Netherlands

Yellow-liveried standard gauge HTM 1100, a 600v DC American PCC tram built under licence in Belgium, is on a number 9 service heading for Vrederust from the Kurhaus in Scheveningen and has just crossed Koninginnegracht. This is the stop for Madurodam which is on the left. We lived in the apartment block behind on Nieuwe Parklaan at the time & I used to catch this tram to the office in the Babylon Centre. I didn't need an alarm clock because the squealing of the wheels of the first tram of the day as it negotiated the bends across the canal immediately woke me up! HFF and have a great weekend.

We were living in The Hague at this time and made a Sunday visit to nearby Delft. A fairly quiet day generally but ideal for wandering around the streets and canals of this beautiful town. This view is from Catharijnebrug looking along Oosteinde towards the Nieuwe Kerk on the Markt in the centre of the city. The Kleine Oostpoortbrug is behind the camera. HFF to everyone & have a great weekend.

A view of Gevers Deynootweg from the 5th floor of the Badhotel with HTM tram 3146 (GTL8-II, built at Brugge, 1993) on a number 1 service from Zwartepad to Delft Tanthof via Hollandspoor railway station. This the longest route (approx. 20 km) on the HTM system. The Dutch national flag flies from the impressive dome of the Kurhaus hotel which overlooks the beach & seafront.

Bikes outside Boekhandel Douwes on the corner of Princessegracht & Herengracht. Many years ago I worked by Centraal station in the Babylon Centre seen in the distance which was very modern then. Today it is even more modern and almost unrecognisable! HFF to everyone & have a great weekend.

A wider view of The Hague's other railway station - Hollandspoor - which is much more impressive than Centraal with a fabulous glass & steel train shed. Built in 1888 the roof and victorian brick buildings are very well preserved & see regular train services today. This is the 12.03 to the terminus at Den Haag Centraal station is in platform made up of two 3-car Spanish-built Sprinter New Generation (abbreviated SNG) electric multiple units . The nearer one is numbered 2334.

Sunset on the beach at the Sol Beach Bar in Scheveningen. It's 10.30 and the light is beautiful. This was the only photo I took during the recent Clyde Netherlands reunion - I was too busy catching up with former colleagues many of whom I hadn't seen for over 20 years. I worked in the oil industry back then and Clyde had North Sea hydrocarbon production offshore from Scheveningen. It is still producing but clearly the mass of windmills on the horizon is proof that greener power generation is taking over.

I get a stare from the driver of ex-DB Class 23 2-6-2 23071 as we stood in Eekbeek station prior to the engine running round. It was just a quick footplate visit and this shot was taken from the fireman's seat with the firehole & hotplate in the foreground. The VSM (Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschapij) runs from Apeldoorn to Dieren but on this day the train terminated at Eerbeek. In June trains run only on Sundays and there is only one round trip.

A late evening scene at the Hofvijfer in the centre of Den Haag. The modern skyline dwarfs the historic Binnenhof government buildings alongside the lake.

The Hague's other railway station - Hollandspoor - is much more impressive with a fabulous glass & steel train shed. Here NS (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) Class 186 quadruple voltage electric locomotives E 186 35 & 41 top & tail an earlier Intercity train from Amsterdam to Breda via Rotterdam racing non-stop southeastwards through HS. NS plans to replace these push-pull sets with high speed multiple units in the future. In 2018 NS took a sale-and-leaseback agreement with Akiem for the entire Class 186 engines they owned to cover the period until then. Notice the "Akiem" painted beneath the left-hand window .