Key takeaways
- This is a steam tramway, not a railway – recognisable by the aprons over the running gear.
- The line connects Hoorn and Medemblik over roughly 20 kilometres of standard-gauge, non-electrified track.
- Hoorn sits on the NS network, with the tram yard adjoining it directly – you can get there without a car.
- The historic triangle combines tram, ferry and regular train into a round trip.
- The operator is a foundation with museum status; running operations are largely carried 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 the steam tramway is a category of its own
- 8.Tram or railway – the difference in detail
- 9.Tram locomotive, tramcar, tram collection
- 10.Planning the historic triangle properly
- 11.Photographing a steam tram
- 12.Foundation, museum and volunteers
- 13.Verdict
- 14.Frequently asked questions
Fact file
| Operator type | foundation (Stichting) under Dutch law with museum status, operations largely run by volunteers |
|---|---|
| Gauge | 1435 mm standard gauge |
| Route | Hoorn – Wognum – Twisk – Medemblik, around 20 kilometres |
| Region | West Friesland, province of North Holland |
| Vehicle type | steam tram – locomotives with skirted running gear, tramcars with open end platforms |
| Network connection | Hoorn sits on the NS network, the tram yard adjoins it directly |
| Distinguishing feature | a combination of steam tram, ferry across the IJsselmeer and regular train |
| Operating base | Hoorn, with shed, workshop and collection area |
| Official website | www.stoomtram.nl |
Business areas
Structure & brands
History at a glance
How to recognise Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik
Does the train really belong to Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik?
- Skirted running gear – tram locomotives carry aprons over wheels and connecting rods so no one in the street gets caught in them
- Tramcars with open end platforms – open boarding points instead of compartments or door control
- Low build height – vehicles look squatter than railway vehicles of the same gauge
- Street-following alignment – the route follows roads and village high streets, not the shortest path
- A bell instead of a whistle – tram vehicles announce themselves differently from railway trains
- No overhead wire – the heritage line is not electrified, unlike the NS network next to it
Strengths and weaknesses
What the company stands for
- A vehicle class that has completely disappeared from regular service in Europe
- Hoorn sits on the main network – you can travel there without a car, right to the tram yard
- Can be combined into a round trip with ferry and regular train
- About 20 kilometres of line with several usable locations
- Workshop and collection in Hoorn show technology kept behind closed doors elsewhere
Where it falls short
- Seasonal operation; nothing runs outside the season
- The combined ticket ties you to fixed times and leaves little photographic freedom
- In good weather the tram and ferry get very busy
- Flat, open terrain offers hardly any elevated viewpoints
- There's no continuously published overview of the working locomotive fleet
Updated: August 2026 – At first glance at the locomotive, something’s off. Where wheels, connecting rods and cylinders would be working on a steam locomotive, there’s a sheet-metal box instead. The Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik doesn’t run railway locomotives but tram locomotives – and their running gear had to be skirted, because these vehicles once ran through streets and villages.
A vehicle class that no longer exists anywhere else
Record what you see here – steam trams don't turn up twice on any sightings list.
Why the steam tramway is a category of its own
A dense network of steam tramways sprang up in the Netherlands in the late 19th century. The reason was economic: a tram line could be built to simplified regulations, could make use of existing roads, and needed neither embankments nor elaborate structures. In exchange it ran slowly, stopped often, and had to share the road with horse-drawn carts.
Everything you see on the vehicle follows from this form of operation. Skirting the running gear was a legal requirement, so no one in the street would get caught in the connecting rods. The cars have open end platforms instead of compartments, because passengers were meant to board at any street corner. And the bell replaces the steam whistle, because you don’t whistle while passing through a village.
Tram or railway – the difference in detail
Both run on 1435 millimetres. Even so, they’re two different worlds, and the differences explain almost every compositional problem you’ll run into here.
| Feature | Steam tramway | Classic heritage railway |
|---|---|---|
| Running gear | skirted, motion barely visible | exposed, connecting rods as the subject |
| Alignment | follows roads and villages | follows the rail formation and terrain |
| Speed | very low, many stops | higher, longer uninterrupted runs |
| Coaches | tramcars with open end platforms | carriages with compartments |
| Surroundings | villages, roads, street space | open line, railway installations |
That has a practical consequence: the classic side-on shot of the working machine doesn’t work here. What does work is the tram within the village scene – houses, road, people, tram. The article on trams in the street describes how to build shots like that.
Tram locomotive, tramcar, tram collection
The fleet is typically tram in character. Tram locomotives with skirted running gear form the backbone, joined by tram-type passenger cars with open end platforms and freight and service vehicles from the same era. Some vehicles come from other Dutch tram networks that have long since disappeared – the collection therefore documents more than just this one line.
