Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is located in the central portion of the country and is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region, located less than 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) to the south. Historically Dutch-speaking, Brussels saw a language shift to French from the late 19th century. Nowadays, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, although French is the majority language and lingua franca. Brussels is also increasingly becoming multilingual. English is spoken widely and many migrants and expatriates speak other languages as well.
The National Railway Museum (NRM) is a museum in York, England, forming part of the Science Museum Group. The museum tells the story of rail transport in Britain and its impact on society. It is the home of the national collection of historically significant railway vehicles such as Mallard, Stirling Single, Duchess of Hamilton and a Japanese bullet train. In addition, the National Railway Museum holds a diverse collection of other objects, from a household recipe book used in George Stephenson's house to film showing a "never-stop railway" developed for the British Empire Exhibition. It has won many awards, including the European Museum of the Year Award in 2001.
Schaerbeek or Schaarbeek is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-eastern part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Etterbeek, Evere and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).
The Brussels tramway network is a tram system serving a large part of the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It is the 16th largest tram system in the world by route length, in 2017 providing 149.1 million journeys over routes 140.6 km (87.4 mi) in length. In 2018, it consisted of 18 tram lines. Brussels trams are operated by STIB/MIVB, the local public transport company.
Brussels-Schuman railway station is a railway station in the City of Brussels, Belgium, serving the European Quarter. It received its name from the area around the Robert Schuman Roundabout, itself named after Robert Schuman, one of the founding fathers of the European Union.
Brussels-South railway station is a major railway station in Brussels, Belgium. Geographically, it is located in Saint-Gilles/Sint-Gillis on the border with the adjacent municipality of Anderlecht and just south of the City of Brussels.
Schaerbeek railway station or Schaarbeek railway station is a railway station in the municipality of Schaerbeek in Brussels, Belgium, opened in 1887. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB).
Brussels-North railway station is one of the three major railway stations in Brussels, Belgium; the other two are Brussels-Central and Brussels-South. Every regular domestic and international train passing there has a planned stop. The station has 200,000 passengers per week, mainly commuters, making it one of the busiest in Belgium.
The Belgian railway line 26 connects Brussels to Halle, Belgium. It opened on July 19, 1926, between Schaarbeek and Watermael railway stations. The line was completed on January 3, 1930. It was built to bypass Brussels before the 1952 North–South connection existed.
The Belgian railway line 36 is a railway line in Belgium connecting Brussels to Liège. Completed in 1866, the line runs 99.3 km. Trains running between Brussels and Aachen in Germany use the line as far as Liège, and then line 37 between Liège and the German border, the last stop in Belgium being Welkenraedt.
The Belgian railway line 25 is the oldest railway line in Belgium. It connects Belgium's two main cities: Brussels and Antwerp. The section between Brussels and Mechelen was completed in on 5 May 1835 and was the first railway in Belgium and the first public passenger steam railway on the European continent. On 3 May 1836 the second section, between Mechelen and Antwerp, was opened. It was extended to Luchtbal in the north of Antwerp in 2007 in order to shorten the route from Amsterdam to Brussels. The total line runs 47.6 km (29.6 mi).
The Clockarium, Museum of the Art Deco Ceramic Clock in Brussels is a museum in Schaerbeek, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium, devoted to Art Deco ceramic clocks.
Le Belge was a 2-2-2 Patentee type steam locomotive with tender, built in 1835 by the company founded by John Cockerill in Seraing, Belgium. It was the first steam railway locomotive built in Belgium, and was built under license to a design by Robert Stephenson & Co.
Schaerbeek Cemetery, officially Schaerbeek New Cemetery, is a cemetery belonging to Schaerbeek in Brussels, Belgium, where the municipality's inhabitants have the right to be buried. It is not located in Schaerbeek itself; rather it is partially in the neighbouring municipality of Evere, and partially in the village of Sint-Stevens-Woluwe in Zaventem, Flemish Brabant. The cemetery is adjacent to Brussels Cemetery and Evere Cemetery, but should not be confused with either.
Belgium was heavily involved in the early development of railway transport. Belgium was the second country in Europe, after Great Britain, to open a railway and produce locomotives. The first line, between the cities of Brussels and Mechelen opened in 1835. Belgium was the first state in Europe to create a national railway network and the first to possess a nationalised railway system. The network expanded fast as Belgium industrialised, and by the early 20th century was increasingly under state-control. The nationalised railways, under the umbrella organisation National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB), retained their monopoly until liberalisation in the 2000s.
Saint Mary's Royal Church is a Roman Catholic parish church located on the Place de la Reine/Koninginneplein in the Brussels municipality of Schaerbeek, Belgium. Officially dedicated to Our Lady of the Assumption, it is popularly associated with Queen Louise-Marie, first Queen of the Belgians, as is the square where it is located, which earned it the title of "Royal".
The NMBS/SNCB Type 12 was a class of 4-4-2 steam locomotives built in 1938–1939 for the fast lightweight Ostend boat trains operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium.
The Belgian State Railways Type 7, later known as the NMBS/SNCB Type 7, was a class of 4-6-0 compound locomotives built between 1921 and 1924.
The NMBS/SNCB Type 29 was a class of 2-8-0 steam locomotives built between 1945 and 1946. The class was ordered and used to help revive the operations of the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB) following World War II. The locomotives were built in Canada and the United States, and supplied to Belgium under the auspices of what later became known as the Marshall Plan.
The Pays de Waes is a preserved tank locomotive built in 1844, which is part of the historical collection of the National Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB), on display at Train World. It is reputed to be the oldest preserved locomotive on the European continent.
