NS 3700

NS 3700 series

Company type	Steam locomotive series
Industry	Railway transport
Predecessor	Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (SS)
Founded	1910
Headquarters	Netherlands
Products	Express steam locomotives (4-6-0 wheel configuration)

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The NS 3700 series comprised express steam locomotives featuring a 2'C (4-6-0) wheel configuration operated by the Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS) and its predecessor, the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (SS).

History

"NS 3816" steam locomotive, circa 1930, Utrecht Archives collection

"NS 3804" fitted with streamlined casing known as 'Potvis', circa 1936, Utrecht Archives collection

"Anniversary rail tour on June 16, 1956 with locomotive 3737 hauling wooden carriages on the NVBS's 25th anniversary"

Between 1910 and 1920, the initial batch of 109 locomotives was supplied to the SS, assigned numbers ranging from 685 to 778 and from 785 to 799. These were produced by various manufacturers including Beyer, Peacock & Company (36 units), Werkspoor (48 units), Hanomag (10 units), and Henschel & Son (15 units). Following the merger of SS and HSM in 1921, an additional six locomotives were delivered by Werkspoor within that year. Subsequently, this series was renumbered under NS as units 3701 through 3815. In 1928, a further five locomotives were commissioned from Berliner Maschinenbau (Schwartzkopff), incorporating minor design modifications. After these additions, the entire class was numbered consecutively between 3701 and 3820.

Original SS Number	NS Numbering	Year Built	Manufacturer	Lot Number	Remarks

|- |701-706 ||3701-3706 ||1910 ||Beyer, Peacock & Company ||5370-5375 || |- |707-718 ||3707-3718 ||1911 ||Beyer, Peacock & Company ||5451-5462 || |- |731-742 ||3737-3748 ||1911 ||Werkspoor || ||NS unit 3737 is conserved at the Spoorwegmuseum |- |743-750 ||3749-3756 ||1912 ||Werkspoor || || |- |719-730 ||3719-3730 ||1913 ||Beyer, Peacock & Company ||5640-5651 || |- |695-700 ||3731-3736 ||1913 ||Beyer, Peacock & Company ||5721-5726 || |- |751-760 ||3757-3766 ||1913/14||Werkspoor|| || |- |761-766 ||3767-3772 ||1915 ||Werkspoor|| || |- |767-778 ||3773-3784 ||1918/19||Werkspoor|| || |- |785-799 ||3791-3805 ||1920 ||Henschel & Son||17744-17758|| |- |685-694 ||3806-3815 ||1920 ||Hanomag||9343-9352|| |- |(779–784)||3785–3790||1921||Werkspoor|||| Ordered by SS but entered service with NS numbering. |-||3816–3820||1928||Berliner Maschinenbau (Schwartzkopff)||9336–9340|| Ordered by NS and delivered with NS numbers. |} The Noord-Brabantsch-Duitsche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NBDS) pioneered the use of express locomotives with a 2'C (4-6-0) wheel arrangement in the Netherlands starting in 1908 (NBDS units numbered 30–35; later NS series 3500). Following positive performance results on their routes, NBDS requested that SS test one of these locomotives on the Amsterdam–Emmerich line. The trial proved highly successful and influenced SS's decision to acquire locomotives of similar configuration. While NBDS models featured two inside cylinders, SS chose a four-cylinder design.

Designed by SS engineers with British locomotive concepts as reference points, these engines were intended for hauling express passenger services. Compared to the earlier SS series numbered between 801 and 935 (NS series 1701–1835), this class delivered double the power output and earned the nickname "Jumbo." The NS 3700 quickly became a key asset for express train operations across the Netherlands. After introduction of more powerful NS class 3900 locomotives in late 1929, they relinquished their heaviest express duties. When challenges arose with the Mat’34 electric multiple units—intended for rapid intercity connections—locomotives from this class were deployed as replacements in so-called steam-diesel services capable of exceeding speeds over 120 km/h.

These locomotives were paired with tenders featuring either three or four axles to accommodate sufficient coal and water supplies. In addition, a tank engine variant emerged in 1929 under the designation NS series 6100 ("Tender Jumbos") featuring a wheel arrangement of 2'C2' (4-6-4). Ten units were constructed—five by Hohenzollern and five by Werkspoor. Prior to this, Beyer, Peacock & Company had produced a lighter tank engine model equipped with two inside cylinders and a somewhat smaller boiler known as the NS series 6000.

