This was another of my fly-by-night (well, tunnel-by-night) ventures, with the trusty Espace having the first of quite a number of trips to France by rail through the Channel Tunnel which had only opened 10 months before. Regrettably, I was not accompanied by my notebook.
Saturday 4 March 1995
The 1995 gricing season opened with an interesting duo from Along Different Lines, consisting of a Saturday venture to 'Eastern Belgian Branches' including part of the Vennbahn, and a Sunday tour on the Kusttram on the west part of the Belgian coast.
The tour started at Liège Guillemins - the old version, one of the more gloomy large stations I've encountered in Belgium or even the UK. There were (and are) worse though, and of course the spectacular rebuilding (and minor relocation eastwards) of Liège Guillemins has made it a pleasure to visit in more recent times.
The usual gaggle of UK trackbashers were assembled prior on the platform before the tour train arrived, comprised of a two-car M1 push-pull set powered by Belgian-built 1380 hp Bo-Bo 6239. The tour set off to Trois Ponts via the normal route of lines 43 and 42 with a short stretch of single line working between Esneux and Rivage.
Reversing at Trois Ponts, we set off east on the Vennbahn (line 45) to Y Weywertz, diverging right there on to 45A to Losheimergraben where we stopped to reverse at the German border. Back to Weywertz again, this time reversing and continuing to the left at Y Weywertz on line 45 towards Raeren. We trundled north through Sourbrodt but came to a sudden halt at km 53.75. This turned out to be something of a novelty, even for a seasoned trackbasher, as the driver had (fortunately) been able to bring us to a stand just short of a landslip which had blocked the track. Everybody piled out and there was much discussion of shovels and the like, but it soon became obvious that we weren't going to get any further. The usual ADL patrons' motto of 'Dirk'll fix it' (normally entirely justified - the man regularly worked wonders with any on the day problems) had to be left unsaid and we returned, with a photo stop at Sourbrodt station en route, to Liège Guillemins.
The day was not done, however, and after reversal we set out eastwards again as far as Welkenraedt, the junction for Eupen and Montzen. Reversing again we made the short run up line 39 to Montzen yard where we joined line 24 to continue west towards Visé. At Y Berneau we diverged on to the curve (line 24/1) to Visé Sud where we joined the Maastricht - Liège line 40 to make our way back to Liège. It was disappointing to have missed the northern part of the Vennbahn but that was very definitely a case of 'force majeure'. As far as I recall there was no traffic passing east of Weywertz at the time and we certainly hadn't expected to get over the border beyond Losheimergraben. As things turned out I was able to get to both extremities over the next couple of years on tours.
The Vennbahn is quite well described in this Wikipedia article and a more contemporary description (much of the Vennbahn is now a cycle route) can be found on the present day Vennbahn website where there is quite a lot of historical information, starting in the days of Charlemagne , whose heyday was a lot earlier than that of the Vennbahn! Both sites are in English.
Following the Vennbahn tour most patrons made their way to Gent where accommodation had been booked at an Ibis ready for the Kusttram tour the following day.
The 1995 gricing season opened with an interesting duo from Along Different Lines, consisting of a Saturday venture to 'Eastern Belgian Branches' including part of the Vennbahn, and a Sunday tour on the Kusttram on the west part of the Belgian coast.
The tour started at Liège Guillemins - the old version, one of the more gloomy large stations I've encountered in Belgium or even the UK. There were (and are) worse though, and of course the spectacular rebuilding (and minor relocation eastwards) of Liège Guillemins has made it a pleasure to visit in more recent times.
The usual gaggle of UK trackbashers were assembled prior on the platform before the tour train arrived, comprised of a two-car M1 push-pull set powered by Belgian-built 1380 hp Bo-Bo 6239. The tour set off to Trois Ponts via the normal route of lines 43 and 42 with a short stretch of single line working between Esneux and Rivage.
Reversing at Trois Ponts, we set off east on the Vennbahn (line 45) to Y Weywertz, diverging right there on to 45A to Losheimergraben where we stopped to reverse at the German border. Back to Weywertz again, this time reversing and continuing to the left at Y Weywertz on line 45 towards Raeren. We trundled north through Sourbrodt but came to a sudden halt at km 53.75. This turned out to be something of a novelty, even for a seasoned trackbasher, as the driver had (fortunately) been able to bring us to a stand just short of a landslip which had blocked the track. Everybody piled out and there was much discussion of shovels and the like, but it soon became obvious that we weren't going to get any further. The usual ADL patrons' motto of 'Dirk'll fix it' (normally entirely justified - the man regularly worked wonders with any on the day problems) had to be left unsaid and we returned, with a photo stop at Sourbrodt station en route, to Liège Guillemins.
