Impressive steam locomotives once trailed plumes of smoke and steam through the magnificent Veluwe landscape they not only expanded the horizons of the people of the Veluwe region, but they also gave impetus to the paper industry. Today, the VSM steam train keeps this memory alive.
King William III
In 1887 the Dieren-Apeldoorn-Zwolle railway line was constructed by order of King William III. The king had set his sights on the economic development of the area, but could also not deny the convenience of having a comfortable way of travelling to and from Palace Het Loo, and one of his favourite country estates, the Hof te Dieren in Dieren. William could even alight just outside the palace at a specially built station. In fact, by constructing a railway line, William III followed closely in the footsteps of his grandfather William I, who had constructed the Apeldoorn Canal.
Industry
Once the railway had been completed at the end of the 19th century, it was the most modern and fastest means of travel. It not only made the population considerably more mobile, but it was also used more frequently for transporting freight. The paper mills benefited from this more than most. Ironically enough, in economic terms, the railway soon ousted the canal that his grandfather, William I, had built. The canal and the railway line followed more or less the same route and therefore ended up competing with each other.
The Veluwe Steam Train Company
In the 20th century, rather than competing with the canal, the railway line had the developing road network to contend with. The last passenger train service ran in 1947 whilst the freight trains managed to carry on using the railway up until 1984. Despite this decline, a private initiative called the Veluwe Steam Train Company (de Veluwsche Stoomtrein Maatschappij or VSM), has kept the steam line alive since in 1975. It collects and maintains old locomotives and trains, and is based at the old station in Beekbergen. As a result, thei
