On Sunday 22nd October 2023 we had our annual meeting of the Dutch HRCA. Just as last year, some collectors of other brands (and gauges) were invited. Location was the home of Hans van Dissel, whose collection of vintage model railways spans nearly 200 brands.
The first thing a visitor sees when visiting Hans's train room is that every place has been used to exhibit the parts of the collection. Hans's choice to have something from every manufacturer of vintage model railways in the collection requires a lot of space.
The layout in the basement underneath the trains room provides that same image. Although many of the locomotives and wagons are as much as possible arranged by brand, the layout provides a nice overview of the model trains and accessories that have been made for over the past 100 years. Because the collection is not only limited to gauge 0, an oval for gauge 1 has also been placed above the gauge 0 track.
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The special thing about Hans is that he immerses himself in the history of the most unknown brands in his collection. He always tries to find out what the manufacturer's background was, and what items were made. Here you can see Hans (left) giving an explanation about items from his collection.
Tradition at our meetings: usually, the participants bring new acquisitions from their collection to show to the attendees or sell surplus items. Another tradition is lunch. We always take the time to have lunch together.
Hans's interest is not limited to vintage model trains only. He also has a long history in the field of vintage motorcycles. The proof of this is in the office: a beautiful BSA Gold Star.