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From draft to train

Draw me a train! Throughout history, travel - and trains in particular - have been a source of inspiration for artists. With the exhibition Draw me a train!, we invite you to explore the railway world, as imagined by talented designers.
Discover the artists
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Draw me a train! Throughout history, travel – and trains in particular – have been a source of inspiration for artists. With the exhibition Draw me a train!, we invite you to explore the railway world, as imagined by talented designers. This exhibition delves into the work of thirteen renowned artists – comic strip authors, architects, painters, poster artists, sculptors and designers – who have captured the beauty of trains and the railway universe through their art. An exhibition that invites you to draw during your visit, you’ll also have the opportunity to unleash your own creativity by drawing some of our most beautiful trains, as well as remarkable or unusual objects from SNCB’s historical collections.

Enjoy your visit!

Come discover Train World for yourself

Buy tickets

An exhibition that leaves its mark

Ready for an unforgettable museum visit? Welcome to the art-nouveau station of Schaerbeek, one of the gems of Belgian railway architecture, which houses the treasures of Train World together with a new museum complex.

In Train World, everything resolves around experience and you notice that as soon as you step inside. Not only do you come face to face with dozens of locomotives, carriages and wagons; the museum offers an original yet easily accessible way of learning more about the structures that support our railway network, safety, technology, electrification, and the world of passengers through the years.

How did the train itself play a key role in telling the time? What was the job of the person who lived in a track foreman’s cottage? How did the signal box guarantee safety on the railways? Discover it all in Train World.

People at interactive displays in a temporary exhibition.

The artists

Meet the artists who bring the sketches to life in the exhibition ‘From Sketch to Train’.

Sketch of a man with a mustache and fur collar, possibly from a historical exhibition.
Louis Dela Censerie
"The architect of Antwerp Central"

Louis Dela Censerie

"The architect of Antwerp Central"

NMBS keeps six original works from the drawing office of Louis Dela Censerie about the construction of the station. These documents are shown to the public for the first time in the exhibition From sketch to train.
Sketch of man in suit and tie, possibly a speaker at a draft to train exhibition.
Santiago Calatrava
"One of the world's leading architects"

Santiago Calatrava

"One of the world's leading architects"

As part of From Sketch to Train, Santiago Calatrava shows a series of eight watercolours that he made when designing the Liège-Guillemins station and the Mons station.
Pencil sketch of Johnny Cash in a circular frame with orange background.
André Franquin
"Obsessed with movement"

André Franquin

"Obsessed with movement"

His sketches, which he often made on site near Schaerbeek station, show how he integrated the dynamics of the train into his comic drawings.
Pencil sketch of a man with eyes closed, head bowed
Li Kunwu
"The Epic of Peking-Hankow"

Li Kunwu

"The Epic of Peking-Hankow"

Sketch of a man in a suit with a mustache, possibly from a historical exhibit
Jean Poupaert
"Draw me a steam locomotive"

Jean Poupaert

"Draw me a steam locomotive"

For the first time, you can see a selection of these fantastic works on From Sketch to Train. These works are part of NMBS collection thanks to a donation from Mrs. Griet Baeyens, whose father was a friend of Jean Poupaert, for whom these drawings were made.
Sketch of a man with glasses, possibly an artist or designer, in a blue circle.
François Schuiten
"The novel Beauty"

François Schuiten

"The novel Beauty"

In 2012, François dedicated a comic strip to the Type 12 – Beauty – of which four plates are exhibited in this exhibition. He has made numerous creations about the Type 12, in all possible styles. So many works, each more breathtaking than the last, of which you can admire a selection for the first time here.
Sketch of a man with a beard and mustache, likely from a historical exhibition.
Victor Horta
"Brussels Central, a station, designed by Victor Horta"

Victor Horta

"Brussels Central, a station, designed by Victor Horta"