Locomotive 3737

Constructed in 1911 by Werkspoor as SS 731, Locomotive 3737 completed its inaugural test journey between Amsterdam and Utrecht on 28 August 1911. It officially commenced operations on 11 September 1911. Assigned to the Roosendaal depot, Locomotive 3737 was responsible for hauling the final official NS steam service from Geldermalsen to Utrecht Maliebaan on 7 January 1958, at which time the Spoorwegmuseum was already established there. Following this, the locomotive became part of the museum's collection.

During the 1970s, NS 3737 underwent refurbishment to enable its use for special excursion trains. Throughout the steam seasons of 1974 and 1975, it was leased to the Stichting Stoomtrein Tilburg-Turnhout (SSTT), which operated a heritage train route along a section of the Tilburg - Turnhout railway. The locomotive played a significant role in commemorating the Netherlands' 150th anniversary of railways in 1989. In subsequent years, it has been sporadically active on the rail network. In 1996, a completely new boiler and firebox were installed with the intention of returning it to regular service; however, it experienced a breakdown after only a few runs. When another overhaul became necessary in 2008, the Railway Museum declared its intention to allocate part of a grant from the BankGiro Lottery towards the restoration, but by the end of that year, the funds proved insufficient.

Gallery

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  Test run featuring the streamlined NS 3801 (1936)
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  NS Locomotive 3759 at the reopening ceremony of Buggenum railway bridge on 29 September 1947
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  NS locomotive 3752 hauling freight on the 'bathtub railway' through Kruiningerpolder following the 1953 flood; dated 11 June 1953
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  NS locomotive 3704 operating in flooded Kruiningerpolder; 11 June 1953
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  Locomotive NS 3819 navigating floodwaters in Kruiningerpolder; dated 11 June 1953
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  Locomotive NS 3760 stationed in Amersfoort (1953)
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  Preserved NS 3737 in operation (1974) (Audio in Dutch)
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  Locomotive NS 3737 with an excursion train at Bilthoven on May 23, 1974
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  NS Locomotive 3737 displayed at the Spoorwegmuseum
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  Close-up view of steam locomotive NS 3737
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  Steam locomotive no. 713 from S.S. (State Railways), later renumbered as NS 3713
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  NS locomotives: No. 3798 (left) alongside No. 2134 (right) at Stavoren station
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  NS locomotive number 3767 positioned on transfer table at Central Workshop Tilburg
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  The handover of NS Locomotive 3737 following its last official run from Geldermalsen to Utrecht Maliebaan
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  Various NS locomotives: No.8605 (series 8600), No.3780 featuring an enlarged smokebox door, and No.3772 (series 3700/3800)
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  Derailment of SS Locomotive No.770 near Amsterdam Weesperpoort
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  Engineer H.A. van Hooij (right) and fireman P. Bos inside cab of NS Locomotive 3737 (1958)
• Uncommon color photograph of an NS series 3700 locomotive circa 1940
  Uncommon color photograph of an NS series 3700 locomotive circa 1940
• Brand new steam locomotive NS No.3785 (1921)
  Brand new steam locomotive NS No.3785 (1921)
• Streamlined casing designed for NS No.3804 (1935–1936)
  Streamlined casing designed for NS No.3804 (1935–1936)
• Collision involving an NS series 3700 locomotive with another train (1937)
  Collision involving an NS series 3700 locomotive with another train (1937)

The NS 3700 as a scale model

Several Dutch model train producers have issued replicas of the NS 3700 series in both H0 and 0 scales. Initially, Philotrain offered an exclusive handcrafted brass version, while since 2010, Artitec has provided a more affordable H0 scale mass-produced alternative. These models represent nearly all variations from both the SS and NS eras and are available with analogue as well as digital control systems. Due to the much tighter curves found in model layouts compared to actual tracks, certain modifications were necessary for accurate operation.

Sources

• Paul Henken: Stoomlocomotieven Serie SS 685-799 (NS 3700). De geschiedenis van de Jumbo's. Uquilair, Rosmalen, 2001. ISBN 90-71513-38-6
• Paul Henken: Stoomlocomotieven NS-serie 6100. De geschiedenis van de Tenderjumbo's. Uquilair, Rosmalen, 2002. ISBN 90-71513-43-2
• R.C. Statius Muller, A.J. Veenendaal jr., H. Waldorp: De Nederlandse stoomlocomotieven. De Alk, Alkmaar, 2005. ISBN 90-6013-262-9
• Het Utrechts Archief

External links

Media related to NS 3700 at Wikimedia Commons

• Photograph of the NS 3708 locomotive derailed near Woerden on October 15, 1936
• Entry for locomotive 3737 in the Dutch Museum Database
• Audio clip of an NS 3700 departing Amsterdam C.S. with a passenger train in 1955