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BELGIUM | Stoomtrein Maldegem-Eeklo presents 2026 heritage runs season ft. Balgerhoeke Bridge

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Stoomtrein Maldegem-Eeklo has scheduled a busy 2026. One of the most visible highlights will be the Balgerhoeke Bridge, which will regain its former splendour following a thorough renovation. The first train to cross the renewed bridge is scheduled to be the Valentine’s Orient Dining Express. Further details are outlined below.

The year 2026 is also significant in a broader railway context. Belgium’s national railway company, NMBS / SNCB, will mark its 100th anniversary, while the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits will celebrate 150 years since its foundation. These milestones will not pass unnoticed within the railway heritage sector.

Before looking ahead, Stoomtrein Maldegem–Eeklo extends its best wishes to all newsletter readers for a healthy and happy New Year, accompanied by a generous measure of railway enjoyment.

Steam locomotive.

Orient Dining Express

The first trains planned to run over the renovated bridge deck at Balgerhoeke will be the Valentine’s Orient Dining Express services, scheduled for 13, 14 and 15 February. 

The booking website is already open, allowing reservations to be made in advance. As in previous years, demand is expected to be high and places are typically sold out quickly.

These services are subject to the contractor being able to adhere to the planned schedule, which is also dependent on weather conditions. The dining train journeys will take place in any event, although the route may be shortened if necessary.

The Balgerhoeke Bridge

In November, work began on dismantling the bridge superstructure. All components were carefully removed and prepared for transport to specialist workshops, where repair and restoration work is being carried out.

Immediately after the passage of the final train on 30 November – the last Saint Nicholas train of the season – the tracks and sleepers were removed. This ensured that everything was ready for the main phase of works starting on 1 December.

The most substantial operation took place on Monday 1 December, when an Infrabel Kirow telescopic crane was deployed to lift both bridge decks from the abutments. The crane carried out the operation with apparent ease. Contractor HYE is responsible for the restoration of the bridge.

The restoration represents a major financial investment for the association. While the works are underway, additional financial support remains very welcome. 

Contributions can be made via Herita, which offers tax benefits, or directly to Stoomtrein Maldegem–Eeklo, with donors receiving a personal thank-you or a unique experience in return for their support.

Winter track works

With the bridge temporarily removed, the railway line itself is quiet, but appearances are deceptive. Behind the scenes, volunteers continue to work steadily on the maintenance of rolling stock and infrastructure to ensure everything is ready for the start of the new operating season.

At Maldegem station, the double slip turnout and the three-way turnout providing access to the museum shed are being replaced.

The ES working group (Electricity & Signalling) has spent several years progressively upgrading the signalling on line L58M. 

Following the completion of Block 7 at Balgerhoeke and the particularly complex Block 8 at Maldegem, the final major element has now been delivered with Block 6. This consists of a fully relay-based signal box with nine signals and two electrically operated points at Eeklo Oostveld/NMBS. The installation represents a significant technical achievement, realised entirely by volunteers.

First Communion and Spring Celebrations in 2026

Families with a child or grandchild celebrating a First Communion or Spring Celebration in 2026 may wish to consider Maldegem as a photographic setting. The station and its surroundings provide an attractive backdrop for commemorative photographs.

Time slots can already be booked via the website. One-hour sessions are available between 10.00 and 17.00 on the following dates:

  • Saturday 14 March,
  • Sunday 22 March,
  • Saturday 28 March,
  • Sunday 5 April,
  • Wednesday 8 April,
  • Sunday 12 April.

Early booking is recommended to secure a preferred date and time.

Maldegem-Eeklo Steam Train

Stoomtrein Maldegem–Eeklo (SME), formerly known as Stoomcentrum Maldegem (SCM), is a Belgian heritage railway association that operates historic trains between the former station of Maldegem and the NMBS / SNCB station of Eeklo. 

Its operational base is located on the historic station site at Maldegem. The organisation has been active since 19 December 1985 and is structured as a non-profit association.