Especially for this occasion, a number of original drawings that Victor Horta made as part of his work for Brussels Central station were shown to the public for the first time.
Pencil sketch of an elderly person with flowing hair
Paul Delvaux
"The man who drew trains"

Paul Delvaux

"The man who drew trains"

A previously unpublished painting by Paul Delvaux awakens from a long winter's sleep
The work Panorama of Watermael-Boitsfort (1982) by Paul Delvaux is exhibited in Train World in place of the painting The Last Wagon, which was previously given on long-term loan to our railway museum by the Delvaux Foundation.
This new work was donated by Paul Delvaux to the municipality of Watermael-Boitsfort and can now be admired in the museum.
Pencil sketch of a man in a fedora and suit, reminiscent of a historical draft or exhibition.
Armand Massonet
"Travel impressions"

Armand Massonet

"Travel impressions"

Sketch of a man in a collared shirt, possibly from a draft for an exhibition.
Herman Verbaere
"Travel impressions"

Herman Verbaere

"Travel impressions"

Sketch of a man in a suit, possibly from the "draft to train" exhibition.
Henry van de Velde
"Designer at NMBS"

Henry van de Velde

"Designer at NMBS"

Pencil sketch of a man in a suit and tie, wearing glasses.
Phil Dambly
"The passion for the train"

Phil Dambly

"The passion for the train"

Sketch of a man with a mustache and beard, author of "Temporary exhibition: from draft to train
Pierre Matter
"When a locomotive becomes a sculpture"

Pierre Matter

"When a locomotive becomes a sculpture"

For the first time, two preparatory drawings and the model of Moby Train are exhibited as part of From Sketch to Train.
Portrait of a woman, likely an artist or curator, in black and white
Béatrice Duculot
Designer of the exhibition poster

Béatrice Duculot

Designer of the exhibition poster

She is the designer of the exhibition poster, as well as of the train drawings that decorate the ticket hall of Schaerbeek station.

Young man writing in a notebook on a train, inspired by the exhibition "From Draft to Train
Ugo Amand
He drew the thirteen sketches that illustrate the biographies of the artists.

Ugo Amand

He drew the thirteen sketches that illustrate the biographies of the artists.

Photo Gallery

Drafting tables and stools in front of a vintage train at a temporary exhibition.
Exhibition of comic art drafts next to a vintage green train in a museum.
Museum exhibit hall with displays of train models, part of a temporary exhibition.
Art exhibition: painting of trains and a purple display screen in a museum
Interior of a museum hall displaying models for a "draft to train" exhibition.

Rolling stock in the spotlight for the exhibition

AM35 railcar
The 1935 railcar was the result of close collaboration between SNCB engineers and Henry van de Velde, who had been the company’s artistic advisor since 1932. The designer drew the woodwork, seats, light fixtures, hardware, sanitary facilities and other details.

K1-car
K1 cars were passenger cars designed for domestic direct trains. A single prototype was built, followed by 502 production cars, making it the second largest series of metal cars ordered by SNCB in the period 1930-1939.

The interior of the K1 cars was designed following the advice of architect Henry van de Velde, SNCB’s artistic advisor at the time. Seating in the AB and B cars consisted of bench seats with armrests, upholstered in blue striped velvet in first class, and beige striped velvet in second class.

Blue and cream vintage train car with "2-3" and "2" visible

AM35 railcar
AM35 railcar, SNCB’s first electric train (1935). After restoration.

Green train carriage with "1-2" on the side, part of a temporary exhibition.

K1-car
K1-car, after restoration.

Interior of a vintage train carriage, showing upholstered seats and a window.

K1-car interior
K1-car interior, before restoration.

Vintage train compartment with blue velvet seats, luggage racks, and a hat.

K1-car interior
K1-car interior, after restoration.

Wooden display rack with red straps, part of a draft to train exhibition.

K1-car interior
K1-car interior, before restoration.

Vintage train compartment with luggage, part of a draft to train exhibition.

K1-car interior
K1-car interior, after restoration.

Other interesting links

Creative notebook