In the summer of 2023 two of my daughters and I were on vacation in the Netherlands to visit my mom. Of course, we went to Amersfoort to do some general souvenir (vacation memories) shopping, and I could not resist to stop by “ModeltreinCentrum Amersfoort” and to walk out with one locomotive and two passenger cars.
The one locomotive I bought is a NS Vectron made by Piko.
The Vectron is a locomotive made by Siemens, introduced in 2010 and available in four prototype versions: diesel, multi-system, and both AC and DC electric power. The diesel version has been replaced in 2018 by a dual mode locomotive which is powered by electricity on electrified sections of the track and can be switched to diesel mode on non-electrified sections. It can be configured to use any or all of the four electric power systems commonly used in Europe.
The bright yellow/blue color NS version (Nederlandse Spoorwegen) is clearly distinctable among its siblings in Europe, where you can find this one mostly in the Netherlands, Germany and Austria in international luxury trains. Before this locomotive entered service in the Netherlands, the Dutch locomotives had to be switched out at the border with another locomotive capable of driving under the different catenary voltage and train control safety standards. This Vectron is allowed to operate on each foreign rail network in Europe.
Check out the details in these pictures from the Piko model:
Next to this model I also bought a set of two NS ICR passenger cars to compliment my NS Class 186 TRAXX electric locomotive. The two cars are pretty much the same but come in a set with different numbers. They are made by Exact-train, a new company. One of the external noticeable details is the white triangles on the doors.
I have these ICR cars from Lima that I bought in the 1980’s, but they are less detailed as the ones made by Exact-train. Also, the length of the car is true to scale (1/87), instead of the shorter 1/100 scale what was a normal thing back in the 80’s. These two models I bought represent the ICR after their latest rebuilt/upgrade to new standards.
Check the details:
