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Donations

Do you have a special collection, an exceptional object or interesting documents which you would like to donate to Train World Heritage?

Besides trains, our heritage collections include a large number of objects, photos, films, posters, books, documentation and historical archives. The collections focus on the history of the Belgian Railways.
Our aim is to further expand our heritage collections and to fill in any gaps. Donations are an important source of new acquisitions. When accepting objects or documents, we commit ourselves to their conservation for future generations and to take good care of them. Due to the fact that each donation is registered, the name of the donor will inextricably remain linked to the donated items.

How can you donate?

Please send an e-mail or letter with a short description of the objects, their state and preferably also a photograph.
For practical reasons, we kindly ask you not to bring donations unannounced to the museum or the Train World Heritage offices.

Our contact details
Train World Heritage
10-06 B-ST.0412
Frankrijkstraat 85
1060 Brussels

doccenter@trainworld.be

What can you donate?

All suggestions are assessed based on the conditions and criteria stipulated in our acquisition policy:

  • each donation must fit within the collection profile* of Train World Heritage. This implies they must have a cultural-historic value for the Belgian Railways;
  • each donation must comply with the applicable legal and ethical stipulations as prescribed by the International Council of Museums (ICOM);
  • the size and state of the objects must enable them to be properly preserved for an indefinite period;
  • a donation may be refused if the collections already include the same or similar objects;
  • a donation may be refused if it is linked to specific conditions which Train World Heritage is unable to fulfil;
  • objects containing hazardous substances (asbestos, explosives, flammable materials, poison, radioactive material or mercury) will not be accepted.

We will contact you after evaluation to make further arrangements.

* Collection profile

The Train World Heritage collections focus on all aspects of the history of the Belgian Railways. This includes the heritage of the Belgian State Railways, NMBS/SNCB, Infrabel, the former holding company and all its subsidiaries. It also covers the heritage of the private railway companies which were active in Belgium during the 19th and early 20th centuries. The collections cover the period of 1835 (first train in Belgium) to the present.
The railways had a major impact on society by stimulating progress and innovation economically, socially and technologically. All these aspects are taken into account when creating the collections. In other words, the focus is not only on rolling stock and railway infrastructure but also on passengers and staff, on the socio-economic impact of the railways, on the way in which railways are represented in visual arts, on traditions and events, on communication and publicity, etc.