Trains & trams

Already turned around for the return journey.

In the old days, these iron-and-glass roofs for stations were quite normal. If you are an architect today, you are not allowed to design such a roof.

Chicken, cranberry sauce, bread sauce, baked potatoes, vegetables, salad and chocolate brioche

I arrived on the left one.

These small locomotives were only used by the East-German railways.

This type of tram replaced the famous PCC tram from the 1980s onwards.

This tram travels from The Hague to the commuter-town of Zoetermeer. Before this new light rail system you had to travel by tram in the city of The Hague and take the train from The Hague Central Station. The introduction was however wrought with difficulties, with several derailments, and the tram had to be taken out of service. It has been introduced again in November 2007, quietly this time, but with more success.

Three locomotives not only gives you more power, but you can also divide the pulling force over more axles, which reduces the chance of slipping.

at Amsterdam Central Station

Only one locomotive is actually pulling the train, because two 1600's cannot work together on one train. There is a risk that they interfere with the signalling. At the border they will be changed for German locomotives, because the current on the overhead wires is different in each European country.

Predicting passenger numbers is often difficult for train companies and when the predictions are to low, a shortage of material will ensue. Building trains or carriages is time-consuming and is capital intensive, so the Dutch railways (NL) bought carriages of the German railways (DB). After a while the German carriages are painted in the yellow-and-blue paint of the NS, but the carriage on the right is still in its original German colours.

Behind is a advertisement poster for the right-wing liberal party. The slogan is "Time for real solutions" and the picture is of a trafic jam. Trafic jams, a problem for some, are however not easily solved. The trafic jams have only gotten worse, even with the liberal party in government, so it is a bit strange to suggest that they can solve them now.