20220715-SpM-SSC723.jpg (147842 bytes)

The Railway Museum (Dutch: Het Spoorwegmuseum) in Utrecht is the Dutch National Railway Museum. It was established in 1927 and since 1954 has been housed in the former Maliebaan station. The museum currently owns a large and varied collection of rolling stock. Coach SS C 723, built in 1910 by Ned. Fabr. v. Werktuigen en Spoorwegmaterieel, Amsterdam for the at the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen (SS) company. In 1992 the coach was absorbed into NS as C 4623. Preserved at the Spoorwegmuseum / Railway Museum in Utecht Maliebaan former Station. July 15th, 2022. The carriage has eight compartments for 66 passengers and - for the first time in the 3rd class - a retreat. Water flushing in the toilet was not common on railways at that time. Side paths had been kept free to reach the retirade, at the expense of the length of the wooden benches. The carriages were very modern for them, and very luxurious for the 3rd class, despite the wooden benches. On the outside they were finished with wooden laths. However, the accompanying 2nd and 1st class carriages were covered with sheet metal. The coaches only served for a short time in the express trains on the main lines of the SS, because already in 1905 four-axle coaches were built, which gradually took over the tasks of the three-axle cars on the main lines. The three-axle vehicles were relegated to the local train services. The 110 carriages of the SS series C 651-760 were included in the NS numbering scheme in 1921 and renumbered C 4551 - 4660. The drainage started before the war, but some lasted until the 1950s. The C 4623 was taken out of service as a carriage after the war, but was used for several years as an auxiliary baggage car in freight trains. In 1973, after an exemplary restoration in the original version, she was added to the collection of the Railway Museum as SS C 723. Photo by Guido Allieri (guido@allieri.com)