Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik (SHM)

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik (SHM)(Hoorn–Medemblik Railway)

The Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik (SHM) operates a service on the tourist railway (museum line) Hoorn – Medemblik with historical steam tram material. The company also operates, in cooperation with Rederij Gebhard, the boat service Medemblik – Enkhuizen with the floating monument MS Friesland.

These are two of the three parts of the 'Historical Triangle', a day trip that can be made between the West Frisian cities of Hoorn, Medemblik and Enkhuizen, with the third side of the triangle being formed by the Hoorn – Enkhuizen railway line with the regular train service of the NS.

The museum uses the former freight and shunting yard of Hoorn station. The first trips with museum equipment were made here on 23 May 1968. For this, locomotives 18 and 30 with NS Blokkendoos carriages were used. On the occasion of the fortieth anniversary, these trips were repeated on 1 May 2008 with the same equipment composition.

In the following years, the museum and tourist steam tram company developed as it exists today.

The steam tram company is a reminder of the many steam tram companies that existed in the Netherlands between 1879 and 1966. The year 1926 is used as a guideline for the steam tram.

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Description

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Line and Stations

The Museum Steam Tram uses the local railway line between Hoorn and Medemblik, opened in 1887.

Not only the rolling stock, but also the entourage of the line contributes to the historical character of the tram service, such as the station buildings in Wognum-Nibbixwoud, Twisk and Opperdoes, which were restored in the nineties, and the signal box in Hoorn, which originates from Kesteren. The station in Medemblik was restored to its historical state in 2007.

Still in private hands are the station buildings of Benningbroek-Sijbekarspel and Zwaag, as well as the crossing keeper's house in Zwaagdijk. In 2021, in agreement with the owners, the names of the three stations were put back on the facades. The station building of Midwoud-Oostwoud was demolished in 1971, and the stop building of Westerblokker no longer exists either. It was demolished in 1970.

On 10 September 2007, the municipal council of Medemblik decided to purchase the station building of Abbekerk-Lambertschaag. In January 2020, this station became available to the museum steam tram. This means that five of the six remaining station buildings are now owned by the Museum Steam Tram.

Tram Station Hoorn

Since 1987, the SHM station building has been located at the Hoorn yard. In 2015, the station was expanded and renovated in the style of the former tram station in Coevorden.

The former Kesteren signal box from 1897 is located on the Hoorn yard. The mechanical safety equipment is in working order and has been adapted for the operation of switches and signals on the SHM yard. The operating device is of the HSM type.

Since 1968, the former motor car shed at Hoorn Station has served as a home for the SHM workshop. This shed was built in 1929 for the motor cars that were then put into service on the tram and local railway lines near Hoorn.

In 2023, a new workshop building was put into use next to the existing shed, where maintenance and restoration work is carried out. The old shed now mainly serves as a shelter for the operational steam locomotives.

The yard also has the 'long shed', which houses the historic locomotives and tram carriages. In 2017, the former CiKo shed was purchased at the western end of the yard, against the Keern.

In 2019-2020, the Medemblik Station site was completely renovated and adapted to the needs of the steam tram service.

In March-April 2021, the characteristic three-way switch at the Hoorn yard was removed and replaced by three separate switches. A connection was also made to the new workshop north of the existing workshop from 1929. In 2023, one yard track was removed to widen the departure platform of the steam tram.

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Knowledge Center

Hoorn is also home to the Knowledge Centre on the History of the Steam Tram in the Netherlands: the Steam Tram Documentation Centre (SDC).

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Company Structure

There are four legal entities, three of which are foundations and one company. The museum property - historical equipment and buildings - is housed in the Stichting Beheer Museumstoomtram (SBM). The rail infrastructure is housed in the Stichting Beheer Spoorlijn (SBS). The BV operating company Museumstoomtram (BEM) is the company in which the transport and related activities are housed. All staff are employed by the company. The certified shares held by the West Frisian municipalities are housed in the Stichting Administratie Kantoor (SAK).

A large proportion of the employees are volunteers.

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Timetable and Daily Operations

The tram runs approximately 6 months a year, 6 days a week (not on Mondays), plus some months only on weekends, once a day from Hoorn (departure time 10.40 am) to Medemblik and back; more often in August and other holiday periods.

The 10.40 tram from Hoorn always consists of local railcars, that is to say 'the Austrians' (51-61), previously supplemented as necessary with one or more 'Swiss', occasionally entirely of Swiss), supplemented with two Dutch carriages (86 and 501), but never of Dutch wooden steam tram carriages. The Swiss carriages returned to Switzerland at the end of 2012. Locomotives: usually the 26 or 5; sometimes the 30, 16 or 7742 'Bello'.
The 11.40 tram from Hoorn (during high season, public holidays and school holidays) consists of Dutch wooden steam tram carriages and a number of tram freight cars, including a postal baggage car with postal conductor. Locomotives: 5, 18, 30, NS 6513 or NS 7742 'Bello'.
There is no turntable, triangle or loop. The SHM steam locomotives run backwards (i.e. with the driver's cab in front) from Hoorn to Medemblik and forwards (i.e. with the chimney in front, this also applies to the 'square' tram locomotives) from Medemblik to Hoorn.

