65-533: The history of rail transport in the Netherlands is generally considered to have begun on September 20, 1839, when the first train, drawn by De Arend , successfully made the 16 km (9.9 mi) trip from Amsterdam to Haarlem . However, the first plan for a railroad in the Netherlands was launched only shortly after the first railroad opened in Britain. When discussing the history of rail transport in
130-568: A backup) left Amsterdam, arriving in a (then) recordbreaking 30 minutes later in Haarlem. Commercial transport started four days later. After the first stretch of railroad proved to be successful, the railroads started to expand slowly. The bulk of the railroads were constructed by either the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM, "Hollands Iron Railway-Company"), who also built the first line, or
195-512: A branch to Franeker and another goods-only branch to Berlikum . A final extension of the original line reached Anjum in 1913. In 1908, the Hofpleinlijn which connected Rotterdam with the Hague and Scheveningen became the first electrified railway in the country. It was served by alternating voltage of 10,000 V. The overhead line was chosen over the third rail system to decrease
260-477: A concentration of the lines in the densely populated North and South Holland Provinces, the Province of Utrecht and to a lesser extent Gelderland , which lies on the route between Holland and Germany. Citizens from various towns and cities not served by the railways feared that their respective city would be put at a disadvantage compared to cities which were connected to the network, so they then started lobbying
325-461: A direct train connection between either of the great Dutch ports (Amsterdam and Rotterdam). King William I was reluctant to have the Netherlands at a competitive disadvantage to the neighbouring countries who were all building railroads. He might also have felt threatened by the plans for the Iron Rhine . With the blessing of the king, construction of the railroad could commence. However, there
390-514: A few investors (mainly German). King William once again proved to be the saviour of the railway, when he personally vouched for the interest payments on the financing of the railroad. Once the funding was secured, the line could be completed. Like the HSM, the NRS made the odd decision to build the railway using a Dutch broad gauge of 1,945 mm ( 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in ), while
455-406: A few odd decisions were made; citing safety concerns, it was decided that the rail would be built on a broad gauge of 1,945 mm ( 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in ), while the neighbouring countries all used 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . This made the railroad incompatible with those of neighbouring countries, whereas the system
520-447: A lesser extent Gelderland , which lies on the route between Holland and Germany. Citizens from various towns and cities not served by the railways feared that their respective city would be put at a disadvantage compared to cities which were connected to the network, so they then started lobbying the government to expand the growing network to include as yet unconnected towns. Others founded their own railroads ( Lokaalspoorweg ). In 1860
585-587: A piece of 1945 mm broad gauge track for the locomotive De Arend on the premises of the Railway Museum . As part of the 175th anniversary of the railways in the Netherlands, this broad gauge track was extended at the railway yard on 19 July 2014. This broad gauge track was largely constructed as a three-rail track and allows for the running of the existing broad gauge rolling stock on special occasions. The De Arend has been at its permanent location since 2005, with two of its carriages (8 and 10), part of
650-507: A powerful lobby against the railroad, which managed to sway public opinion . The result was that when Bake tried to raise funds for the railroad, he failed completely. He was never to return to his plans. An employee of Bake, W. C. Brade, continued his plans, although he changed the route to run from Amsterdam to Rotterdam , with the original stretch running to Haarlem to test its economic viability. This change in route may have been partly influenced by wealthy investors who were eager for
715-428: A railway from Antwerp to Moerdijk and a branchline from Roosendaal to Breda . From Moerdijk the voyage to Rotterdam was completed by steamferries. By 1860, only 325 km (202 mi) of railway had been constructed, but the real boom in railway construction was about to start. As in most other countries, the government chose to leave the construction and operation of the railways to private companies. This led to
