The fourth European Traction rare haulage event occurred on Sunday 18th August 2019 and was at the Stoomtrein Dendermonde-Puurs preserved railway in Belgium.

It is becoming something of an annual tradition that I organise a low-key diesel haulage event in Belgium on the weekend of the “Festival” event at the Chemin de fer du Bocq.  This was the third; 2017 saw us visit Stoomtrein Maldegem-Eeklo for 7408, 8040 and 9131 and 2018 the private depot of the PFT/TSP at St Ghislain for 6106, 7005, 7358, 8320, 8428 and CFL 806.  These events are useful in encouraging more people to visit the Bocq – as they provide an even more attractive weekend with even more potential “lines in the book” for haulage enthusiasts that helps seal the deal to get them to Belgium for the weekend – and they also raise significant sums of money for our hosts.  From those two events alone, over €4,000 was donated.

9109 and 9105 (photo: Ryan Tranmer)

August 2019’s add-on European Traction event went through several iterations, which included a possible visit to Kinkempois depot for some GM and shunter haulage over short distances, but this was placed on ice when a visit to the SDP railway came on the cards.  Available for our use were 9105 and 9109 – the former being due to leave the railway at the end of the month for an uncertain future (and required for haulage by most), and the latter a new arrival that I believe was required by everybody.

I negotiated with the railway that the locos would work as a pair, in tandem, top-and-tail with the booked steam loco on the first round trip; 11:45 from Baasrode-Noord to Oppuurs and 12:40 return.  The initial plan was for the 91s to power the return leg from Oppuurs to Sint-Amands, at which point the steam loco would run round to work back to Baasrode-Noord – but in the event, late running meant that the 91s worked through.

The standard fare of €12 applied.  77 (mainly British) enthusiasts travelled as a result of my “fix”, which meant that €924 reached the farebox that the SDP would not otherwise have seen; I trust that this more than covered the extra outlay they incurred in hosting us and accommodating our wishes.  When extra refreshment sales are included, I can confidently state that not only did we bring more than €1,000 into the railway, but our total that we have raised for Belgian preservation over three events now exceeds €5,000.  I am very proud of that, and very grateful that you all continue to support my endeavours; I am always painfully aware that it takes a lot of trust to be placed in me to pitch up at some quiet foreign backwater at silly o’clock on a Sunday morning simply because I have promised you that something will happen!

9105 and 9109 (photo: Howard Lewsey)

So, what next?

I am not anticipating a “Bocq Sunday” event in 2020, mainly as I will be on my honeymoon as I am marrying my fiancee a week or so before the “Festival”!  However, I would very much encourage you to support the PFT/TSP in their aims in 2020; I am led to believe that there will be at least one VERY interesting development…

Those of you who attended this event will doubtless have noticed two things: 1) that there were other locos there that we did not use, due to weight restrictions on the line, that hopefully will be lifted very soon; and 2) that I wasn’t there!  (I was volunteering on a footplate experience turn on 40106 at the Severn Valley Railway).  Consequently, for both of those reasons, I anticipate that a return to the SDP will be on the cards at some point.  Obviously, this would be far too late for 9105, so I stand by my conviction that this event was the right thing to pursue this year, even if I will almost certainly now never ride behind it myself.  I also wish to reinstate the Kinkempois idea.  If not shackled to the Bocq event, my current thinking is that I will create a whole weekend Benelux itinerary myself, with at least two different rare haulage events, for a different point in the year that hopefully will be attractive to you.  Leave that one with me, but I will give as much advance notice as I can.

Aside from that, based on the types of event that I have successfully delivered so far, what would you like to see?  I am obviously not going to swoop into the market with a multi-day main line railtour, but I think I am making something of a niche for myself in a currently untapped area, and I’m more than happy to continue in this vein for as long as you are prepared to support that.

