Key takeaways
- The S.T.A.R. runs to a timetable – that puts it among the few heritage railways with a genuine traffic character.
- The main line is Stadskanaal–Veendam, plus a second branch towards Musselkanaal.
- At Veendam the railway meets the main network; the change works, but has to be planned yourself.
- The backbone is diesel, not steam – Dutch post-war vehicles define the picture.
- Run by a foundation, operations carried out mostly by volunteers.
Contents
- 1.Fact file
- 2.Business areas
- 3.Structure & brands
- 4.History at a glance
- 5.How to recognise the company
- 6.Strengths and weaknesses
- 7.Why this railway isn’t an excursion train
- 8.Heritage train and regional train side by side
- 9.Diesel as the norm, steam as the exception
- 10.How to plan the change at Veendam
- 11.Photographing in the wide-open Veenkoloniën
- 12.Foundation instead of association – and what follows from it
- 13.Verdict
- 14.Frequently asked questions
Fact file
| Organisational form | Dutch foundation (stichting), operations mostly volunteer-run |
|---|---|
| Gauge | 1435 mm standard gauge, not electrified |
| Main line | Stadskanaal – Bareveld – Wildervank – Veendam |
| Southern branch | Stadskanaal – Musselkanaal, shorter and operationally separate |
| Region | Veenkoloniën, province of Groningen in the north-east Netherlands |
| Type of operation | diesel as the backbone, steam on selected days |
| Network connection | Veendam lies on the main network – a link to regional service from Groningen |
| Operating base | Stadskanaal, with a shed, workshop and stabling |
| Official website | www.stadskanaalrail.nl |
Business areas
Structure & brands
History at a glance
How to recognise Museumsbahn S.T.A.R.
Does the train really belong to Museumsbahn S.T.A.R.?
- A timetable board instead of an excursion programme – the railway communicates departures like a transport operator
- Dutch post-war diesels – boxy locomotives and railcars from before electrification
- No overhead line – a rare sight in the Netherlands, where almost everything runs under wire
- Level crossings across open country – the line crosses roads and canals with simple safety equipment
- Veenkoloniën landscape – dead-straight canals, wide fields, hardly any vegetation by the track
- Two types of operation side by side – diesel as the norm, steam on announced days
Strengths and weaknesses
What the company stands for
- Genuine timetabled operation – several train trips a day instead of two excursion loops
- Link to the main network at Veendam makes arrival without a car possible
- A comparatively long line with several operating points
- Open landscape without overhead line – ideal conditions for line shots
- Dutch diesel vehicles that have completely disappeared from scheduled service
Where it falls short
- The region is out of the way; travelling from abroad takes a long time
- Steam is the exception, not the norm
- The change at Veendam isn't guaranteed to be coordinated – build in your own buffer
- Wide, treeless landscape also means hardly any shade and hardly any shelter from wind
- There's no continuously maintained public overview of the current operational fleet
Updated: August 2026 – Most heritage railways run two loops a day and call it a timetable. The Museumsbahn S.T.A.R. in the province of Groningen does it differently: it follows a schedule that comes close to a genuine branch line, and meets the main network at Veendam. Anyone wanting to know how Dutch branch-line traffic worked before electrification finds the most accurate surviving example here.
Document timetabled operation like the main network
Several train trips a day means many sightings. Record them while they're fresh.
Why this railway isn’t an excursion train
The difference sounds formal but is immediately noticeable in practice. A heritage railway with two excursion loops bundles everything into two time windows; you stand at one point, get two shots and your day is over. The S.T.A.R. instead runs a schedule that allows you to change vantage points: you catch the same train at several spots, or wait at an operating point for a crossing.
Then there’s the network connection. At Veendam the network of ProRail ends, and from there the line belongs to the heritage railway. That creates a picture found at few other heritage railways: a modern regional railcar and a historic heritage train at the same station, each in its own area of responsibility.
Heritage train and regional train side by side
Anyone standing at Veendam sees both systems next to each other. The differences teach more than any description.
| Feature | Museumsbahn S.T.A.R. | Regional service from Groningen |
|---|---|---|
| Traction | diesel, steam on special days | diesel railcars to a timetable |
| Vehicles | post-war types from the 1950s and 1960s | modern low-floor multiple units |
| Operation | heritage railway, own responsibility | service contract on the ProRail network |
| Staff | mostly volunteers | employed professionals |
| Timetable | seasonal, on running days | year-round, hourly pattern |
In the region’s regional service, vehicles of Arriva Nederland run, including railcars of the GTW and WINK types. Both are modern articulated railcars and so the exact counterpart to what runs on the heritage line.
Diesel as the norm, steam as the exception
The backbone of operation is diesel. You’ll encounter Dutch-built line diesel locomotives from before widespread electrification, shunting vehicles and diesel railcars. Added to that are coaches whose type matches these vehicles, plus steam locomotives for announced special days.
This composition is deliberately chosen: it reflects the operating era in which the line actually carried traffic. Historic railcar units like the Plan V family generally belong, in the Netherlands, to the vehicles preserved by heritage operators after they left scheduled service.