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Timetable 2022 and 2023

In April to June, there was one ride per day on Tuesdays to Sundays, two rides per day during the holidays and on public holidays. In July and August, seven days a week. In these months, there were two rides per day: departure from Hoorn at 10:40 and 11:40; departure from Medemblik at 13:20 and 14:20.

In 2023, the 11.40 am ride with historic steam tram carriages will only be operated during the holidays and on public holidays and between 18 July and 24 August on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

The connecting boat MS Friesland of Rederij Gebhard sails once a day during this period: departure from Enkhuizen at 10.40 am and from Medemblik at 1.20 pm.

From September 1 to October 1, the service runs from Tuesday to Sunday according to the same timetable, with a connecting boat from Medemblik to Enkhuizen.

In October the steam tram only runs on weekends during the autumn holidays.

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Passenger Numbers

1971 1972 1973 1974 1981 1983 2009 2010 2011 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023
18     33      48      70     56     82      124   128   128   138   145   140    155   157   177   164    34     36     65     78
Passengers (x 1000)

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Rolling Stock

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Locomotives

The Hoorn – Medemblik Steam Tramway has an interesting collection of historical steam tram rolling stock, including two operational square steam tram locomotives, locomotive 8 of the former HTM (built by Machinefabriek Breda ) and locomotive 18 of the former GSM (built by Henschel ). Furthermore, the Verhoop locomotive LTM 26 and locomotive NS 7742 'Bello', originating from the tram line Alkmaar - Bergen aan Zee, which was closed in 1955. Other operational steam locomotives are the 'La Meuse' locomotive 5, and the 'Jung' locomotives 16 and 30. Over a period of ten years, locomotive Neuehoffnungshütte II, type NS 6500, was rebuilt as NS 6513 and put into service on 1 July 2017.

In 2023, the steam tram has eight operational steam locomotives: 5, 8, 16, 18, 26, 30, 6513 and 7742.

WSM locomotive 23 is not in running order. Furthermore, locomotive RSTM 2 has been on loan from the Railway Museum since 2017.

Loc 16 was on loan to the Museum Buurtspoorweg from 2018 to 2021. Loc 5 is on loan to the Goes - Borsele Steam Train from 2021 to 2023.

Furthermore, diesel locomotive NTM 101, originating from the Nederlandsche Tramweg Maatschappij, has been in service since the restoration was completed in 2013. NS locomotive 162 (WD 33) became available after the restoration was completed in 2014. In 2017 it left for the STAR, in 2018 to the Museum Buurtspoorweg and in 2021 to the Nederlands Transport Museum. The NS Sikken 271 and 288, restored to their original state, are present at the Hoorn yard for shunting work.

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik Carriages and Wagons

The Stoomtram has a fine collection of wooden steam tram carriages, seven of which are operational: carriage 6 of the Zuiderzeetramweg of the NCS (formerly carriage 21 of the GS ), the 334 and 370 of the Rotterdamsche Tramweg Maatschappij (RTM), the AB 6 of the tram line Zutphen - Emmerik (ZE; Gelderse Tram ), the C 205 of the Friese tram ( NTM ), the AB 24 of the Stoomtram-Maatschappij Breskens - Maldeghem (SBM) and the AB 8 of the Zeeuwsch-Vlaamsche Tramweg-Maatschappij (ZVTM). The restoration of carriage RTM 334 was completed in 2015, carriage NCS 6 was completed in 2022.

Out of service awaiting major overhaul are carriage 22 of the Gooische Stoomtram (GS) and 395 of the RTM. Under restoration are three NS carriages, BC 423, BC 425 and BC 455 (ex-NTM 87), which used to run between Alkmaar and Bergen ('tram for Bello').

Furthermore, a considerable number of steam tram freight tram cars have been restored, mostly from recovered carriage bodies, which served as sheds for decades after the closure of tram companies. Goods wagons of the NTM ( Dutch Tramway Company ), OG ( Eastern Groningen ), EDS ( First Drentsche Steam Tramway Company, see DSM) and NHTM ( Waterland Tram ) are in service. A number of former NS rail freight wagons have also been restored.

Static objects in the workshop include locomotive RSTM 2 and a carriage body from the ZNSM, which are reminiscent of the early days of the steam tram in the Netherlands in the 1880s.

The historic Dutch steam tram stock in the collection comes from all 11 provinces where trams have operated.

A distinction is made between the above carriages with a museum character and non-museum carriages of Austrian (formerly also German or Swiss) origin.

Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik In Movies

Scenes at the Museumstoomtram can be seen in the 1979 feature film The Riddle of the Sands, starring Michael York. This film is partly set in the vicinity of Emden. Station 'Emden' is Medemblik station, station 'Bensersiel' is Twisk station. A few Sinterklaas films were also partly shot at the steam tram, including Bennie Stout and 'de Club van Sinterklaas'.

In 2018, the German Eisenbahn-Romantik devoted an entire broadcast to the steam tram and its surroundings. That year, the steam tram was also featured in the WDR programme Wunderschön.