Over to you…

Just a quick update that I have reached agreement that ex-SNCB diesel locos 9105 and 9109 will feature (powering) on the morning normal public service train at Stoomtrein Dendermonde-Puurs on Sunday 18th August 2019, along with the steam loco.  The format will be:-

Steam loco – 11:45 Baasrode-Noord to Oppuurs
9105 & 9109 – 12:40 Oppuurs to Sint-Amands (distance of approx 4 km)
Steam loco – 13:10 Sint-Amands to Baasrode-Noord (arr 13:30)

This will be available at the standard fare of €12.  My friends at the railway have arranged for a suitable selection of Belgian beers and refreshments to be on sale, and I hope you avail yourselves of this!

The use of the steam loco in each direction is due to the understandable steam-orientated nature of the railway and their need to cater for their core clientele too.  We are lucky that they are able to accommodate us and our needs at all, and this is after a lot of discussion!

This should be considered as a last chance for 9105 as it is planned for it to leave the railway at the end of August.  9109 as far as I know is required by ‘everybody’.  There are other diesel locos on site which are currently too heavy to operate passenger trains on the railway, but this situation will hopefully be resolved soon and we will be welcome to return when this is the case – but of course 9105 at least will be long gone by then.

This has been arranged to coincide with the “Festival” at the Chemin de Fer du Bocq, also in Belgium, the idea being that enthusiasts can visit that on the Saturday and this on the Sunday morning before travelling home or onwards.

Getting there

Access to Baasrode-Noord is by public bus, route 245:-

10:40 dep Dendermonde station, perron 4 > 10:53 arr Baasrode-Noord (destination Brussel)
or
10:07 dep Brussel Noord station perron 1 / 11:05 dep Buggenhout station > 11:11 arr Baasrode-Noord (destination Dendermonde)

Return times:-

13:37 dep Baasrode-Noord > 13:49 arr Dendermonde station (destination Dendermonde)
or
14:53 dep Baasrode-Noord > 14:59 arr Buggenhout station (destination Brussel)

This obviously isn’t ideal, but there is also a 13:30 no.252 bus from Sint Amands station directly to Dendermonde station (arrive 13:52) that will be much more comfortable for you and still allow you to get the winners in.

What you need to do

As this is the normal public service train you do not need to book or pay for anything in advance – but PLEASE email me if you are planning to attend, as I need to supply the railway with expected numbers so they can tailor the train formation accordingly (and I will also tee up De Lijn, the bus operator, for how many people they can expect).

Many thanks for your support and interest.

Those who were disappointed to miss the “Festival” at the Chemin de Fer du Bocq in Belgium have an opportunity to travel behind two of its stars later this year.

The occasion is the operation of the “Bocq Gourmand” – a daytime dining train on the preserved line which carries out a round trip from Spontin taking approximately three hours – so it’s very “partner-friendly” and allows you to pursue your railway interest whilst also having a “coupley” holiday!

Traction and Rolling Stock

The train will be formed of the railway’s two former DDR “Speisewagen” and a brake van with a PFT-TSP diesel loco at either end – normally 5183 and 5205.  If either are not available, another Bocq resident loco (7305 or 7402) will substitute.

5183 at Dorinne/Durnal (JW)

How to book

Bookings are not yet open for the “Bocq Gourmand” but if you check out the website, details will appear slightly nearer the time and there is an email address to register your interest.

5205 between Purnode and Bauche (JW)

This lovely little branch line runs through some of Belgium’s best scenery, hugging the Bocq river, and the trees of the Ardennes forest will surely look very pretty with the Autumn colours just coming through.

Building on last year’s success at Stoomcentrum Maldegem, I arranged another Sunday morning diesel haulage event in Belgium to coincide with the eagerly-awaited “Festival” weekend at the Chemin de Fer du Bocq.  It seems to be a winning format and encourages people to visit Belgium and attend both events, who may not have done so had just one of the events had been occurring.

93 people (including me – as ever, I also paid my way!) turned out to travel behind the operational members of the PFT-TSP’s collection of diesel locomotives based at their depot facility at Saint-Ghislain.  Four locos were advertised – CFL 806, 7005, 7358, and 8428 – and these four all worked as booked.  8320 also worked the train – a loco that had been mid-repair at the time the event was advertised, and indeed work was still being carried out on it on the morning, hence the slightly late start of our visit!  We also enjoyed the bonus working of 6106 – considered by many who attended as the highlight of the day.  This gave a total of six locomotives hauling our train, as compared to four initially advertised – a real success.

