Train World
Train World is a railway museum in Schaerbeek, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium, and the official museum of the National Railway Company of Belgium. It is situated in the preserved buildings of Schaarbeek railway station and in a new shed built to its north. The museum was opened in September 2015 by King Philippe.
History and location
Train World is located at Schaarbeek railway station, incorporating the station building. The museum's scenography was designed by the comic book artist François Schuiten.The museum was scheduled to be opened in 2014, but was delayed and was open to the public on 25 September 2015, having been formally opened the previous day by King Philippe. Until then, €20.5 million had been invested into the project, which planned to attract 100,000 visitors per year from its third year of operations onwards.
Overview
The museum is over and displays 22 locomotives, as well as 1,200 other objects, including an original 19th-century railway bridge. Also featured is an interactive railway simulator, where players drive a train through current-day Schaerbeek, and a possible future Brussels.One of the most important objects in the museum is the "Pays du Waes" steam locomotive, dating from 1845, which is the oldest preserved locomotive in continental Europe.