I hold back on individual running numbers. Which machine is in service on a given day depends on overhaul cycles and workshop status and isn’t published on an ongoing basis. Note the type, style of skirting and lettering – that’s the information you can rely on.
The contrast is right next door. At Hoorn station, the regular service of the Nederlandse Spoorwegen calls, among others with intercity trains of the ICM type and sprinters of the SLT class. Between the steam tram and these vehicles lie around a hundred and thirty years of vehicle development – and a change of platform. Anyone showing both in one set of photos explains more about Dutch transport than any single shot.
Hoorn is richer than the line itself
The shed, workshop and shunting area sit at the starting point. There, between workings, you see what isn't currently on the train, and get movements that don't happen on the open line: run-round moves, taking on water, coupling up. Anyone who only stands by the line misses the larger part of the collection.
Planning the historic triangle properly
Check the running day and season
The tram and ferry only run in season, the regular train year-round. The weakest link decides the date.
Decide: round trip or fixed location
The round trip is convenient, but you're sitting inside a vehicle. For photos, you're better off staying by the line.
Choose Hoorn as your base
The tram yard adjoins the station. You can switch between heritage and regular services within minutes.
Look for a village high street
The unique feature of this railway is its street setting. A shot without the village scene gives that away.
Secure your way back
The last heritage working is a hard cut-off; the regular service from Hoorn runs much later.
How long does the historic triangle take?
A rough guide only. Binding times are in the current seasonal timetable.
Tram, ferry and train in one day
Three modes of transport, one logbook – so nothing gets mixed up afterwards.
Photographing a steam tram
The timetable is your biggest advantage here too: you know in advance when something’s coming, and can use the first working as a test run. The downside is the flat, open terrain – elevated viewpoints are practically non-existent, and the sun’s position therefore matters more than usual. The article on checking the sun at your spot explains how to check it in advance; photographing steam trains covers the particulars of smoke and steam.
The location works, when …
- it's on a public path or platform
- the village scene makes the tram's street setting visible
- the sightline follows the tram for a good stretch
Check first, when …
- you're standing in the street and blocking traffic
- identifiable people appear in the shot
- the tram yard is very busy on an event day
Don't …
- stand on the track or on a level crossing
- enter the shed area without permission
- hold up shunting moves for a shot
Slow doesn't mean harmless
A steam tram runs slowly and quietly – which is exactly why it's easily overlooked in the street. On top of that: where the line crosses roads, road traffic law applies alongside railway law. Don't stand on level crossings, not even for that one shot. What this means legally is set out in the article on trespassing on the track.
Foundation, museum and volunteers
The operator is a foundation under Dutch law with museum status. Running operations lie largely with volunteers; workshop work, train guarding and stewarding are carried out on a voluntary basis, supplemented by a small paid core for the museum and organisation.
This structure explains the shape of the offering: a clearly bounded season, a fixed timetable pattern, and combined tickets that reliably bring in visitors. Anyone wanting to get involved themselves can find the usual routes in the article on railway societies.
Within the Netherlands, it’s worth comparing two quite different approaches. The Stoom Stichting Nederland runs steam on the main network rather than its own line, while the Museum Buurt Spoorweg in Twente preserves the local railway as a type of line instead. Three operations, three completely different answers to the same question – what exactly should be preserved: the vehicle, the line, or the form of operation? Anyone who visits all three sees the range far more clearly than in any single museum.
Verdict
The Museumstoomtram isn’t just another steam train in flat countryside. It’s the last larger surviving example of a transport form in its own right that once served half of western Europe and then vanished almost without trace.
Anyone who bears that in mind photographs differently: not the working machine, but the tram within the village. And anyone who brings a whole day spends a good part of it in Hoorn – where more stands still than runs on the line.
Verdict in brief
Skirted running gear, open end platforms, village high streets: this is a steam tramway, not a heritage railway – and that's exactly what makes the line unique.
Rare classes deserve recording
You won't see steam trams twice. Note the type, place and date while it's still fresh.
Summary
- Anyone wanting to understand the Dutch tram tradition finds here the only larger surviving example still in operation.
- The skirting of the running gear isn't a design detail but a rule from the era of street-running operation.
- The combined ticket is convenient but not the best choice for photographers – if you want pictures, stay by the line.
- Hoorn is the richer location: the shed, workshop and shunting movements offer more than the open line.
Frequently asked questions
Is this a heritage railway or a tramway?
Legally and historically a steam tramway. Lines like this were built and operated under tramway regulations, were allowed to share public roads, and ran correspondingly slowly. That the gauge is the same as a railway's changes nothing about that. For you at the lineside, the difference is visible at once – in the vehicles and in the alignment.
