The Children’s Railway is a
pedal train attraction in the
Efteling
Efteling () is a fantasy-themed amusement park in Kaatsheuvel, the Netherlands. The attractions reflect elements from ancient European myths and legends, fairy tales, fables, and folklore.
The park was opened on May 31, 1952. It evolved from a ...
amusement park.
History
The track was introduced in 1954 under the name ''Pedal Trains'' (
Dutch
Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
** Dutch people as an ethnic group ()
** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship ()
** Dutch language ()
* In specific terms, i ...
: ''Traptreintjes'') in the northern section of the park.
The concept was developed by
Peter Reijnders
Petrus Lambertus Wilhelmus (Peter) Reijnders (24 July 1900 – 1974) was a Dutch photographer, film director and inventor. He is best known for his crucial role in founding the theme park Efteling.
Peter Reijnders was born in 1900 in 's-Hertogenbo ...
, who wanted to create a world where children could ride through, including a farm with corn fields, a pond, the railway station ''The Blue Heron'' (Dutch: ''de Blauwe Reiger'') and a
level crossing
A level crossing is an intersection where a railway line crosses a road, Trail, path, or (in rare situations) airport runway, at the same level, as opposed to the railway line or the road etc. crossing over or under using an Overpass#Railway, o ...
. The guard at this crossing is modeled after Reijnders. The original braking system in the station caused quite some accidents as it was quite abrupt.
In 2000 the ride was moved to the eastern side of the ornamental pond and renamed ''Children Railway'' (Dutch: ''Kinderspoor'')
In the past, there was a small
cross-country skiing
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
track in the winter.
Ride details
* Ride length: 2 minutes
* Ride capacity: 750 passengers/ hour
* The trains are named after bird species
* During ''Winter Efteling'' the Children’s Railway is transformed into the
langlauf
Cross-country skiing is a form of skiing whereby skiers traverse snow-covered terrain without use of ski lifts or other assistance. Cross-country skiing is widely practiced as a sport and recreational activity; however, some still use it as a m ...
track ''the Panting Deer'' (Dutch: '' 't Hijgend Hert'').
See also
*
Children's Railway (disambiguation)
References
{{coord, 51.6498, N, 5.0533, E, source:wikidata, display=title
Efteling