ModelSpoorGroep Valkenswaard

GB - The 'Valkenswaard' Layout

The layout 'Valkenswaard' is sold and will be seen in a few months in 'modellbahnschau Odenwald'. For more details: modellbahnschau-odenwald.de.

This model railway shows part of the track which in earlier days ran from Eindhoven to Hasselt (Belgium), at which point it was connected to the railway system to Liège. ModelSpoorGroep Valkenswaard has decided to show the section that ran through Valkenswaard. This railway closed down in the 1960s and the stationbuilding was demolished. We have found pictures, photos and illustrations of the buildings, timetables and so on in the archives of the regional geography and history group and the local government offices of Valkenswaard. Using these plans and photos Wil Teeuwen constructed a scale model of the railway station, the customs office on the right-hand side of the railway crossing, the cigar factory on the left-hand side of the railway crossing, the warehouse and the wood industry Van Dooren as realistically as possible. In addition, Hans van den Boom has constructed part of the 'statie' and the Leenderweg through Valkenswaard.

We are proud to show you what this railway and the scenery looked like in the 1960s. Some of the buildings around the railway crossing on Leenderweg (Valkenswaard/Leende) are still extant today. During the annual Open Door Day many people from Valkenswaard will share stories about those days with other visitors. So we are proud to show you the whole track through Valkenswaard as realistically as possible. Trains run through a peaceful part of the Kempen, (i.e. the region to the south of Eindhoven), with its characteristic morasses, sand drifts and little farms. The farmhouse which you see on the left side of the scenery was built by Peter Dillen. You can see an example of a typical Kempisch Farmhouse in which the cattle and the people lived under one roof. Of course there were nasty smells, but the cattle got used to it! This area is still known for its peace and quietness, and therefore an ideal locations for a short break. Our goal was to demonstrate this charisma as well as possible.

The trains on displays are Dutch National Railways (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) trains, which could have been using this track in those days. The 'NS 2200' with the 'Plan D' and 'Plan E' carriages was for passenger traffic. The 'Blauwe Engel', - a homemade model by Hans van den Boom -, could have been running here too. Especially the goods carriages, which were mainly used to transport coal from the mines of Liège, were mostly seen here. In addition, we also picked up the transport of packed goods. 'De Sik' and some other steam locomotives complete the locomotive collection.
The railway track is controlled digitally. All locomotives have a decoder, which ensures slow driving in a natural way and controls acceleration and deceleration. For this purpose we use a computer program called 'Koploper'. Rob van der Molen and Erik Teunissen invested a lot of time in this program and you can see the result for yourself.

All decorations were made by our own members. Nothing came out of a box, every tree, house, fence, and so on was built by us. For this we used materials from Woodland and Anita Decor. The water in the lake is colourless varnish on a painted foundation. The roads, platforms and loading platforms were cast using a rubber model of Anita Decor. The crossing barriers were built from a very old model and they open and close when a train passes or approaches. Please note the minute details, which make this model railway so characteristic. Look at the man sitting on 'het gemak', a photographer who takes a photograph of frivolous girls, the heron and the ducks in and around the lake, the farmers who are chatting at the shed, the little bird in the tree which flew in from the North Pole (do you believe this?), the little chapel with the burning candles (for one quiet moment, please kneel; you have to, because otherwise you won't see it!), the farmer with his horse and wagon, who seems to have a lot of time. Also take a look at the old farmhouse with all those details and you will be astonished.

The ModelSpoorGroep Valkenswaard had a lot of pleasure building this model railway.

Tick for the pictures on 'Modulebaan Valkenswaard'.