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#1732791967111780-570: A sharp curve around the land. Van Wickevoort, seeing that his plan had failed, then donated the land to the railway. This small change in the route had only been operational for five days, but cost the railroad more than they would have spent fulfilling Van Wickevoorts' demands. This incident is referred to as 'Het laantje van Van der Gaag'. Without further major incidents, the line was completed in 1847 when it reached Rotterdam (the Rotterdam Delftsche Poort railway station , which
845-408: A trading nation, partly due to the many rivers and canals running through the country which allowed for effective transport. Many people thus questioned the need for a railroad. Moreover, the existing shipping industry formed a powerful lobby against the railroad, which managed to sway public opinion . The result was that when Bake tried to raise funds for the railroad, he failed completely. He
910-532: The Aachen - Maastricht Spoorweg Maatschappij (AM) which built a railway from Aachen to Maastricht (1853) and from Maastricht to Hasselt (1856), completing a connection between Antwerp and Cologne . In 1854 and 1855 the Société Anonyme des chemins de fer d'Anvers à Rotterdam (AR) built a railway from Antwerp to Moerdijk and a branchline from Roosendaal to Breda . From Moerdijk the voyage to Rotterdam
975-515: The Nederlandse Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NSR, "Netherlands Rhine Railway-Company"), and a few other minor railway companies. After the first stretch between Amsterdam and Haarlem proved viable, the company decided to complete the line to Rotterdam. Some people, especially the wealthy landowners, weren't too fond of the railway crossing their land, while other people were interested in the economic potential of
1040-622: The Nederlandse Spoorwegen was granted a monopoly on rail transport; and finally the period from 1992 to the present, when the Nederlandse Spoorwegen lost its monopoly . An ambitious army officer, W. A. Bake, launched the first plan to build a railroad in the Netherlands shortly after Britain's first railroad opened. He planned to build a railway connecting Amsterdam to Cologne ( Germany ), passing through Arnhem . However, unlike most European countries,
1105-614: The R.B. Longridge & Co works at Bedlington in July 1838, of the Stephenson patented Patentee type with the axle layout 1A1, which were named Snelheid , De Arend , Hoop and Leeuw . The De Arend and Leeuw were similar to each other, but differed from the Snelheid and Hoop in several respects. . In May 1839, the Snelheid was delivered first, after which the first trial runs were carried out with that machine. With
1170-709: The Snelheid (Dutch for speed ), it hauled the first train of the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij between Amsterdam and Haarlem . It was withdrawn in 1857. In 1939 a replica of the De Arend was constructed for the 100th anniversary of the Dutch railways. It is displayed at the Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum (Dutch Railway Museum) in Utrecht . The Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM), founded in 1837, ordered four locomotives from
1235-843: The Utrechtse Jaarbeurs . The train then returned to the Railway Museum, Since 1989 it has been in service to run steam-powered rides on the museum grounds. From 22 August to 26 October 1997, the De Arend was visiting Switzerland due to the 150th anniversary of the Swiss Railways . From 18 June to 27 June 1999, the De Arend was a guest in the US at the 1999 Railfair at the California State Railroad Museum in Sacramento. On 20 September 2014,
1300-434: The spoorwegwet was approved in which the government stated its intention to build a large rail network. Previously, the government had subsidized certain lines, but never done anything of this scale. The network was designed for efficiency, which meant that as many cities as possible had to be connected with the least amount of track. Another aspect of this efficiency was that, save for a few major stations, all stations along
1365-402: The 16 km (9.9 mi) trip from Amsterdam to Haarlem . However, the first plan for a railroad in the Netherlands was launched only shortly after the first railroad opened in Britain. When discussing the history of rail transport in the Netherlands, one can roughly distinguish six eras, namely the period up to 1839, when the first plans were made for a railroad; the period 1840–1860, when
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#17327919671111430-473: The De Arend was used in front of Amsterdam Centraal station as part of the theatre show ‘Als de dag van Toen’, to mark the 175th anniversary of the railways in the Netherlands. The locomotive was not running at the time, but the effect was created with a moving canvas that showed a landscape. In 2016, the Municipality of Amsterdam bridge 1763 named after the locomotive Since 2005 there has also been
