VAM Compost 566 9 025 P Tads

Just like mail, coal, and other goods, household waste is also transported by rail. This refuse wagon was purchased by the VAM, the Vuil Afvoer Maatschappij (Waste Disposal Company). That is why the letter ‘P’ for private individual appears in the serial number; it is not an NS wagon. The VAM, founded in 1929, began operating garbage trains from the Randstad to disposal sites in Wijster and Mierlo in 1931. Passing a garbage train in warm weather is no fun; it stinks quite a bit.

The refuse wagon is a ‘swing-roof wagon’ for transporting bulk materials. It can be unloaded by opening one or more flaps on the underside or side. Half of the bins tilt to the left, the other half to the right to keep the train balanced. The roof can be operated from the platform. The VAM trains operate under the symbolic train number 4711. In 2001, the self-unloader from the Railway Museum was loaned to the STAR Museum Railway.