The Efteling Steam Train Company () is a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...

passenger railway line at 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 ...

theme park, in the Netherlands.

History

The line was constructed in 1968 using Second-hand

Cockerill Cockerill is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: ;Sport and sportsmen *Callum Cockerill-Mollett, English footballer * Glenn Cockerill, English football manager * Harry Cockerill (footballer) (1894–1960), English footballer * John ...

rails in a

U-shape Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shapes are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertical ...

d track around the park with a

station Station may refer to: Agriculture * Station (Australian agriculture), a large Australian landholding used for livestock production * Station (New Zealand agriculture), a large New Zealand farm used for grazing by sheep and cattle ** Cattle statio ...

at each end. It opened to the public for the first time in March 1969. Both stations had a wye or rail triangle enabling the locomotives to run chimney-first at all times. In 1984 the line was extended to a circular track around the park, with a total track length of . Nowadays, the line has stations located in the Adventure and Fairy realms, plus one station for the fairy characters to board.

Locomotives

*Aagje (1911): The first locomotive bought, 'Aagje' an

Orenstein & Koppel Orenstein & Koppel (normally abbreviated to "O&K") was a major German engineering company specialising in railway vehicles, escalators, and heavy equipment. It was founded on April 1, 1876, in Berlin by Benno Orenstein and Arthur Koppel. Ori ...

, was, at that time, still in operation at the IJsseloord

Brickworks A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a clay pit, quar ...

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

. Aagje started its ‘fairy duty’ in 1969. *Moortje (1908): After service in a Belgian

coal mine Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

it became operational in the Efteling in 1974. *Neefje (1914): Originally a

fireless steam locomotive A fireless locomotive is a type of locomotive which uses reciprocating engines powered from a reservoir of compressed air or steam, which is filled at intervals from an external source. They offer advantages over conventional steam locomotives of ...

. Operational in the Efteling in 1979 and retired 2001. This particular locomotive is named after Kees Neve, who rebuilt and delivered Aagje, Moortje and Neefje for the Efteling. He was a well-known person among Dutch narrow-gauge enthusiasts. *Trijntje (1992): Built by

Alan Keef Ltd Alan Keef Ltd is a British narrow gauge railway engineering company which manufactures, overhauls, and deals in narrow gauge locomotives, rolling stock and associated equipment. History The limited company was formed in 1975 at Cote, Oxfords ...

, operational in the Efteling in 1992. It is long and wide. It weighs about and its colour is 'Anton Pieck Red'. *A Diepholzer Maschinenfabrik Fritz Schöttler (Diema) (

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany, the country of the Germans and German things **Germania (Roman era) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...

locomotive manufacturer) diesel locomotive for maintenance purposes. Each locomotive pulls six carriages designed by

Anton Pieck Anton Franciscus Pieck (19 April 1895 – 24 November 1987) was a Dutch painter, artist and graphic artist. His works are noted for their nostalgic or fairy tale-like character and are widely popular, appearing regularly on cards and calendars. H ...

. He also designed the locomotives' tenders, having converted them from tank engines. In 2024, Efteling announced that the locomotives would be converted to battery electric power.

References

External links

* {{coord missing, Netherlands 600 mm gauge railways in the Netherlands Culture of the Netherlands Efteling Heritage railways in the Netherlands Railways of amusement parks in the Netherlands

History

Locomotives

See also

References

External links