Railway line 58

The museum railway operates on part of railway line 58, which was originally worked by the Belgian State Railways (NMBS / SNCB) along the full route between Ghent in East Flanders and Bruges in West Flanders. 

From the mid-twentieth century onwards, increasing car ownership led to a steady decline in rail traffic on the line. Passenger services between Eeklo and Bruges were withdrawn in 1959 and replaced by buses, while regular passenger trains continued to operate only between Ghent and Eeklo. 

The final passenger train to Bruges departed Maldegem on 26 February 1959 at 21:30. Although the section between Maldegem and Bruges was dismantled in the early 1960s, freight trains continued to operate between Eeklo and Maldegem until 26 April 1988.

Renewed activity at Maldegem station began in the late 1980s, when a group of railway enthusiasts from Bruges settled on the site. Having outgrown model railways and already experimented with full-scale railway operation on private land nearby, they acquired the abandoned NMBS / SNCB buildings at Maldegem, including the station building, goods shed and a former gatekeeper’s house. 

Stoomtrein Maldegem–Eeklo initially laid a narrow-gauge railway on the former trackbed towards Bruges and, following the cessation of freight services, later began operating trains on standard gauge as well.

Fair weather season

Heritage train services are operated on Sundays and public holidays from May to September, as well as on Wednesdays during July and August. Visitors can experience travel in historic carriages with wooden benches or upholstered seating, or in preserved NMBS / SNCB diesel railcars from series 44, 46 or type 652. 

A key highlight of the journey between Maldegem and Eeklo is the crossing of the historic metal railway bridge over the Schipdonk Canal at Balgerhoeke. This bridge, dating from the wartime period, remains one of the most recognisable features of the line.

In addition to regular operations, the association organises several annual events, including a Steam Festival held during the first weekend of May. In recognition of its heritage work, Stoomtrein Maldegem–Eeklo was awarded the Flemish Monuments Prize in 2006. In 2011, the organisation commemorated the 150th anniversary of the railway connection between Ghent and Eeklo.

New start

Since 2021, many heritage trains once again run into the NMBS / SNCB station of Eeklo, using platform 3, allowing passengers to transfer directly to regular S51 services towards Ghent. 

For many years prior to this, administrative constraints limited museum operations to the purpose-built Oostveld halt, located a short distance from Eeklo station. Ongoing infrastructure improvements include the construction of a dedicated block post with signalling installation at Eeklo-Oostveld. 

Known as Block 6, this installation will control nine colour-light signals, two electrically operated points and a level crossing, with commissioning planned for early 2026. 

Maldegem station itself has for several years been equipped with its own Infrabel-approved signal box, Block 8, fitted with a Siemens lever frame controlling twelve signals, four electric points and two level crossings.

Rolling stock

The collection of Stoomtrein Maldegem–Eeklo includes eleven locomotives, along with historic passenger coaches dating from the 1930s and several diesel railcars. The steam locomotive fleet ranges from late nineteenth-century industrial engines to post-war designs. 

Among the most notable locomotives is Yvonne, built in 1893 by St-Léonard in Liège, one of the oldest preserved Belgian steam locomotives. 

Other engines include industrial locomotives from Haine-Saint-Pierre and La Meuse, the British-built saddle tank Fred from 1925, the former Belgian industrial locomotive Bébert, and a Hunslet Austerity built in 1953. The collection has also included Polish steam locomotives, although some have since returned to Poland. Several locomotives are operational, while others are awaiting extensive and costly restoration.

In addition to steam traction, the association maintains a fleet of diesel locomotives for both standard and narrow gauge, as well as preserved NMBS /SNCB diesel railcars used in passenger service. The passenger rolling stock includes former NMBS / SNCB coaches and a historic restaurant car originally built in 1919 for the Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits, which later served in several European heritage railways before arriving in Maldegem in 2012.

Through its operations, restoration projects and events, Stoomtrein Maldegem–Eeklo preserves and presents an important section of Belgian railway heritage, maintaining active railway operations on a line that would otherwise have disappeared entirely.

Heritage and other special trams and trains in Belgium

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