Mouburg

A tramway layout in H0e

Jan van Mourik (2004)

New photos at the bottom of the page.

The Regionale Tram Mouburg or Mouburg Tramway has become a well-known exhibit at the Valkenburg shows, using a theme taken from the old Rotterdam Tramway system (RTM). This company had a network of 3'6" gauge lines on the former islands to the south of Rotterdam including ferry services. The new harbour station which is being added to Mouburg includes a river ferry terminal and a jetty where a railway transport barge will take on board goods vehicles.

The original part of the layout (Mouburg Town station) includes many kitbashed or scratchbuilt buildings. Jan uses plastic parts for much of his building construction work and has created a faithful representation of a 1950s or early 1960s Dutch small town scene. The layout has become a favourite during exhibitions with a train crawling round the continuous run whilst Jan talks to his spectators about his prototype theme and his modelling.

The town unit of the layout has recently been completed by filling in the area in front of the tracks and adding low relief buildings at the rear of the station. The harbour unit has also made a lot of progress evident when the photos of last year are compared with recent ones.

Jan built all his own locomotives and rolling stock, freelance although with a clear parentage in RTM prototypes. He uses 9mm gauge and H0 scale.

Click on any image to enlarge (HW=Harald Wingchen, JvM=Jan van Mourik, MT=Mick Thornton, TP=Ted Polet, IT=Ian Turner).

Above: revised track plans. Left to right: the original unit, the harbour, and the planned corner unit that is intended to be used as an intermediate between the two.

Overview of Mouburg Town station with the highly sophisticated Billard railcar (left). This includes interior lights and head and tail lights (HW). Right: the tramway Garratt entering on a heavy goods service (JvM).

Early days (2003) at Mouburg Harbour station, with the pier headshunt, the ferry at its landing stage and the tramway transporter barge at its jetty. The ships have been scratchbuilt using card and plastic (TP).

Left: an atmospheric overview of the station in 2003 (TP). Right: the harbour as it appears today (August 2004). A lot of work has been done since last year. (IT).

Left: Jan talks to his public at Valkenburg in 2003. Centre: overview of the harbour unit looking towards Town station. Right: the scratchbuilt tramway Garratt uses two Fleischmann mechanisms (MT).

Left: a sweeping view of the empty station shows the accurate alignment of the low tramway type platforms. Right: close-up of the Billard railcar (MT).

Left: a freelance but very credible interpretation of an RTM steam loco on 9mm gauge (MT). Right: detail shot by Jan himself showing a brick half-relief building he recently completed for Mouburg (JvM).

Mouburg: with most of the rolling stock taken outside for public viewing, the big shed is empty. Right: platform detail (TP).

Left: a 1960s scene behind the station which includes a Ford Anglia. Meanwhile a steam tram enters the station (right). (photos TP).

Details of the new buildings at street level. Look at those neat windows! The cars were picked up by Jan at a swapmeet. Note the lady on the ladder, cleaning the windows. A typical 1950s scene recreated faithfully by Jan (JvM).

Dutch village houses in half relief behind the coaling stage (JvM).

The first signs of a wider perspective at Mouburg. It appears the station is sheltering behind a dyke. Note the prototypical farm track with a bridge across the ditch - a very Dutch scene (JvM).

Overview of the most recent work done in August 2004 with the buildings off the layout. The town scene has almost been completed and on the harbour unit a dyke and ditch have appeared (JvM).

Two views of area behind the dyke. The farmers' bridge is shown in detail on the left (JvM), the ditch and the grazing area on the right (TP).

Next to the depot in true Dutch fashion a vegetable garden has appeared. Railway companies in Holland used to let unused land to their employees for this purpose (TP).

Next to the vegetable plot a bit of ploughed field has appeared (left). On the right an unusual view of the town shows its natural alignment (TP).

The passenger ferry under construction (JvM) and (right hand view) in place in front of the Harbour station (TP).