Of interest, had Ryanair not cancelled a number of their flights, causing a number of people to sadly miss their weekend in Belgium altogether, we would have had an attendance just scraping into three figures.  Perhaps that is a target for another time.

Facts and Figures

I know that we do not often see numbers against this type of event so I thought it would be interesting to give a quick rundown of the proceeds from the day:-

Fares – €2,760 (2 visitors at child fare)

Fares for optional run with 6106 – €367

Additional donations – €45.19

This gives a total of €3,172.19, to which we must add €310 taken in beer sales within the depot too.  Just to reiterate, every single cent went directly to the PFT-TSP for their preservation projects.  Added to the estimated ticket sales at the Bocq railway over the weekend, the PFT-TSP have received over €5,000 from just its British visitors over the course of the two days – and that’s before sales of food, drink and merchandise at the Bocq are taken into account.  This is phenomenal and I am personally very grateful and more than a little proud that we are able to say this.

Movements

Although I was busy throughout the visit I did try to keep a record of what we did – however I will be far from offended if you feel you can offer any corrections!

8428 top, CFL 806 tail – 09:56 end of running line to depot
CFL 806 top, 8428 tail – 10:01 depot to end of running line
8428 top, CFL 806 tail – 10:05 end of running line to depot
CFL 806 top, 8428 tail – 10:07 depot to end of running line
7005 – 10:35 shunt from one road to another on depot
7005 top, 8320 tail – 10:40 depot to end of running line
8320 top, 7005 tail – 10:44 end of running line to depot
7005 top, 8320 tail – 10:48 depot to end of running line
8320 top, 7005 tail – 10:52 end of running line to depot
6106 – 12:07 depot to end of running line
6106 – 12:11 end of running line to depot (propel)
7358 – 12:22 depot to end of running line
7358 – 12:26 end of running line to depot (propel)
7358 – 12:32 depot to end of running line

GPS measurements of the running line indicated a length of approximately 615 metres (0.38 miles).

Feedback?

I am personally very pleased with how the event went, but it’s the first on this scale that I have tried and I am well aware of some aspects of this visit that I can learn from for the future.  Please do contact me if you do have any comments on the day, positive or negative, or if I may ask, any testimonials that you would allow me to place (anonymously) on this website.

Future events

I am happy to say that following the success of this event, I have already received a couple of extra bookings on my next one – a visit to the Chemin de Fer Touristique du Rhin in north-east France on Sunday 9th September 2018 to ride behind 1948-built Baldwin-engined ex-SNCF diesel loco 62029.  Limited space remains on this trip, and it would be great if you could join us too.

I am even happier to say that this success has led to discussions already beginning regarding further haulage opportunities within Belgium – keep an eye on this website for any announcements.

Thank you

I would like to point out that although the many “thanks JW” comments that I have received and read are humbling indeed, today has been a team effort.  Of course, none of it would have been possible without the trust placed in us by the four PFT-TSP staff on site that such a bizarre-sounding endeavour would be worth their while – let alone their tireless efforts in near-30° heat on the day – especially Simon de Ridder.

I would also like to publicly acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Simon Moore at all stages of the process, to Josh Watkins and Andy Read for manning the bar, and to Miles Williams, Alex Cook and Ed Graham for their help tidying up at the end of the visit.

Of course, a big thank you is reserved for the 93 people who attended.  This – and the seminar photo taken during the visit – are cast-iron proof when negotiating future haulage opportunities that people really will turn up and pay good money for this type of event in such great numbers, which I am sure will be invaluable.

Same time next year?

Jonathan Wilcox

All,

Many thanks to those of you who provided your thoughts on the options we have for Sunday.  Almost everyone has responded, which means I have as good a cross-section of opinion as I could have expected.  My apologies if you have not yet had the chance to reply, but I have had to make a decision; similarly, my apologies if you’re not reading this until after you return from Belgium and you were not aware of any changes ahead of time.

