The end for Dutch Transport Museum

In a press bulletin, released on 20 February 2025, the Nederlands Transport Museum (NTM, Netherlands Transport Museum) announced that its days are over. Although the museum, located in Nieuw-Vennep (NL), had already closed its doors on 5 March 2023, there was still a (small) chance off  survival. From the founding of the museum, the current location in Nieuw-Vennep, in the former Lucas Bols liquor factories, has always been a temporary one.

For several years the plan was to relocate the museum to a facility in the future recreational Park21 between Nieuw-Vennep and Hoofddorp. Unfortunately, these plans have turned out to be impossible to materialise and several alternative locations came under consideration. In the two years after the closure, members of the board of the museum have been looking into several of these alternatives, but unfortunately to no avail.

The decision to permanently close the museum has enormous consequences for both volunteers and collection. The press bulletin announced that the board will try to find a good home for the various collections (not only aviation related) and the archives. It is not even ruled out that some of the museum collection will have to be disposed off through a public sale.

Hopefully in the near future some benificiar will stand up and provide a proper home for the most valuable pieces in the collection. Amongst these the Douglas DC-2 painted as KNILM 'PK-AFK' (ex RAAF A30-14) and the Stearman Hammond 'Y' N15521.

Photo of DC-2 'PK-AFK' by Gert Jan Mentink