Why are the locomotives skirted?
Because they operated in the street. Wheels, connecting rods and cylinders were covered with aprons so people and animals couldn't get caught in them. That gives tram locomotives their characteristic boxy look. Anyone seeing one for the first time often mistakes it for a disguised tank wagon – until it moves off.
How long is the line?
About 20 kilometres between Hoorn and Medemblik, with intermediate stops along the way. That makes it one of the longer heritage lines in the Netherlands. The alignment follows the old tram logic: it sticks to roads and villages rather than the shortest path between two points.
What is the historic triangle?
A round trip in three legs: by steam tram from Hoorn to Medemblik, by ferry across the IJsselmeer to Enkhuizen, and from there by regular train of the NS back to Hoorn. The offer is timed to connect and is convenient – but awkward for photographers, since you're then sitting on a train instead of standing by the line.
Can I get there without a car?
Yes, particularly well. Hoorn sits on the NS network and is reachable from Amsterdam by regular service; the tram yard adjoins the station directly. That makes the Museumstoomtram one of the most easily reached heritage railways in Europe – no feeder service, no walk across country.
When does the steam tram run?
In the warmer half of the year, with a markedly denser service in the summer months; special trips run in winter as well. Exact departure times change every season and are set out in the operator's current timetable. Check the running day first, everything else after – without a running train, even the best location is worthless.
How does photographing this differ from a heritage railway?
Considerably. Tram vehicles are lower and look more compact in the frame; the skirting swallows the motion of the running gear that carries the shot on railway locomotives. In exchange, you get village high streets and street-running sections that classic heritage railways don't have. The article on trams in the street explains what matters here.
Is there anything comparable in Germany?
Barely, in operation. German tram museums such as the Hannoversches Straßenbahn-Museum show electric vehicles, not steam trams. The steam tramway has almost entirely disappeared from central Europe – that makes Hoorn a special case, not just another heritage line. How to find operations like this is covered in the article on historic tramways.
What is there to see in Hoorn besides the departure?
The shed, workshop and collection area. That's also where you'll find what isn't running on your visit day – with a collection this size, often the more interesting part. Between train workings there's shunting, run-round moves and taking on water. Set aside time for that deliberately, rather than spending the whole day on the open line.
Am I allowed to photograph at the track or on the road?
From public paths and permitted areas, yes. Tracks and operational installations remain off-limits, even at low speeds. On street-running sections there's an extra factor: you're standing in road traffic and need to watch that just as closely. The basic rules are summed up in the article on safe distance from the track.
Log vehicles from Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik
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.
Typical vehicles
NS ICM (Koploper)
The ICM is the classic intercity multiple unit of the NS. Its nickname Koploper reveals the design principle: a walk-through gangway right through the front.
ClassNS SLT (Sprinter Lighttrain)
The SLT is one of the multiple units that defines Dutch regional services. Its abbreviation stands for Sprinter Lighttrain, and the number gives the count of car sets.
ClassHTM Avenio (Siemens)
The Siemens Avenio is the modern low-floor tram of HTM in The Hague. Here's how to recognise it, how to read car numbers, and how to photograph it.
Where you will find Museumstoomtram Hoorn-Medemblik
Spotting locations where you will regularly come across vehicles from this organisation – with viewpoints, the best light and coordinates.
Amsterdam 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.
Junction stationUtrecht 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.
More companies
Stoom Stichting Nederland
The Stoom Stichting Nederland owns no heritage line of its own. It runs its steam trains over the normal Dutch network – among freight trains, Intercity services and Sprinters. That makes it the exception among the country's heritage operators, and it changes everything about how you photograph it.
Heritage railwayMuseum 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.
State railwayNederlandse Spoorwegen (NS)
The Nederlandse Spoorwegen run the core network of the Netherlands, but by no means everything moving on Dutch rails. Freight, regional lines and infrastructure sit with other companies – and the yellow livery only tells you which part you're looking at.
Heritage railwayHannoversches Strassenbahn-Museum e.V.
The Hannoversches Strassenbahn-Museum in Wehmingen is no depot behind tape, but an operation with its own line and overhead wire. On running days, historic tramcars from several decades run there – electric, to a timetable and carrying passengers.
Related guides from the blog
- Finding Historic Trams: Heritage Cars in Passenger Service
- Photographing trams in city streets: traffic, people, timing
- How Do You Photograph Steam Trains? The Ultimate Guide to Steam Train Photography (Equipment, Settings, Light, Spots)
- Safety Distance at the Track: The Rules That Save Lives
- Planning Sun Position at a Photo Spot: Light Instead of Luck