The difference from German heritage railways is bigger than it looks at first glance. While steam operation is central there and diesel is often only the reserve, here it’s the other way round: diesel is the main thing, steam the special date. That’s down to the line’s history – by the time it carried its last regular service, the steam locomotive had long since disappeared. A heritage railway that takes its own era seriously must therefore run diesel-hauled, even though steam draws visitors more reliably.
I don’t comment on specific operating numbers: the operational fleet changes with inspection deadlines and workshop status, and there’s no continuously maintained public overview. Note the type and markings – that’s what the sighting logbook is for.
Crossings are the better subject
Where trains run to a timetable, there are crossings. Having two heritage trains at once at an operating point is a shot a railway with two excursion loops can never deliver. Ask at the starting station where the crossing happens on your running day – and get there in good time.
How to plan the change at Veendam
Check the heritage railway's running day
Regional service runs year-round, the heritage railway doesn't. The running day determines everything else.
Choose a connection one step earlier
A coordinated connection isn't guaranteed. The earlier connection costs you half an hour, the later one half the day.
Plan the walk between platforms
At Veendam the heritage railway and scheduled service don't use the same platform. Factor in the walk.
Identify the crossing station
Where two trains meet, you get two subjects in one minute. That's the most rewarding point of the day.
Fix the return journey in advance
The last heritage train is the hard limit. After that, nothing gets you back from Stadskanaal to Veendam.
Is your changeover time at Veendam enough?
Heritage trains generally don't wait for delayed connections.
Two railway worlds, one logbook
Regional railcar and heritage diesel at the same station – recorded neatly and separately.
Photographing in the wide-open Veenkoloniën
The landscape is the defining element. Dead-straight canals, wide fields, hardly any vegetation by the track and practically no overhead line – conditions you won’t find on wooded heritage lines. The price for that: there’s no natural foreground and no shelter from wind or sun.
A vantage point works if …
- it's reachable from a public path or platform
- the sightline keeps the train visible for a long time
- you've deliberately chosen a foreground
Check first if …
- the path crosses agricultural land
- you want to stand at a level crossing
- wind makes working with a tripod impossible
Never …
- step onto the track to improve the sightline
- touch barrier equipment or signalling
- be in the workshop area without clearance
Level crossings aren't a photo vantage point
The line crosses numerous roads and paths, some with simple safety equipment. A level crossing looks like a good vantage point from a distance, but it's a danger zone and can, in doubt, block road traffic. Stay outside it, even for that one shot. The basics are set out in the article on Safe distance from the track.
Foundation instead of association – and what follows from it
The operator is a foundation under Dutch law. It has no members, but a board and a fixed purpose. For running operations that changes little: driving duty, train crewing, workshop and track maintenance rest with volunteers, and the scope of the offering depends on who’s available.
The ambition is remarkable. A heritage railway running timetabled service on its own infrastructure has to maintain track, level crossings and signalling itself – a different scale of effort than three kilometres of excursion line. Anyone interested in this work finds ways in via the article on Railway associations. Small operating points have their own advantages, as this article shows.
Verdict
The S.T.A.R. is the heritage railway for anyone who wants to see operation, not just vehicles. Timetable, two line branches, crossings and a genuine network connection add up to a day that feels like railway operation rather than a museum visit.
The price for that is the location. Groningen is far, and the journey needs planning. Anyone who makes it gets one of the most independent heritage railways in western Europe in return.
In short
Timetabled operation on its own infrastructure with a link to the main network: the S.T.A.R. is preserved branch-line operation, not an excursion train – diesel-hauled, with steam as the exception.
One running day, many sightings
Genuine timetabled operation brings plenty together. Record it before it blurs.
Summary
- Anyone wanting to see branch-line operation rather than a museum loop finds the right railway in Groningen.
- The combination of a timetable, two branches and a network connection is rare among European heritage railways.
- The open Veenkoloniën landscape allows shots impossible on wooded heritage lines.
- Plan the connection at Veendam generously – a missed change quickly costs an hour here.
Frequently asked questions
What sets the S.T.A.R. apart from other heritage railways?
The timetable. Most heritage railways run two or three excursion loops per running day. The S.T.A.R. instead follows a schedule that comes close to a genuine branch line, and with Veendam it has a link into the main network. For you that means more train trips a day, more vantage-point changes, more plannable subjects.
How long is the line?
The main line links Stadskanaal and Veendam via Bareveld and Wildervank; there's also a shorter branch from Stadskanaal towards Musselkanaal. That puts the railway among the longer heritage lines in the Netherlands. The exact operating length can change with engineering works, so we deliberately don't give a fixed kilometre figure here.
How do I get there by train?
Via Veendam. The station lies on the main network and is served from Groningen in regional service; Arriva runs there with diesel railcars. From Veendam you change directly into the heritage train. A coordinated connection isn't guaranteed – build in a buffer, or you'll wait an hour.
Does a steam locomotive run there?
