Watch post 19 On the trail of The Duits Lijntje

There are not many places where the history of the Duits Lijntje is so tangible as it is here. The watchman of this railway crossing used to live here. Railway staff turned the big black handles when the railway barriers had to be closed because of a passing train. On the railway tracks of this railway yard countless trains were shunted. And thanks to the efforts of SIEMei the yellow locomotive and several railway carriages remind us of times gone by.

Manually operated railway crossing

This railway crossing was used until 2001 and therefore it was the last manually operated railway crossing in the country. This national monument was restored by SIEMei volunteers. Originally the control handles, also called wind works, were situated a bit more to the west, near the station. The railway barriers had to go down for an oncoming train? Turning the handles made the red – and – white barriers move through underground and overground cables.

Locomotive and railway carriages

There is a striking yellow Kraansik 252 from 1935 on this railway track. The nickname of this shunting engine: the Sik. What catches the eye is the ball-shaped carriage, type Ucs-y from 1958. This carriage was mainly used for transporting cement, lime and soda. These carriages regularly ran to the Veghel concrete batching plant. A red GBS freight carriage with wooden panels is also part of the collection. As well as a steel carriage from 1932. That carriage was originally used for transporting luggage and was later converted to being an accident carriage.

The Blauwe Brabander

Inextricably linked with the Duits Lijntje is the so-called Blauwe Brabander. This steam locomotive has been brought into action on this route by the NBDS since 1907. The powerful locomotives made sure that the mail-trains with international mail arrived in Berlin on time. And the other way around there was the mail-boat in Vlissingen that had to be caught. A scale model of the dark-blue coloured train can be seen in the SIEMei museum.

If you want to know more about SIEMei? Go to www.SIEMei.nl