The day was not done, however, and after reversal we set out eastwards again as far as Welkenraedt, the junction for Eupen and Montzen. Reversing again we made the short run up line 39 to Montzen yard where we joined line 24 to continue west towards Visé. At Y Berneau we diverged on to the curve (line 24/1) to Visé Sud where we joined the Maastricht - Liège line 40 to make our way back to Liège. It was disappointing to have missed the northern part of the Vennbahn but that was very definitely a case of 'force majeure'. As far as I recall there was no traffic passing east of Weywertz at the time and we certainly hadn't expected to get over the border beyond Losheimergraben. As things turned out I was able to get to both extremities over the next couple of years on tours.
The Vennbahn is quite well described in this Wikipedia article and a more contemporary description (much of the Vennbahn is now a cycle route) can be found on the present day Vennbahn website where there is quite a lot of historical information, starting in the days of Charlemagne , whose heyday was a lot earlier than that of the Vennbahn! Both sites are in English.
Following the Vennbahn tour most patrons made their way to Gent where accommodation had been booked at an Ibis ready for the Kusttram tour the following day.
6289 pauses for a photostop at a still slightly snowy Weywertz on 4.3.95. The altitude here is around 540m (1770 ft) so it's not too surprising this early in March. |
The best laid plans of railtour organisers ... the tour came to an abrupt end as far as this part of the Vennbahn was concerned, when the driving trailer had to give in to the immovable object just north of Sourbrodt. |
The tour is seen here at Sourbrodt on the retreat to Liège |
Sunday 5 March 1995
Today's jaunt was a tour of the Kusttram system, the last vestige of the once countrywide Vicinal network of interurban tramways in Belgium - and now reputedly the world's longest, though that rather depends on your definition of interurban, light rail, tramway, metro and several other categories. What isn't for debate is that it's 42 miles long and extends along the Belgian coast from Knokke-Heist at the eastern end to its terminus at De Panne railway station which is in fact at Adinkerke, some 3.8 km from the 'De Panne Centrum' tram stop, which as its name suggests is in the centre of De Panne. At the time of this tour the Kusttram terminated at the western edge of De Panne 'proper'.
We started at Oostende, from the tram 'station' integrated with the SNCB/NMBS Oostende station adjacent to the ferry terminal. Integrated transport, or what! Kusttram units, both the 6000 series of which one, 6044, was used for the tour and the more recent CAF-built Urbos units are single ended which puts some constraints on out of the ordinary workings such as ours. We started by heading east from Oostende via the southernmost of the two swing bridges over the Demeysluis lock which connects the harbour to the docks further inland. Single-endedness then took over and we headed out to Zwarte Keizel where a loop provided a photo opportunity as well as getting us pointing west again.
Now heading west we returned through Oostende via the other swing bridge at the north end of Demeysluis, to Maria-Joséplein where MW's very detailed record shows that we went round another reversing loop. There's no loop there now, so I have to assume it was removed at some time in the next 28 years! Back then past the station to the southern end of Slijkensesteenweg where we took the west curve into the depot. The record shows that we returned via the south curve to the passenger line which must have involved at least a very short distance of reverse travel, mostly within the depot area, then a reversal at the east point of the triangle. Running forwards again we used a crossover to get on to the correct line and carried on past the station and out of town to Westende where once again we rounded a loop, this time to head back eastwards through Oostende, over the north end of Demeysluis and out through Blankenberge to Duinse Polders where a loop turned us yet again to run back through Blankenberge. There's now a turning triangle just east of Wenduine Harendijke, but MW's record shows us negotiating a loop there - and it does indeed look on Google Earth as if it was likely to have been a loop at that site at one time. Whichever it was, we ended up heading east again!
We made our way to Knokke next, as far as I can make out by the northernmost of the two routes between Stationswijk (Zeebrugge) and Kerk and similarly between Kerk and Zeesluis. At Knokke there was a little tour (by tram) of the depot including the depot loop and the Knokke station (tram stop) loop and a shunt into the shed. On the return we did the other two alternative routes at Zeebrugge, continuing to Oostende and then De Panne, in the course of which we did, I believe, the triangle/reversing siding between Sint-Bernardusplein and Groenendijk Nieuwport. On arrival at De Panne we ran down the short branch to the depot where we were able to 'de-tram' to inspect the assorted collection of ancient (and in many cases quite decrepit) trams stored there. A number of these were subsequently restored and are used on special occasions. Once everything had been 'spotted and photted' we rejoined the tram for the run back to Oostende via the reversing triangle outside the depot, and the loop at the end of the passenger section - the loop of course was subsequently replaced by plain line continuing to the new terminus at 'De Panne' a.k.a Adinkerke.
