Zuid-Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschappij

Logo of the ZLSM

The Zuid-Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschappij (ZLSM; German Südlimburgische Dampfeisenbahn-Gesellschaft ) is a Dutch railway company based in Simpelveld , which was founded in 1988 exclusively for the purpose of operating a museum railway on some disused railway lines in the Dutch province of Limburg .

Today it operates the line from Aachen-Vetschau via Simpelveld to Schin op Geul, the temporarily closed section of the Aachen-Maastricht line and the part of the Miljoenenlijn from Kerkrade to Simpelveld.

history

Simpelveld railway station; Headquarters of the ZLSM

After the Domaniale Mijn mine near Kerkrade was closed in 1969 as a result of the general collapse of collieries in the Aachen-Limburg district, the Schaesberg – Simpelveld railway line, originally designed as a colliery railway and operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) only for passenger transport , was regionally known as the "million line" known, unprofitable and closed on May 28, 1988. A few months earlier, a group of voluntary railway enthusiasts was found who wanted to operate this route as a museum railway with historic trains after it was closed. To this end, on March 24, 1988, they founded the Zuid-Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschappij , based in Simpelveld, which was to serve exclusively to maintain and operate historic railway lines in South Limburg.

Now a multi-year planning phase began, in which money had to be acquired, rail vehicles bought and permits obtained, and ongoing operations to be organized with recruited and trainee volunteers. Initially, the main focus was on the old Schaesberg – Simpelveld railway line. However, the association planned to want to operate this as far as Valkenburg aan de Geul , which was initially rejected by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen. After the neighboring Aachen – Maastricht line was shut down on May 30, 1992 , the ZLSM could use a second option here.

In the meantime, the ZLSM has received binding commitments for funding from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the European Regional Development Fund , which the affected communities later joined. This initially enabled seven K1A passenger cars to be acquired. In addition, the ZLSM was donated a diesel shunting locomotive from a metal goods factory in Born and a first Swedish steam locomotive through the “Prinz Bernhard-Kulturfonds” . Finally, on July 28, 1994, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen left the desired route to the ZLSM for an initial period of ten years and on December 23, 1994 granted it permission to operate the 16.4 km section from Schin op Geul to Kerkrade. In April 1995, steam locomotives were officially started operating on this route, but the opening ceremony was not held until September of that year by the Chairman of the Road Safety Council, Pieter van Vollenhoven. Between 2004 and 2006, the ZLSM operated via Kerkrade to Heerlen . After the Maastricht – Heerlen railway via Kerkrade ( Heuvellandlijn ) was taken over by Veolia Transportation , there was no longer any space for the museum railway. Finally, in 2007 a switch that had been removed in earlier years was reinstalled in Schin op Geul, so that continuous journeys to Valkenburg could now be started on the old railway line of the Aachen – Maastricht line.

In the meantime, the ZLSM had also taken over the five kilometer long section of the disused Aachen – Maastricht railway line from Aachen - Vetschau , one kilometer from the Dutch border on the German side, to Simpelveld and was able to open the second museum railway line on this route in 2000 , which has been operated mainly with rail buses since then .

After ZLSM had liquidity problems in 2012 , the province of Limburg and the four neighboring communities of Valkenburg, Simpelveld, Kerkrade and Gulpen-Wittem acquired the route on December 12, 2013 and, together with the Dutch railway infrastructure company ProRail, secured the route with necessary investments in the expensive one Maintenance of the infrastructure.

Museum railway operation

Museum railway lines of the ZLSM

The linchpin of all ZLSM activities is the nostalgic Simpelveld train station, which celebrated its 100th birthday in 2010 and where the club's headquarters were established. A turntable pit , a water tower and a water column, a coal bunker as well as workshops and car halls with a locomotive workshop will be presented on the station grounds. The former customs inspection room was converted into a restaurant in the style of the 1920s.

Between May and October, the museum train usually runs twice a week and also on public holidays on the Schin op Geul – Kerkrade and Simpelveld – Vetschau routes, with bike transport being made possible for the many cyclists. In addition, the train is used on Sundays from January to March for panoramic winter trips. It is also available for special campaigns such as trips to the Christmas market in Valkenburg, for nostalgic and motto days or for company outings, which are announced separately.

These activities are organized and carried out by only a few full-time employees who are supported by around 240 volunteers from a wide variety of professions. As far as possible, these volunteers maintain the infrastructure and take care of the maintenance and maintenance of the vehicle fleet. These offers ZLSM for his aides courses and training for diesel and steam engine driver , heater , dispatchers , shunting or Schaffner at.

Infrastructure

Simpelveld signal box

The operation on the two railway lines is carried out in accordance with the old guidelines of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen and is controlled by the two signal boxes in Simpelveld and in the Gulpener district of Wijlre, whereby the signal box in Wijlre can be switched off and controlled from Simpelveld if necessary. These were closed in 1992 by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen and, like the route signs and signal systems, were rebuilt by the volunteers from the ZLSM. The signal box in Wijlre is located in the station building. It regulates operations on the two tracks there, where a manually operated block from 1913 was reactivated. The signal box in Simpelveld is housed in two listed signal boxes and is located at the junction of the routes to Aachen and Kerkrade ( million line ). On days when there is no museum service, there is no guard staff available and the route can only be used with a chip that is issued centrally and only for track work, shunting services or similar activities.

