Meppel Nu

· 06 Oct 2020

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HONDEKOP: it's not a dog's head!

#HONDEKOP 😍 Benelux Hondekop
In 1957, the last piece of the #spoorlijn between Amsterdam and Brussels was equipped with overhead contact line and it was possible to carry out the train service entirely with electric trains. In that year, the NS and its Belgian counterpart SNCB abolished 12 #tweewagenstreinstellen to, also called #Beneluxhondekoppen or Mat'57. It was one of the first European rail cooperation. Apart from the colour (dark blue with a wide yellow band), they were largely similar to the other Dog heads. Technically they diminished greatly because they had to be able to drive under Dutch overhead contact line (1500 volts) and Belgian overhead contact line (3000 volts) and had to have the Belgian track protection.
The Benelux Dog Heads made the Benelux Train a success story. The number of travelers grew sharply. Soon additional equipment had to be deployed. In 1986, the Benelux dog heads were replaced by more modern trains. Of the 12 trainsets, 11 were demolished. One (railway number 220.902) was stored in a warehouse in Leuven for the Belgian railway museum to be built. It remained there for about 30 years...
The acquisition of this Benelux hondekop has always been a big dream of the Hondekop Foundation. Contacts were established with the Belgian railways and apparently at a favorable time: in Belgium plans for a new railway museum had changed and the Benelux hondekop was very big to be included. In several conversations, the foundation convinced the Belgians that the couple would be in good hands with her. The trainset could be purchased in 2015.