On announced days, yes; as the norm, no. The backbone of operation is diesel locomotives and diesel railcars of Dutch post-war origin. Anyone specifically after steam has to check the date. Anyone after diesel finds vehicles here that have completely disappeared from the country's scheduled service.
Why does the line run through this particular landscape?
Because the Veenkoloniën were developed to a plan. Peat extraction, canals and agriculture needed transport routes, and the railways followed the same straight logic as the canals. The result is what you see today: dead-straight sections, wide views, hardly any vegetation by the track – an advantage for line shots, a problem for wind shelter.
What is a stichting, and why does it matter?
A foundation under Dutch law. Unlike an association it has no members, but a board and a fixed purpose. For operations that changes little: driving duty, workshop and care also rest with volunteers here. It matters for classification – the S.T.A.R. is neither a transport company nor a municipal operator.
Does the heritage railway run on ProRail track?
No, on its own infrastructure. The network of ProRail ends at Veendam; from there the line is the heritage railway's responsibility. This separation is why you see two completely different operating philosophies side by side at the interchange station – modern railcars on a clock-face timetable and historic vehicles in heritage operation.
Is it worth combining with other Dutch heritage railways?
Only with time to spare. Groningen lies far in the north-east; the Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij and the Museum Buurt Spoorweg are each their own day trip. A sensible weekend combines two of them, not three – and depends on running days that aren't coordinated with each other.
How do I photograph in such open landscape?
With a clear separation of train and horizon. There are hardly any trees, hardly any buildings and practically no overhead line – that allows low vantage points and long sightlines. At the same time there's no foreground unless you deliberately look for one. The light angle therefore matters more than on wooded lines; how to plan it is set out in the article on Sun position at the photo spot.
What do I do if I miss the connection at Veendam?
Stay calm and wait for the next regional service – the next train comes in a manageable time, but with the heritage train it can take considerably longer. So the rule is: take the earlier connection. What else applies for missed connections is set out in the article Missed your connection.
Log vehicles from Museumsbahn S.T.A.R.
Company, vehicle, location and date logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
The operational level in the railway operator database
Who actually runs the trains, with keeper markings and identifying features on the vehicle.
Arriva Nederland B.V.
Arriva Nederland B.V. is a railway operator in Dutch regional services. How to recognise its trains and what the NL–DE border area means for your sightings.
Long-distanceNederlandse Spoorwegen (NS)
Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) is the Dutch state railway. Its multiple units carry concept codes like VIRM or ICM instead of class numbers – a real point of adjustment.
Typical vehicles
Arriva GTW (Stadler GTW)
The Stadler GTW carries its drive in a short module right in the middle of the vehicle. The designation GTW 2/6 tells you exactly how many axles are powered.
ClassArriva WINK (Stadler)
The Stadler WINK is a short regional multiple unit whose name says it all: convertible, innovative, short. At Arriva it runs on Dutch regional lines.
ClassNS Plan V / Mat 64
Mat 64 means Materieel 1964, and Plan V refers to the two-car version. Understand this naming system and you can place Dutch multiple units without looking anything up.
Where you will find Museumsbahn S.T.A.R.
Spotting locations where you will regularly come across vehicles from this organisation – with viewpoints, the best light and coordinates.
Utrecht Centraal
Utrecht Centraal is the point where the Dutch network comes together. Over twenty platform tracks, a pattern that repeats exactly every thirty minutes, and a concourse that swallows more light than it looks like it would. Once you've understood the rhythm, you can work here extremely efficiently.
Junction stationAmsterdam Centraal
Amsterdam Centraal stands on three artificial islands in the IJ, has one of the best-known station façades in Europe, and channels all of the Netherlands' international traffic. For spotters it's also the country's most difficult major station – because of the crowds.
More companies
Museum Buurt Spoorweg
The Museum Buurt Spoorweg runs between Haaksbergen and Boekelo in the Dutch region of Twente. It's considered the oldest heritage railway in the country – and shows a phenomenon that surprises many: Dutch heritage tracks are mostly worked by German steam locomotives.
Heritage railwayVeluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij
The Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij operates the longest classic steam line in the Netherlands, between Apeldoorn and Dieren. Its operational hub Beekbergen is more motive power depot than museum – and the reason heavy locomotives run here, where industrial locomotives have to suffice elsewhere.
GroupArriva
Arriva runs regional services in several European countries and belonged to Deutsche Bahn for a time. The group had to give up its German activities in the process – yet it's precisely a German train name that still carries the group's name today.
InfrastructureProRail
ProRail manages the tracks, points, signals and platforms in the Netherlands, but doesn't run trains itself. The distinctive feature: the platform and the station building don't belong to the same company. For spotters, that's exactly where the house rules change.
Related guides from the blog
- Missed Your Connection: What to Do Right Away and What You're Entitled To
- Planning Sun Position at a Photo Spot: Light Instead of Luck
- Keeping a Sighting Logbook: From Scraps of Paper to a Real Database
- Small Stations for Spotting: Why They're Often Better Than the Hbf
- Safety Distance at the Track: The Rules That Save Lives
