere Centre, a smallish station in the centre of town (Sud being the main station serving this place). Onwards to Halle and Vilvoorde we made our way back to Brussels Nord mid afternoon as a major train watching session had been planned for the evening peak here. Suffering from severe pen ache about three hours later, with several pages of the notebook filled in, I don't believe those of us writing the numbers down missed much! Anything sneaking past into Midi was observed on the way back out again. Even after all this there was sufficient time to hop on a train to Leuven where the station is being rebuilt in association with the construction of the new high speed line. We took dinner at the Station Hotel just across the road, and returned to Brussels via the new Airport chord from Leuven and the existing chord towards Brussels.
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 SNCB Class 77 No. 7777 heads a line of stabled 77s at Antwerpen Noord. |
The words of John McRae's poem "In Flanders Fields" came to mind as we made our way west through to the area where our men fought in during The Great War, to Ypres (more commonly referred to by the Flemish spelling of its name, Ieper, these days) and on to the line terminus at Poperinge. Whether it was a temporary restriction or standard practice, I don't know, but our AM96 formed train slowed markedly as it travelled through Flanders Fields full, as we found, of the cemeteries being the final resting place of so many of our soldiers. Time to reflect and remember quietly as we travelled along. The Parish Church at Poperinge commanded the skyline as we arrived there. Onwards then to Oudenarde where a cross platform interchange found us a train to Ronse, this formed of a pair of recently introduced Cl.41 diesel units. At Ronse we discovered the station name growing in the garden on the bank opposite the buildings - box hedging or something similar. Making our way from here to De Panne we changed traction to the Oostende tram system once again to tick off the one lengthy section of that not previously done, between De Panne and Oostende. From Oostende we made our way to Gent Sint Pieters for another train watching session. Not quite as busy at Nord the previous day, but still not much time to breathe between arrivals and departures needing numbers to be recorded. After taking dinner in Gent we wandered out past Merelbeke depot to see what was on, before returning to our base.
Friday was a chilly day compared to earlier in the week, but another day riding lines not previously covered, to Dendemonde, St Niklaas, Turnhout, Lier where we played 'how many people can we cram into the bus shelter". Quite a few as it turned out huddling under cover from the rain and strong winds. Onwards to Mol and Hasselt where it was brighter but still with a keen wind blowing. This remained as we carried out lineside observation at Antwerpen Berchem. I didn't mention earlier, the continued rebuilding of Anterwerpen Centraal which was well underway at the time of our last visit 3 years ago. The work is transforming the station from a six platform one level station, into a many more platforms station on three levels. All the more remarkable in the construction in that the original train shed and main buildings remain perfectly in place, the two new levels being below the old. This work is also part of the new high speed line construction and will allow trains heading into Holland to do so without the need to reverse in Centraal and exit via a sharpish curve just outside the station. Dinner tonight was the time your scribe was most looking forward to and we were not disappointed. We visited the Argentinian Steak House just outside Centraal Station, which serves THE best steaks to be had anywhere in Europe. Perfectly cooked, nicely presented with accompanying sauces, ah - divine! The week would simply not have been complete without a visit to this superb restaurant. Replete we staggered back to the station and gratefully collapsed into an AM96 which took us back to our hotel in Brussels.
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The last full day on Saturday was spent re-acquainting ourselves with some places visited on earlier holidays. So it was off to Liege where we hopped on a bus to see what we could find at Kinkempois Depot. What we found was a museum occupying part of the site and accessible to the public. We were greeted by Marc who hails from Holland and who showed us round the exhibits in the museum. After coffee we made our way back to Liege Guellemins station where work on the vast new structure towering miles, it seems, above its predecessor could be viewed. Another new station being built as part of the high speed line development, it is added onto the eastern end of the old station, which will presumably be demolished at some point. In a departure from trusted design, the monumental arched station roof is constructed along the length of the platforms rather than, the more traditional, across the width of them. A very pleasant surprise while we were waiting here was the arrival of preserved Nohab 1603 and preserved SNCB diesel 6077 with some carriages. We gather it was just a stock movement rather than a rail tour. On through Namur (station rebuilding just about finished), to Charleoi Sud for some train watching. Arriving back into Brussels early evening as many as could gathered in a restaurant for an 'end of holiday' celebration meal.
As we made our various ways back to the UK on Sunday, an opportunity for some to take a look round the City of Brussels, off the trains. As with most big cities Brussels is best seen when there are not too many people about and earlyish on a Sunday morning is a good a time as any. And so time now to place on record the thanks of all the tour participants to Steve Ollive and Big Mal for coordinating the holiday and devising an itinerary for us to follow. It was a good week of good company, good trains and good food. Tell you what it beats working for a living (well for those of us still gainfully employed anyway!) and it is time now to look forward to next year's holiday where, all being well, we make a return to Holland.
Digital images by Steve Ollive and Richard Morris.