Early train at 7.00 to the northern city of Heerenveen. (famopus from our national ice-scating arena) and the bus to the city of Drachten.
A lot of frog in the early morning but no delays so at 9.30 I was at the event. (which opened at 10.00)
2 big halls and one smaller room and as there are a lot of farms in that part of our country farming models are very popular there.
A lot of visitors and a good swapmeet with also exhibition of farming models and a radiocontrol truckshow and 2 racecourses with radiocontrol cars.
There were not so many Matchbox models on offer. 3 stalls with a few 80ties MOY and one stall who had an issue 1 Y2-2 Renault and nice D1 boxed Y5-1 Bentley.
No models for me at this swapmeet but a very enjoyable event.
I stayed there for 2 hours.
I also visited the nice local modern art museum in that town. (I will not post photos posted here)
Then off by coach to the big city of Groningen up north and then small local train to very small village of Kropswolde (see red flag A on the map) for national busmuseum which just moved last spring to this location. (sroll down if you only want to see the photos of the busmuseum)

Allthough there are many UK brand busses (and later busses which were made in Belgum) all busses in this museum were in service in the Netherlands.
There were also a lot of scalemodels.
I only visited this museum late afternoon till it closed.
Then a short trainjourney futher east (near the german boarder) to see a small exhibition of the local steamtrain company. (I still have plans to travel with that steam train one day but as distance from my place is very far have to find a day to do so)
Some photos of the day:
The location of the swapmeet in the frog in the early saturdaymorning.

An old Scania truck outside the building.



















I met 2 collectors of the Dutch 3 inch forum who live in the norhern part of our country.

As I wrote after my visit to the swapmeet and museum in Drachten I took the coach to the big northern city of Groningen. (which has one of the most beautifull railwaystations in the Netherlands, build in 1896 as the 3rd and still current main railwaystation of the city)

From Groningen i took a small local train to the very small village of Kropswolde with nice railwaystation (build in 1915) (now (since 1989) small museum for handcraftmachinery)

Photos of the Dutch National busmuseum. (They only work with volunters hence the museum does not look as nice as some of the busmuseums in the UK but I liked it very much)






























Website of the Dutch National busmuseum:
https://sites.google.com/site/nationaalbusmuseum
In april 2013 the new location was opened. Some photos of that opening are published on the net here:
https://plus.google.com/photos/11166390 ... dGJv4fykgE
Website steamtrain Veendam - Stadskanaal.
http://www.stadskanaalrail.nl/
Some information about the handcraftmachinery museum in the nice former station of Kropswolde.
http://www.uitzinnig.nl/details/2ab5ba9 ... wolde.aspx
Next saturday, october 12 I will demolish the exhibition at the Ford museum which has been on display since the end of may.
Photos were posted here but lost as we changed to the new platform, however still possible to view at:
http://cobratoys.com.au/forums/viewtopi ... gen#p18530
matchboxmarcel