The Dutch Railway Museum Between Two Stools

UTRECHT, Netherlands, October 8, 2010 - On Wednesday, October 13, the exhibition 'Railroad across the Sea' will
start in The Railway Museum in Utrecht. The exhibition is about the
'boat-train connection' between the Netherlands and Great Britain. Based on
the personal stories of travelers, 'Railroad across the Sea' tells the
history of travelling by train and boat from Hoek van Holland and Vlissingen
from 1875 until now.

'Railroad across the Sea' runs from October 13, 2010 through March 13,
2011.

Because of partnerships between shipping and train companies a combined
boat-train connection between the Netherlands and Great Britain arose in the
19th century. Travelers could book for train and boat from every station in
the Netherlands, which made the trip easier and less time-consuming. The
exhibition 'Railroad across the Sea' in the Dutch Railway Museum shows how
this boat-train connection has developed since 1875. The exhibition begins at
the travel agency where flyers, old advertisements and timetables bring the
visitor back in time. The ship's master of the first ship to leave in 1875
stands on the platform, showing the personal log books of travelers who once
made the trip. By way of the customs the visitor arrives at the bow of a
life-size ship where photographs, models, flyers and collectors' items
elucidate several themes including tourism, emigration, disasters at sea and
children's transport. These themes paint a picture of the feasts of the
boat-train connection, but also show how the connections had to endure lots
of hardship economically.

With regard to 'Railroad across the Sea' the Dutch Railway Museum
collaborates with the National Railway Museum in York and the Jan Lels
Lifeboat Museum in Hoek van Holland. Under the name of 'Once upon a tide' an
exhibition started in York about the boat-train connection from Great Britain
to the Netherlands and beyond. The exhibition in The Railway Museum is about
the reverse route from the Netherlands towards England.

For more information or pictures:

www.anp-photo.com/search.pp?page=1&ShowPicture=13955081&pos=1

There will be a press preview on Tuesday, October 12 at 11 am about the
exhibition with the curator Jos Zijlstra and the coordinator of exhibitions
Evelien Pieterse. The exhibition will be opened to public as from Wednesday,
October 13.

The exhibition has been effected thanks to a contribution of Abellio.

For more information or pictures: The Railway Museum, PR & Communication, Evertjan de Rooij, tel: +31(0)30-2306262 / +31(0)6-43444452, Email: e.d.rooij at spoorwegmuseum.nl