Interestingly, not one person has expressed a preference to just proceed with just the four ‘core’ locos at €25.  Everyone seems prepared to pay €5 extra per ‘additional’ shunter given the circumstances, and I am grateful for your understanding and support with that.

Unfortunately, I have since been informed that despite all efforts one of the ‘extras’ – 7349 – will most likely not be ready in time for Sunday.  With a favourable wind, however, 8320 is more likely to.  Objectively 7349 is the ‘best’ of the two to miss out on, if we must lose one of them, as it worked a Mercia Charter in 2002 and some of our participants will have already ridden behind it.

6106 has predictably been a more contentious matter, being ‘dud’ for haulage for more participants, and has been the only source of negative comment – with a significant number of people not wishing to pay extra for this loco’s participation.  At the same time, there is a greater number of people telling me that it would be the loco they’d be most looking forward to.

My solution

I am all too aware that it is impossible to please everyone in this scenario, but I have tried my best to come up with a straightforward plan that will tick most people’s boxes and is agreeable to the PFT-TSP.

The fare for the event, on the basis of five shunters being available, will be €30.  I will collect this at a ‘barrier’ upon entry to our carriage at the start of the event.  (If 8320 is not ready, this will be €25 – we will know by then).

During the visit, I will ask everybody to leave the carriage and 6106 will be attached.  I will then make another ‘barrier’ at the entrance to the carriage and charge a further €5 for those who wish to get back on to travel behind this loco.  Those who do not wish to pay this do not have to, but will not be able to travel behind 6106 – the bar will be open so this could be visited instead.  After 6106 has been detached, the event will continue.  Please note that some work remains ongoing with 6106 too; so it is a possibility that it too may not be ready for use and this may all be academic.

I hope that this is an acceptable solution to most – if you have any further thoughts on this, please do get in touch.  Regretfully I will not be able to offer this ‘opt-in’ facility for any of the other locos and the basic fare will remain so.

Many thanks once again for your understanding with this eleventh hour amendment – I really hope it will give us as good a day out as possible.  As ever, please do bear in mind that the availability of any of the locos is subject to the usual caveats that you would apply to machines that are up to 64 years old, but be assured that our Belgian friends are really pulling out all the stops for us.

With best wishes,

Jonathan Wilcox

Hello everyone,

Firstly – this is not at all bad news! – hopefully quite the opposite.  However I would be very interested as a matter of some urgency in the thoughts of those planning to attend.

I have received an update today (08/08/18) that the four ‘confirmed’ locos – i.e. CFL 806, 7005, 7358 and 8428 – remain confirmed, and as of right now are available for traffic.

The extra locos…

You will be aware that our hope all along has also been to use 7349 and/or 8320 – however these have not to date been operational.  I am pleased and very grateful to say that the PFT/TSP volunteers have been working like trojans on them with a view to having them available to haul our train.

However, numerous parts (including at least one full set of batteries) have had to be purchased and some work remains to be done, by people who I speculate may possibly rather be helping with preparations for the Bocq “Festival”.  They are however very willing to do this, but have asked that – if these locos are to be used and turn out on the day – a supplement of €5 is levied per locomotive for their use to cover the work and parts involved and the extra cost incurred in operating them.  This would not be charged if 7349 or 8320 did not work.  For clarity – if one of these locos worked, then the fare for the day would be €30, and if both worked, €35.

Additionally, we have been offered Cockerill Bo-Bo 6106 for our train, within the same timeframe in addition to the other locos, which would equally come at a small additional price (I expect this to also be €5 and will confirm ASAP).

I am very keen for this not to be seen as any kind of cynical move either by the PFT/TSP or myself in ‘suddenly’ asking for more money at the last minute.  That is not the case at all; any and all extra fare money will be specifically to cover further expenses in providing what I hope would make a more enjoyable event.  That is also why I am asking you, as the participants, for your input to the decision making process on this – the options seem to me to be:-

• We plan to use 806, 6106, 7005, 7349, 7358, 8320 and 8428 at a fare of €40 (TBC, see above)
• We plan to use 806, 7005, 7349, 7358, 8320 and 8428 at a fare of €35 (€30 if one of the ‘extras’ could not work)
• We remain with the four confirmed locos (806, 7005, 7358, 8428) at €25 as advertised

Please do contact me as soon as possible at jw218344@gmail.com to let me know your thoughts as I would be interested in everyone’s opinion.  I can’t promise that the eventual outcome will please everybody, but I am keen not to make the decision for people, and to give everyone a voice.  I emphasise that it remains very much an option to proceed with just the four locos you were expecting at the price initially advertised.

