NS Koploper units.

[driver9000]

Cheers driver9000. I've only just stumbled across the koploper units on you tube. They look and sound great. Been on the railway for 16 odd years and never even considered travel abroad until now !!. The UK rail scene is becoming very mundane with all the great trains all coming to an end. (I'm a big EMU fan) so to find these units was a great find. Now I just need a certain pandemic to bugger off, then it'll be all systems go

I grew bored of UK railways as an enthusiast several years ago too. The Netherlands is a lovely country and I too was first attracted by the Koploper EMU and then found the SGM Sprinter sets and now withdrawn push-pull double deck sets. I just wish I had gone a few years earlier to see the older locos and units. I'm now building a layout set in the country and the pandemic ruined my planned research trips.

 

[slammerTel]

I see they have various EMUs, DMUs and even some loco hauled services with coaches that look remarkably like koploper carriages in service !!. I'm sure the other stock will grow on me over time but at the minute it's the koplopers that will be my priority to see, ride and photo as soon as restrictions are eased.

 

[MisterT]

loco hauled services with coaches that look remarkably like koploper carriages in service

Those ICR coaches were developed from the ICM/Koplopers middle coach. They will only be in service until the ICNG trains take over in the next year or so.
A few will still remain a bit longer on the Intercity service from Amsterdam to Brussels, but those will eventually be replaced by ICNG trains as well.

 

[306024]

I grew bored of UK railways as an enthusiast several years ago too. The Netherlands is a lovely country and I too was first attracted by the Koploper EMU and then found the SGM Sprinter sets and now withdrawn push-pull double deck sets. I just wish I had gone a few years earlier to see the older locos and units. I'm now building a layout set in the country and the pandemic ruined my planned research trips.

You and me both! Luckily enough living here in East Anglia a trip across the North Sea is easy (in normal times). I’m of an age when we used to do trips to ride behind the ex BR class 77s between The Hague and Venlo, and have covered every line in Holland apart from obscure curves. There are indeed some lovely towns (Enkhuizen is my favourite on a crisp winters day!). The Koploper units are OK if a bit basic inside (like most Dutch stock), but preferable to the double deck units which close in on you upstairs.

As you are modelling a Dutch scene a visit to mini world in Rotterdam may give you some ideas too. It’s just a short walk from Rotterdam Centraal. There’s some videos on YouTube.

 

[driver9000]

You and me both! Luckily enough living here in East Anglia a trip across the North Sea is easy (in normal times). I’m of an age when we used to do trips to ride behind the ex BR class 77s between The Hague and Venlo, and have covered every line in Holland apart from obscure curves. There are indeed some lovely towns (Enkhuizen is my favourite on a crisp winters day!). The Koploper units are OK if a bit basic inside (like most Dutch stock), but preferable to the double deck units which close in on you upstairs.

As you are modelling a Dutch scene a visit to mini world in Rotterdam may give you some ideas too. It’s just a short walk from Rotterdam Centraal. There’s some videos on YouTube.

I've much left to explore but Haarlem station is one of my favourites and the little seaside town of Zandvoort is delightful on a sunny day. I've seen the YouTube videos of Mini world and will visit there next time I'm across. There are several YouTube modelling channels I follow for inspiration along with a couple of live Webcams.

 

[jamesontheroad]

Would being a rail enthusiast who only speaks English make it difficult or confusing understanding the NS rail network. ie, reading timetables or grasping the station/Train announcements for example. I've never travelled by train overseas before so when this is able to happen it would put my mind at ease

Absolutely not. I had no problems travelling around The Netherlands and barely speak a word of Dutch. Most speak excellent English over there too.

Cheers driver9000. I've only just stumbled across the koploper units on you tube. They look and sound great. Been on the railway for 16 odd years and never even considered travel abroad until now !!. The UK rail scene is becoming very mundane with all the great trains all coming to an end. (I'm a big EMU fan) so to find these units was a great find. Now I just need a certain pandemic to bugger off, then it'll be all systems go

You will find Netherlands and Germany very easy to navigate. Both systems have English language announcements on many stations. Look out also for the very different ways in which train information is communicated: printed posters on platforms with all departures listed chronologically, for instance.

Dutch people learn English from almost the first day in primary school (much like in the Scandinavian countries), and absolutely no offense is caused by asking for help in English. That is less common in Germany, and it is culturally appreciated to practice a few words of German to say "excuse me, do you speak English?"

 

[306024]

For Koploper fans here is a cab ride:

Machinist Stefan has a number of cab rides posted on YouTube. He seems to have very varied route and traction knowledge!

 

[ainsworth74]

That is less common in Germany, and it is culturally appreciated to practice a few words of German to say "excuse me, do you speak English?"

Yes I have found that approaching any interaction in Germany looking suitably lost and saying "Es tut meir leid, sprechen sie Englisch bitte?" seems to yield positive results in all my interactions so far (I believe "Entschuldigung" is more accurate to use in that sentence but I always for get it in the heat of the moment and default back to what I was first taught as being a way of saying "sorry"!). Often it seems to lead to someone replying "a little bit" which following my question usually leads a highly detailed and easy to understand answer in excellent English

But certainly in the Netherlands the standard of English is excellent so you'd have no problem navigating around the place without speaking any Dutch. The NS app in particular was very impressive (and was a constant reminder how rubbish the National Rail app is) and useful when planning both in advance and whilst on the move. But I recall station information being very easy to digest and follow as well. The only slight drama I can recall was a last minute platform alteration at Amsterdam Centraal but even that was managed with a brisk walk to the new platform. Also can I just second @driver9000's mention of Haarlem station? Well worth stopping off for a look at as it really is a grand old station (and the town is pretty nice too).