All in all, a very comprehensive tour of the system in the style to which we had become accustomed, and there may even have been one or two bits I haven't noted.
Today's jaunt was a tour of the Kusttram system, the last vestige of the once countrywide Vicinal network of interurban tramways in Belgium - and now reputedly the world's longest, though that rather depends on your definition of interurban, light rail, tramway, metro and several other categories. What isn't for debate is that it's 42 miles long and extends along the Belgian coast from Knokke-Heist at the eastern end to its terminus at De Panne railway station which is in fact at Adinkerke, some 3.8 km from the 'De Panne Centrum' tram stop, which as its name suggests is in the centre of De Panne. At the time of this tour the Kusttram terminated at the western edge of De Panne 'proper'.
We started at Oostende, from the tram 'station' integrated with the SNCB/NMBS Oostende station adjacent to the ferry terminal. Integrated transport, or what! Kusttram units, both the 6000 series of which one, 6044, was used for the tour and the more recent CAF-built Urbos units are single ended which puts some constraints on out of the ordinary workings such as ours. We started by heading east from Oostende via the southernmost of the two swing bridges over the Demeysluis lock which connects the harbour to the docks further inland. Single-endedness then took over and we headed out to Zwarte Keizel where a loop provided a photo opportunity as well as getting us pointing west again.
Now heading west we returned through Oostende via the other swing bridge at the north end of Demeysluis, to Maria-Joséplein where MW's very detailed record shows that we went round another reversing loop. There's no loop there now, so I have to assume it was removed at some time in the next 28 years! Back then past the station to the southern end of Slijkensesteenweg where we took the west curve into the depot. The record shows that we returned via the south curve to the passenger line which must have involved at least a very short distance of reverse travel, mostly within the depot area, then a reversal at the east point of the triangle. Running forwards again we used a crossover to get on to the correct line and carried on past the station and out of town to Westende where once again we rounded a loop, this time to head back eastwards through Oostende, over the north end of Demeysluis and out through Blankenberge to Duinse Polders where a loop turned us yet again to run back through Blankenberge. There's now a turning triangle just east of Wenduine Harendijke, but MW's record shows us negotiating a loop there - and it does indeed look on Google Earth as if it was likely to have been a loop at that site at one time. Whichever it was, we ended up heading east again!
We made our way to Knokke next, as far as I can make out by the northernmost of the two routes between Stationswijk (Zeebrugge) and Kerk and similarly between Kerk and Zeesluis. At Knokke there was a little tour (by tram) of the depot including the depot loop and the Knokke station (tram stop) loop and a shunt into the shed. On the return we did the other two alternative routes at Zeebrugge, continuing to Oostende and then De Panne, in the course of which we did, I believe, the triangle/reversing siding between Sint-Bernardusplein and Groenendijk Nieuwport. On arrival at De Panne we ran down the short branch to the depot where we were able to 'de-tram' to inspect the assorted collection of ancient (and in many cases quite decrepit) trams stored there. A number of these were subsequently restored and are used on special occasions. Once everything had been 'spotted and photted' we rejoined the tram for the run back to Oostende via the reversing triangle outside the depot, and the loop at the end of the passenger section - the loop of course was subsequently replaced by plain line continuing to the new terminus at 'De Panne' a.k.a Adinkerke.
All in all, a very comprehensive tour of the system in the style to which we had become accustomed, and there may even have been one or two bits I haven't noted.
The Sunday tram tour pauses for a photo stop at the picturesque De Haan station on 5.3.95. |
Another photo stop on the Kusttram tour, this one at the junction of Leopold III-laan (to the left) and Leopold II-laan (to the right) in Oostende |
1931-built SNCV wooden bodied power car 9985, one of the 'heritage' trams retained at De Panne depot for excursion work |
At this time I was an occasional reader of 'Steam Railway' magazine and I spotted an advertisement for a trip they were running to Wolsztyn in Poland. I'd been there 18 months earlier and as I'd been on a day trip from Berlin I'd had to make do with only about half the steam mileage available on a daily basis. The Steam Railway trip was very short but offered plenty of steam haulage of several varieties so in late April I set off down to Gatwick for a charter flight to Poznań.