Beer

A fine stock of Belgian triples and strong beer will be available at Saint-Ghislain for you to purchase on site, either to consume straight away or to take home.

Shop

There is indeed usually a shop at Saint-Ghislain however understandably the stock will all be at the Bocq railway for the weekend, so this will be closed.  I can highly recommend perusing this whilst you are at Spontin!

Reminder

Please can I remind you that a yellow (not orange, or any other colour I am afraid) high-vis vest will be required for admittance to the event.

I extend my sincere thanks to the PFT/TSP and all of their hardworking volunteers for everything that has been done to date.  I very much look forward to a sociable event on Sunday, to catch up with many good friends and hopefully make new ones.

Jonathan Wilcox

Plans are now finalised for the key event of the year at the Stoomcentrum Maldegem, in Belgium.

This is one of my favourite European preserved railways – and one that can be visited as a day trip from the UK too.

“Fred” at Maldegem, 13/08/17 (JW)

The event will be held on Saturday 5th and Sunday 6th May 2018, on the theme of “100 years since the end of the First World War”.  There should be seven steam locos in steam on both the narrow and standard gauge, as well as one diesel loco and a diesel railcar in use too.

In addition, several First World War-themed attractions are planned including re-enactors, musicians and a small memorial festival involving a steam loco and a large work of art featuring a poppy each day.  As usual, there will be an international selection of trade stands present.

The seven steam locos consist of three on the (600mm) narrow gauge and four on the standard gauge, and include foreign visitors:-

Narrow gauge

Kerr Stuart 0-6-0T “Joffre” (no.3014/1916) from the Apedale Valley Light Railway (used in the trenches)

Barclay 0-4-0T “Jack” (no.1871/1925) ex Granton Gasworks

…as well as Hanomag 0-4-0WT no.4618/1906 (this loco is believed to have been taken “POW” by the British during the First World War).

Hanomag no.4618/1906 at Maldegem, 13/08/17 (JW)

Standard gauge

SLM 0-6-0WT “Tigerli” (no.2079/1910) from the MBS at Haaksbergen in the Netherlands – formerly of the Aluisuisse factory at Chippis, Switzerland

War Department Hunslet Austerity 0-6-0ST WD196 (no.3796/1953)

Avonside 0-4-0ST “Fred” (no.1908/1925) ex Buxton Quarry

St Leonard 0-4-0T “Yvonne” (no.947/1893) ex Soumagne Colliery

Many readers of this website enjoyed Austerity WD196 during its appearance at the Bocq railway “Festival” in August 2017.  It may be more familiar to others in the UK as the former “Errol Lonsdale”, a name it gained whilst employed at Longmoor – where it also featured in a St Trinian’s film.  Here it is seen at Dorinne, 12/08/17 (JW).

The railway

As the above implies, the railway has both standard gauge and 600mm lines, both running from its operational centre of Maldegem which is situated 14km from the Belgian-Dutch border.  The standard gauge line runs from Maldegem east to Eeklo, and the narrow gauge from Maldegem west along the route of the former line to Brugge as far as Donk.

Getting there

The railway can be reached by train via the branch line from Gent to Eeklo.  The SCM station at Eeklo is located just across the road from its mainline counterpart.

Alternatively, should you wish to head for Maldegem first, it is linked to Brugge railway station by the no.58 bus operated by De Lijn, with a journey time of roughly 25 minutes.  Via either of these methods, a day trip is eminently feasible, either by Eurostar or by plane to Brussel.

The railway advise that for groups wishing to attend from the UK, transport from the Zeebrugge P&O Ferries terminal (served by a nightly sailing from Hull) or Brugge railway station can be arranged by preserved bus.

 

With many thanks to Kevin Hoggett for his help with this article.