 

[nlogax]

The Koplopers are quite striking machines and I'm tempted to go a bit further on them than the quick hop from Centraal to Schiphol once travel opens up again.

Machinist Stefan has a number of cab rides posted on YouTube. He seems to have very varied route and traction knowledge!

Been watching a far few of the NS cab rides recently. I'm constantly struck by how clean and uncluttered Dutch rail infrastructure is. And as you'd expect, barely a hill or a cutting in site

 

[biko]

Haarlem is indeed one of the nicest stations in the Netherlands. Unfortunately the Koplopers don’t go there. On the lines with Koploper trains I would suggest visiting Rotterdam Centraal which is a nice modern station, Leeuwarden (old) and also Utrecht Centraal as the largest station in the Netherlands.

 

[O L Leigh]

Another vote for Haarlem.

A few years back I visited Leiden and on a trip to Amsterdam we went via Haarlem. From my elevated position on the top deck of a DD-VIRM I could see a salsa dance class taking place inside a large and airy room on the platform. I can't imagine that you'd see anything like this anywhere on the UK network.

 

[route101]

Utrecht to Rotterdam was route I had Koploper unit on. The NS system is impressive, in some ways the IC and locals seem similar, perhaps like Third rail land in SE, but frequent. Not too much loco hauled, DB to Berlin and NS to Brussels.

 

[slammerTel]

Cheers for all the responses guys. It has certainly fired up my imagination for a cracking few days roving the NS and those Koplopers. Groningen/Leeuwarden - Rotterdam/ Den Haag. Schiphol - Apeldoorn. Deventer -Enschede. That looks like where I'll be heading as soon as travel permits.

 

[DanielB]

The NS app in particular was very impressive (and was a constant reminder how rubbish the National Rail app is) and useful when planning both in advance and whilst on the move.

The NS app has one disadvantage: they've just put to much information into it so it might be a bit of a search for what you're looking for. And obviously you won't need any of the contents of the NS-app anyway.
For just plain, clear and fast travel information I'd advise the app "Rijden de treinen" which can also be set to English. Of the apps using open data this one is the most complete with live departures, journey planner, disruption information, train compositions, expected crowdedness of the train and tarrifs. Most importantly is that its much faster to navigate and the funny thing with NS is that travel information via their open data is often more reliable and up to date than station announcements and their own app.
Also useful is the app "OVinfo". This one has slightly less train information (no journey planner and tarrifs for example), but does have real time departures for all public transport in The Netherlands.

 

[StephenHunter]

Those ICR coaches were developed from the ICM/Koplopers middle coach. They will only be in service until the ICNG trains take over in the next year or so.
A few will still remain a bit longer on the Intercity service from Amsterdam to Brussels, but those will eventually be replaced by ICNG trains as well.

The ICNGs are delayed in service entry due to Covid-19.

The Dutch electrified very early; getting their mainlines done before the war - in fact you can see catenary in footage of the German invasion of 1940 and Market Garden in 1944. This resulted in them scrapping pretty much all their steam engines before a preservation movement could get going. So, their heritage lines are dominated by German locomotives.

 

[MisterT]

The ICNGs are delayed in service entry due to Covid-19.

The ICNG trains should have been in service already. That's why I said 'in the next year or so'. With the covid-revised plan, the first train should be in passenger service by the end of this year, with a gradual rollout in the next year.
By the end of next year, all Traxx+ICR trains should have been replaced with ICNG, with the only exception being the international IC train to Brussels.

 

[AlexNL]

And even for those it shouldn't take much longer: 20 ICNG-B trains have already been ordered, and NS and NMBS are currently negotiating about the future of the service. I'm expecting the ICR in the IC Amsterdam - Breda - Brussels to disappear in 2024.

When it comes to Koplopers: at the moment they're also used on the Roosendaal - Den Bosch - Arnhem - Zwolle route, mixed with VIRM. They'll probably stay there for a while, until DDZ returns to service.

 

[Bikeman78]

For Koploper fans here is a cab ride:

Machinist Stefan has a number of cab rides posted on YouTube. He seems to have very varied route and traction knowledge!

A few years ago I was in touch with a Dutch driver. At the time all crews signed all traction, with the exception of the original loco hauled double deckers (DDM-1) that ran from Amsterdam to Enkhuizen and Haarlem to Alkmaar. This meant that the Mat '64 units could chuck out anywhere, sometimes on Intercity trains. The same happened during the last months of the DD-AR double deckers. They turned out on a few Intercity routes in late 2019 when most of their booked work had gone but some sets were still serviceable.

 

[Halish Railway]

The same happened during the last months of the DD-AR double deckers. They turned out on a few Intercity routes in late 2019 when most of their booked work had gone but some sets were still serviceable.

Are you referring to the pre-renovation units as I thought that these are still in regular service on Intercity services.

 

[biko]

Are you referring to the pre-renovation units as I thought that these are still in regular service on Intercity services.

Not all of them were renovated, he refers to unrefurbished ones.

 

[Bikeman78]

Are you referring to the pre-renovation units as I thought that these are still in regular service on Intercity services.

Yes I meant the unrefurbished loco hauled sets with a class 1700. The 50 power cars and most of the carriages were refurbished and are known as DDZ. They do work Intercity trains.