Saloon Coach 10

Object number 74780

Specifications

Object number
74780
Dimensions
Length: 26.4m
Date
1980, renovated to SR10 in 1992
Manufacturer
Talbot, Aachen
Weight
47 tonnes
Speed
160 km/h

In 1991, the Ministry of Transport and Public Works commissioned a new royal train for Queen Beatrix because the old carriages were no longer adequate. The choice was made to convert an existing Intercity coach. NS Design was responsible for the interior design together with the queen.

Queen Beatrix had one clear wish: it had to be “chic and simple Italian styled. The result was a functional interior with luxurious materials such as marble, warm red leather and pear wood. The SR10 was also the first royal carriage with air conditioning and a hot and cold water supply.

Interior

The SR10 has a salon with a meeting/dining table and a seating area with four armchairs and a sofa. There are three sleeping areas: two for the royal family and one for the train attendants.

Check the fullscreen 360 photo

The royal bedrooms

The bedrooms of the royal family each have a private bathroom, a work corner with a desk as well as a bunk bed for 2 people. Later the train was also used by King Willem-Alexander. That’s when one bedroom was adapted for a third bed for the princesses.

Check the 360 photo

History SR10

The SR10 was first used in February 1994 for a trip of the royal family to Austria. After that, the carriage was used on official occasions such as the opening of the Storm Surge Barrier in the Nieuwe Waterweg, Queen’s Day, and the opening of various stations and also the Betuweroute in 2007.

The carriage was also used during state visits. In 2016, for example, Queen Máxima and Queen Mathilde rode from Belgium to the opening of the renovated Utrecht Central Station. The carriage transported the Dutch royal couple for the last time during the state visit to Belgium in 2023.

Royal Coaches

With the SR10 now at display in the Railway Museum, the use of special royal carriages in the Netherlands ends after 185 years. A special carriage for the royal family was commissioned as early as 1839, and later luxury carriages were built for King William II and III. In 1864, a special carriage was built for Queen Mother Anna Paulowna: the SR1. In 2010, the museum built a replica of this SR1.

All royal trains from the collection, the SR1, the SR8 and SR9 – the trains for Queen Juliana and Prince Bernhard – and the SR10 can be seen on the platform of the Maliebaanstation.