The ZLSM lines are mostly single-track, with two tracks only between Wijlre and Schin op Geul. Only in Kerkrade are there three tracks, with track three being reserved for rail bus traffic in the direction of Aachen-Vetschau.

Workshop

The technical heart of the ZLSM is located in the workshop, which was inaugurated in 1996, which now offers around 75 m of workshop track thanks to an extension of track 14, including a pit, several simple ceiling cranes and a large machine park, which in addition to countersinking machines, a press, ovens and a forge includes several manual, partial digitele and a CNC lathe.

With one full-time employee and around 20 to 30 volunteers who are regularly in the workshop throughout the week, the ZLSM is able to advance several projects at the same time. In addition to the maintenance of the active fleet, a Belgian passenger coach and the steam locomotive 52 532 are currently (as of summer 2017) undergoing a general overhaul. The Miljoenenlijn is largely autonomous, only allows individual components to be refurbished or manufactured outside.

Fleet (selection)

Pullmann passenger car

Over the years, the ZLSM has put together a historically significant fleet of vehicles, whereby not all vehicles are ready for use, but are available for exhibition purposes. The nine K1A passenger cars that were initially acquired and are still in use are vehicles from 1934 by the Baume & Marpent company and made available by the National Society of Belgian Railways (NMBS). In the meantime, these have been supplemented by two Belgian 1934 baggage cars and three 1955 K3B models, also from NMBS, and from Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits with two 1927 Pullman saloon cars from the "Metropolitan-Cammell Carriage and Wagon Company Ltd" from Birmingham .

The diesel-hydraulic shunting locomotive, which is sponsored by the metal goods factory in Born and is still operational, is a vehicle built in 1954 by Klöckner-Humboldt-Deutz AG and named "Lommaert". After ZLSM had received its first steam locomotive from the former Swedish State Railways Statens Järnvägar , three more locomotives from Nydqvist och Holm were purchased , of which only one is currently operational. In the course of time there were also other diesel-hydraulic locomotives such as the Loc 244-02 "Esslingen", built in 1961, from the Esslingen machine factory , the Loc 233-03 "Spaniol", built in 1964, from the Arnold Jung Lokomotivfabrik , the Loc 332 -06 "Conrad", built in 1964 by the company Orenstein & Koppel and two diesel-electric shunting locomotives from the Scottish company & Dick, Kerr Co added. In addition, the Nederlandse Spoorwegen provided the diesel-electric railcar NS 179 from 1952, which is known as the "Blue Angel".

For operation on the route to Vetschau, two Uerdingen series 798 railbuses were purchased by the Deutsche Bundesbahn , to which a control car and three sidecars were added over the years . In addition, a crane locomotive , which is currently not ready for use, was purchased for work on the tracks .

In 2005, the ZLSM received the LTM 610 electric tram from the year 1931 from the Beijnes company from the Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum for exhibition purposes, which in earlier years ran for the Limburgsche Tramweg Maatschappij . In 2010 this was given to the tram foundation in The Hague , which also uses it as “Limburger HTM 90 ” for exhibition purposes.

