Train World

Situated right next to the Schaerbeek train station in Brussels, Train World, the new railway museum of the SNCB [Belgian Rail], is a spectacular showcase of the history of railways, featuring the finest specimens of Belgian rail stock.

A total experience

22 machines are exhibited in a universe made of sounds, lights and images – a total experience that François Schuiten, the set designer of Train World, wanted to provide: “The guiding principle was to immerse spectators in a sort of enchantment where they could dream and rediscover the fantastical world of railways.”

The visit starts in a room plunged in a semi-darkness where five steam engines are imposingly displayed, including the ‘Pays de Waes‘ from 1844, the oldest locomotive preserved in Belgium and one of the oldest on the European continent.

The imagination takes flight also through some sixty projections disseminated subtly along the visitor’s itinerary. “It’s a show, actually. And these rooms are like acts in a play. That is why at a given moment, I said that it would be a rail opera to jolt people out of certain preconceptions. The idea was not to display machines side by side.”

An unusual but still restrained show, with nothing tricksy. The 1300 objects used to tell the story of rail from A to Z are genuine.

Inytium was entrusted with the task of installing and programming all the audio-visual equipment, lights, automation, audio guidance and stage set wiring. The implementation of a project of such scope, and in cooperation with François Schuiten, proved a real source of inspiration for the entire Inytium team.

“For a brief overview of all the equipment installed and therefore available on site, please click here” http://www.trainworld.be