Dutch Group Meeting February 2004

Dutch Group Meeting, 21/2/2004

Text and photos: Ted Polet

On Saturday 21 February the Dutch Group had its first meeting for a long time at the Valkenburg NG Museum. Although the Museum was officially open to the public, probably due to the early Spring holiday having started hardly any visitors appeared, so we had the place to ourselves. A number of Museum volunteers who were at work overhauling the rolling stock looked in though, and one or two visitors including our good friend Otto Schouwstra who had driven from the far north to see us. If I counted correctly, 12 members appeared which was an excellent turn-out considering some of us have to drive over two hours to get here! Four layouts and two dioramas were set up as follows:

Hollenstein (by Rob Reinders, who also brought the two mini dioramas)

Mouburg (Jan van Mourik)

Stichting Behoud Leemspoor (Bert van Rhijn)

Rae Bridge (by myself)

In addition, models were shown by Kit Kittle, Martijn Bolderdijk (Eddy Bolderdijk's son), and our new member Dick van Beek. Kit had brought a number of 009 models including an interesting match between a vintage Minitrains Baldwin saddle tank body and an N gauge 0-4-4-0 Mallet chassis. Martijn really is a bit out of line because he has taken a fancy to 0-16.5 modelling, but the results are very good indeed. He brought an 0-4-2T, a Heisler and a Garratt. Dick van Beek is a new member from Haarlem who specialises in all kinds of tramway type rolling stock. His diesel tramcars are reminiscent of Belgian Vicinal practice. Very neat modelling indeed as the photo shows - he had a huge line-up of models on a table. Jaap Stuurman and René Boers had set up a Talyllyn information stand including a Welsh flag and Talyllyn models by Jaap, but as hardly any public showed up they decided to simply float around and enjoy themselves.

Click on photos to enlarge.

	Hollenstein, with timber traffic shown left, and a passenger service including a bicycle van entering the station on the right.
	Left: two trains ready for departure. Right: excellent scenic work at the goods shed.
	Kit Kittle brought several scratchbuilt and converted models which included his original idea to fit a Minitrix 0-4-4-0 Mallet chassis to the 1960s Minitrains Baldwin saddle tank body, and the freelance Austro-Hungarian style Mallet on the right.
	Joint work by Kit Kittle and Martijn Bolderdijk produced these excellent models in 0-16.5. Martijn is presently building the K2-style Garratt on the left, and he completed the excellent finish on Kit's 0-4-2 shown on the right.
	Left: Martijn's Heisler was converted from another H0 model. Right: Kit and Martijn having a look at Rae Bridge, which is still in 'works grey'.
	Left: overview of Rae Bridge. Right: Otto, Jaap and René at the Talyllyn stand. The flag will be familiar to those who met Jaap at Swanley…
	Mouburg Haven under construction. Left: the steamer tied up at the tidal pontoon in front of the station, right: a steam tram loco on the breakwater, with a ferry barge carrying goods stock behind. The tug is standing by alongside.
	Mouburg: with most of the rolling stock taken outside for public viewing, the big shed is empty. Right: platform detail.
	Left: a 1960s scene behind the station which includes a Ford Anglia. Meanwhile a steam tram enters the station (right).
	Left: an atmospheric overview of the station. Right: another close-up of the train barge and tug.
	Jan talking to Jos de Klerk and Martijn Bolderdijk (left) and Jaap and René (right).

Bert van Rhijn ran two new steam locomotives on his brickworks layout, including very finely built Corris type carriages. Rob Reinders had his new layout Hollenstein running, with modern Austrian H0e stock and some very commendable scenic work in progress. Jan van Mourik had the harbour extension to the Mouburg tramway in operation. His harbour station building and more ship models had been completed, including a mooring pontoon for the steamer he is at present engaged in building. Finally, my own Rae Bridge layout was in operation for much of the day, running various C&DR trains and playing host to models by Dick and Jan.

We all had an excellent time, running each other's models over the various layouts, and before we knew the day was over. By 4:30pm we started clearing away our things and within an hour most of us had departed for home. A word of thanks is in place for the Museum's hospitality and several huge cans of coffee which they supplied us with.

	Steam at the brickworks! Left: a Kerr Stuart 'Tattoo' saddle tank, right: a Barclay (or Orenstein & Koppel) well tank. The effect of the mirror at the back of the yard next to the works building can be seen at right. A modern scene on the left with the excavator digging a slot for a cable to be laid.

	Left: Bert van Rhijn and Arjan Straathof contemplating… Bert's ingenious turntable fiddle yard (right).

	Dick van Beek brought this remarkable collection of scratchbuilt diesel tramcars to the meeting, all very finely done in plasticard on N gauge chassis. Some of them soon ran over the continuous circuit at Rae Bridge.