Steam locomotives

locomotive	Type	Manufacturer / year of construction	description
SJ E² 1040	SJ Littera E²	Nydqvist & Holm , 1910	The oldest of all ZLSM steam locomotives is also the last Swedish machine that was procured and currently the only operational mainline machine on the Miljoenenlijn. Since the experience with its sister E 1090 was very good, E² 1040 was brought to South Limburg in 1998. In terms of design, however, the two machines differ slightly, since in 1946 the E² 1040 had an additional leading axle to improve the running properties, reduce the axle load and increase the speed. After an initial period of operation during the 2000s, at that time with a rather peculiarly painted boiler in smurf blue , which she wore due to the false claim of a railroad friend that this corresponded to the original color , it was overhauled in the in-house workshop by 2010, with work being carried out in particular on the copper one Fire box. It has been the sole draft horse of the museum railway since 2012 and is expected to be in service until the end of 2018. A subsequent main inspection is currently planned.
SJ E 1090	SJ Littera E (II)	Nydqvist & Holm, 1911	E 1090 came to Simpelveld in 1994 and one year later it was the first operational steam locomotive in Limburg. After around 5 years of service, she retired. A general inspection that had been started was canceled due to severe damage to the frame and boiler, as a reconditioning could not be justified in terms of time and money. A rollable or optical refurbishment is not excluded in the future.
SJ B 1220	SJ Littera B (II)	Nydqvist & Holm, 1914	The two steam locomotives of the Swedish class B (II) were bought in 1994 by the ZLSM from the strategic reserve of the Swedish military. These machines were chosen because they visually resembled the NS series 4000 , which Sweden delivered to the Netherlands after World War II. However, there are constructive differences. The NS 4000 series had a three-cylinder engine, while the Bs were equipped with two cylinders. The B 1220 was therefore kept in the SJ design, with the gray-blue painted boiler reminiscent of the originally blued steel. After intensive refurbishment, the machine was put into service in 2001 and for many years was the Miljoenenlijn's only operational steam locomotive. In autumn 2010 it was shut down. The heavy wear on the running gear showed that the express locomotives of the B series are only conditionally suitable for use at 40 km / h on steep inclines compared to the freight locomotives such as the E² series. Therefore, in the future, they will primarily be used on main lines and as paradeloks.
SJ B 1289	SJ Littera B (II)	Nydqvist & Holm, 1916	B 1289 also came to the hill country in 1994 and was put into service shortly after E 1090. From the beginning it was kept in the green of the steam era of the Dutch State Railways, in memory of the NS series 4000. In 2010, after an intensive overhaul of the chassis, it was put under steam again and drove with the just completed E² 1040 in double traction to the event. Back to the Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij (VSM) in Beekbergen and back. This period from late summer 2010 to autumn of the same year was the only one so far in which three long-distance steam locomotives were running at the same time at ZLSM. Only two years later, during the boiler inspection, damage to the long boiler was discovered, which at the time seemed irreparable as it was not weldable. The machine therefore had to be shut down early. Another welding test is still pending, but if this is successful, B 1289 is to be refurbished after 52 532.
DR 52 532	DR BR 52 , DR BR 52.80	Berliner Maschinenbau AG (BMAG), 1943	52 532 has had an eventful and eventful history. Built to ensure the supply of the Wehrmacht in World War II, it came to the Soviet Union as a reparation payment after the end of the war. As one of the last returnees, she was handed over to the Reko program of the Deutsche Reichsbahn in the GDR and, in addition to numerous refinements, received a Reko boiler of type 50E. Towards the end of the steam locomotive era, the machine, now designated as 52 8160-5, was converted into a heating locomotive, which, among other things, removed the characteristic mixer preheater. Still in the GDR, however, it was restored to working condition in the Zwickau BW. After the fall of the Wall, the locomotive came to the VSM in the Netherlands via detours. There it was used, now privately owned, from 1998 to 2005 under its original number 52 532. This decision was made because, although it had a Reko boiler, it looked like an old locomotive in many respects. With the surprising departure of B 1289, the ZLSM needed another steam locomotive to one day replace the E² 1040, which was now traveling alone. The other Swedish steam locomotives were out of the question for this purpose due to the necessary, time-consuming and costly work and the limited suitability of the Bs for the Miljoenenlijn. They were therefore looking for a German freight train unit locomotive or a Reko locomotive that emerged from them, as these seemed ideal for the route. In addition, reconditioning would be faster and cheaper because the machines are much younger and less complex than the Swedish ones. The choice fell on 52 532, which came to Simpelveld on loan and has been processed since December 2015. Commissioning is currently expected in the second half of 2018.
NS 8826	Hunslet Austerity	Hunslet , 1944	The Hunslet locomotives became the standard shunting locomotives for the British Ward Department during World War II. NS 8826 was commissioned in 1945 as WD 75115 and brought to France. After the war it came to the Nederlandse Spoorwegen as NS 8826. From 1953 it was used at the Julia hard coal mine as Julia V, later for LV 14, since the Julia and Laura mines were merged. From 1972 she was accommodated by the Stichting Stoomtrein Tilburg Turnhout, where she was also under steam from 1976 until the end of the SSTT in 1981. During this time the locomotive was equipped with a Westinghouse air pressure brake. This was followed by a life as a memorial at the metal trading company Raak until 1998. NS 8826 has been owned by ZLSM since 1998. It was intended as a shunting engine and train engine for small train formations. However, their processing had to be stopped at the beginning of the 2010s due to the economic problems at Miljoenenlijn. The machine is currently dismantled, all usable components are stored, the frame is on trestles in the car hall.
IFS 3 / Anna	Shunter Type B-n2	Krauss , 1921	The two-axle shunting locomotive was built by Krauss in Munich in 1921 for the Uetikon chemical plant in Switzerland and served there for a long time. Later she came to the Institute for Rail Vehicle Technology at RWTH Aachen University , where she was used for small experiments and as a demonstration object. Due to the few missions she came to the ZLSM for entertainment, but is still available to the RWTH. During the Steam Days 2017, it and the guest locomotives NS 8811, LTM 26 and WD 196 were driven for the first time in public with steam on the cross-border Simpelveld-Vetschau (-Aachen) line.

Diesel railcars

vehicle	Type	Manufacturer / year of construction
VT 798-647	DB VT 98	Uerdingen , 1956
VT 798-668	DB VT 98	Uerdingen, 1959
VS 998-872	DB VS 98	MAN , 1959
VB 998-133	DB VB 98	Orion , 1955
VB 998-306	DB VB 98	Rathgeber , 1962
NS 179	NS DE II	Allan , 1952