patriciaf

It is only 7 weeks till my DH and I leave for Amsterdam and Italy so I am trying to fine tune a few things now.

My DH is involed in the Railway Historical Society here in Australia. I would like to surprise him by finding a couple of places where we can spend a day on "trains".

Can anyone help with places Holland and/or Italy where they are still running.

Thanks again.

P

Zerlina

I think these are the only ones that run in Italy - and they do not always run with steam.

http://www.ferrovieturistiche.it/edefault.asp

happytotravel

patriciaf: A few months ago I asked this same question and I am still looking for info. Please post what you find out. Here is the thread I started.
http://www.fodors.com/forums/threadselect.jsp?fid=2

or type < Italy for rail fan > in the search box. Good Luck

patriciaf

Hi Zerlina and Happytotravel,

This is what I have found so far - hope the links work :-

http://www.sorrentoexpress.it/
http://www.too-to-train.it/
www.railtouritalia.com
http://xoomer.alice.it/ihydig/

http://www.steamlocomotive.info/netherlands.cfm
http://www.museumstoomtram.nl/stoomt...S/homeEng.html

I am hoping to spend a day at Hoorn and if we can decipher the Italian websites for the Sorrento area do something there.

Hope this helps. My DH also builds model trains HO scale so if you have any info in that area too I would also appreciate it.

P

superheterodyne

This isn't especially in your itinerary, but some steam locs still operate on a regular basis, in revenue service, in Poland, between Wolsztyn and Poznan.

patriciaf

I have just found another good one!

http://www.railmusea.nl/en_index.php

Thanks S, we do hope to travel to Poland and Germany in the next few years - as you can tell - I have the travel bug - but I'm still a nervous nellie.

P

GeoffHamer

There are several in Holland. One good example is the Hoorn-Medemblik line which makes a very good day trip from Amsterdam. Trains run every half hour from Amsterdam to Hoorn, then you can take a return trip on the steam train to Medemblik, or take the steam train to Medemblik then a vintage boat to Enkhuizen, and the train back to Amsterdam. All three towns are attractive and historically very interesting.
www.museumstoomtram.nl

TommieG

The Veluwsche Stoomtram is also very nice. It starts in Apeldoorn, which is about an hour away from Amsterdam by direct train (it is on the Intercity-line to Enschede, you can slo take the Intercity to Groningen/Leeuwarden and change at Amersfoort).

Here you can find the time-table: http://www.stoomtrein.org/downloads/drgl2007.pdf

The yellow-table; weekdays during the summer (9th of July till 24th of August).

The green table: only on the dates as shown below the table.

The blue table; in the autumn, on thuesday and wednesday on the dates as mentioned under the table.

kaneda

patriciaf. I just wondered if you were aware of the "Rail-Away" series? There are two lots of 12 DVD's. One covers the whole of Europe (east and west) and the other the rest of the world with train journeys everywhere which is not just for train buffs but also has information on cities and places visited. I picked both sets up cheap on eBay.

A possible future destination - I remember India having a lot of steam trains when I was last there 19 years ago but can't say what it's like now (There's a railway museum in Delhi).

PalenQ

In any case take him to the Netherlands National Railway Museum in Utrecht - in a former train station this museum, though not running steam trains, has a cornucopia of Dutch and European vintage and modern trains and exhibits on Dutch railway history. About a mile from Utrecht center. I took a special train to the museum from Utrecht Centraal station. Netherlands Spoorwegen Museum (National Museum Cards accepted)

hetismij

Both Apeldoorn and Zutphen are nice places to visit too, and this is a real steam train unlike the Medemblik one which is strictly speaking is a steam tram (narrow gauge).
I believe it occasionally goes to Utrecht too, usually on a Sunday. I have seen it go past my friends farm just, outside Amersfoort,when I visit her, but maybe that is another tain entirely.

patriciaf

Thank you all so much for the information. I din't realise there were so many trains in Holland.

It is sooo good also as we had planned to go to Utrecht because I went there 3 years ago with our son and loved it. I didn't know anything about the train museum.

Thanks again.

P

PalenQ

another quirky museum in Utrecht i went to was the Speilkok Museum (sp?) anyway a museum of toy clocks and automat toys - take the tour with a docent who will make several of the largely antique clocks and toys perform - in heart of Utrecht in a former church.