We are delighted to announce our second visit to the Netherlands, taking place on Friday 28th and Saturday 29th August 2026. As with our previous tour in the Netherlands, this two‑day experience will explore routes that rarely see locomotive‑hauled passenger trains and will feature an exciting mix of unusual and highly sought‑after traction.
We are pleased to be working once again with Railexperts, who will operate the train and provide several of the locomotives throughout the tour.
Friday’s afternoon charter will be hauled by a Class 189 electric locomotive, equipped with the necessary safety systems to traverse the Havenlijn.
Veer4Rail 363825—affectionately known as Tinky Winky thanks to its distinctive purple livery—will provide support at Waalhaven Zuid and Pernis.
We now have confirmation that HSL will be providing ‘HaSeL’, G1206 No. 1508 as our additional diesel locomotive. Like Tinky Winky, HaSeL wears a very distinctive livery and should make a rather striking addition to the line-up.
We are also working on a couple of potential surprises involving locomotives on Friday. These are dependent on which freight trains operate on Thursday and Friday morning, so we will not know whether they are possible until Friday morning itself. We will, of course, make the most of whatever opportunities arise.
Saturday’s main charter will be hauled by two classic electric locomotives (Class 1600 or 1800) from Railexperts, operating in top‑and‑tail formation. We have requested locomotives that did not work our train last year, and specifically asked for one to be a former RRF Class 1600 (either 4401 or 4402).
At Sloehaven, Railexperts currently have two V60 diesel locomotives on hand for commercial operations. Both are expected to support movements around the extensive port area.
On the return to Rotterdam, we plan to make a final stop at the Stoom Stichting Nederland (SSN) Headquarters, where passengers will have time to explore the locomotives on site. An SSN locomotive is expected to haul the train from the mainline into the SSN site (expected to be Sik 228).
Departing and returning to Rotterdam Centraal on both days, the tour features:
The train will primarily consist of classic compartment coaches provided by Stoom Stichting Nederland, along with a catering vehicle supplied by Railexperts, offering refreshments throughout the day.
Where operationally possible, we will include photostops at interesting or unusual locations, giving you the opportunity to capture the train and its surroundings.
Catering will be provided by Railexperts, with a provision similar to last year, including:
Yesterday (Thursday 20th August), the railway over the Botlekbrug was officially taken out of service by the infrastructure provider. Unfortunately, this means that we are no longer able to operate over the bridge to Maasvlakte, Europoort and Botlek as originally planned.
An alternative route does exist via the Havenlijn tunnel system. However, passenger trains are prohibited from using these tunnels because they do not have the required fire-escape provision.
We are therefore working closely with our friends at Railexperts to amend the Friday itinerary. Our aim is to ensure that, despite this unexpected change, the trip continues to deliver plenty of interesting track, industrial railway infrastructure and, of course, unusual traction.
At present, we expect to focus our visits around Pernis and Waalhaven Zuid, and we are exploring all available options.
Rotterdam Centraal (PU) - Dordrecht - Roosendaal - Goes - Vlissingen (reverse) - Goes (reverse) - Sloehaven Goederen - Atofina (reverse) - Sloehaven Goederen - Frankrijkweg (reverse) - Sloehaven Goederen (reverse) - Goes - Roosendaal - Breda - Tilburg - ’s‑Hertogenbosch - Geldermalsen - Utrecht Centraal (SD) - Gouda (SD) - Rotterdam Noord Goederen - Rotterdam SSN (reverse / site visit) - Rotterdam Noord Goederen (reverse) - Rotterdam Centraal (SD)
Tickets are priced at £209/€245 and are available to purchase.
Photos on this page provided by Henk Zwoferink and Justin van der Veer
Rotterdam Centraal 15:01 (depart - CONFIRMED)
Rotterdam Centraal 21:12 (arrive - TBC)
The departure time from Rotterdam Centraal is confirmed. The timings we have received are predicated on the original plan through to Maasvlakte, so the arrival time back at Rotterdam Centraal is currently subject to change while we work through the revised plan.
Rotterdam Centraal 09:05 (depart – pick up)
Vlissingen 10:42-11:00 (reversal)
Goes 11:18-11:35 (reversal)
Sloehaven 12:07-14:20 (visit to extensive port area)
Utrecht Centraal 16:48 (arrival – set down)
Gouda 17:24 (arrival – set down)
Rotterdam Noord Goederen 17:40-18:42 (for visit to SSN)
Rotterdam Centraal 18:49 (set down)