Het Spoorwegmuseum, Railway history museum in Utrecht, Netherlands.
Het Spoorwegmuseum is a railway museum in Utrecht housed in a historic station building that showcases the development of rail transport in the Netherlands. The collection includes steam locomotives, electric trains, postal carriages, and service vehicles displayed on multiple tracks and in exhibition halls.
The museum was founded in 1927 by railway enthusiasts who gathered historic material before it was lost. The move to the current location at Maliebaan Station took place in 1954, after this station ceased operating as a passenger terminal.
The name refers to Dutch railway history, and visitors can walk through original carriages from different eras. In the main building, a replica of a royal waiting room shows how differently people traveled depending on social status and what comforts were available to them.
A historic museum tram runs from Utrecht Central Station to the site, providing a thematically fitting arrival. Most exhibition areas are at ground level or accessible via ramps, allowing wheelchair users to see the main attractions.
An interactive model railway system lets children press buttons to control miniature trains through a detailed replica of Dutch landscapes. The layout shows cities, bridges, windmills, and dikes at reduced scale and playfully demonstrates how the rail network crosses the geography of the country.
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