1495-560: The Exploitation of the State Railways . Despite its name, however, this company was not founded by the state, but by a group of private investors who received the concession for the lines built by the state. While the government took on the job to build the majority of the lines, the private railway companies continued to build their own new lines. For example, the HSM built a line connecting Amsterdam to Germany to compete with
1560-691: The NRS built a highly anticipated line between Leiden and Woerden , though it proved to be a financial failure. New companies were also founded. The Noord-Brabantsch-Duitsche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NBDS) was founded to fill the gap in the line between Saint Petersburg , Berlin and London . In the early 1900s, the Noord-Friesche Locaalspoorweg-Maatschappij built two lines in the north of Friesland . The line from Leeuwarden to Ferwerd opened in 1901, being extended to Metslauwier later that year. A line branched off at Stiens , reaching Harlingen by 1904, with
1625-453: The NRS on freight and passengers bound for Germany, while the NRS built a highly anticipated line between Leiden and Woerden , though it proved to be a financial failure. New companies were also founded. The Noord-Brabantsch-Duitsche Spoorweg-Maatschappij (NBDS) was founded to fill the gap in the line between Saint Petersburg , Berlin and London . In the early 1900s, the Noord-Friesche Locaalspoorweg-Maatschappij built two lines in
1690-605: The Netherlands at Wikimedia Commons De Arend (locomotive) De Arend ( Dutch pronunciation: [də ˈʔaːrənt] ; the eagle ) was one of the two first steam locomotives in the Netherlands . It was a 2-2-2 Patentee type built in England by R. B. Longridge and Company of Bedlington , Northumberland to run on the then standard Dutch track gauge of 1,945 mm ( 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in ). On 20 September 1839, together with
1755-411: The Netherlands already had an effective manner of transporting goods and passengers between cities, the horse-drawn boat or trekschuit . The Netherlands had historically been a trading nation, partly due to the many rivers and canals running through the country which allowed for effective transport. Many people thus questioned the need for a railroad. Moreover, the existing shipping industry formed
1820-409: The Netherlands, one can roughly distinguish six eras, namely the period up to 1839, when the first plans were made for a railroad; the period 1840–1860, when the railroads experienced their early expansion; the period 1860–1890, when the government started to order the construction of new lines; the period 1890–1938, when the railroads were consolidated into two large railroads; the period 1938–1992, when
1885-413: The attraction ‘’ The Great Discovery ‘ Since 2005 there has also been a piece of 1945 mm broad gauge track for the locomotive De Arend on the premises of the Railway Museum . As part of the 175th anniversary of the railways in the Netherlands, this broad gauge track was extended at the railway yard on 19 July 2014. This broad gauge track was largely constructed as a three-rail track and allows for
1950-635: The condition of the Hoop had become poor, and it was suggested that this locomotive be used as a supplier of spare parts ('pick loco') for the Snelheid . A similar plan was also drawn up for the R3 Arend and the Leeuw . Due to the bad experiences with the Leiden locomotive and the cancellation of two locomotives similar to it, there would be no replacement locomotives for the pick locomotives to be set aside. It
2015-491: The connection in Germany was on 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . The first stretch connecting Amsterdam to Utrecht opened on December 18, 1843, and the stretch to Arnhem was opened on May 16, 1845. The final stretch, the connection with Germany, was only completed 11 years later, in 1856, possibly because the railway first had to convert to standard gauge. The NRS also undertook
History of rail transport in the Netherlands - Misplaced Pages Continue
2080-469: The construction of the line from Rotterdam to Utrecht, thus connecting Rotterdam to Germany. A few other minor railway companies started operation in this period, such as the Aachen - Maastricht Spoorweg Maatschappij (AM) which built a railway from Aachen to Maastricht (1853) and from Maastricht to Hasselt (1856), completing a connection between Antwerp and Cologne . In 1854 and 1855 the Société Anonyme des chemins de fer d'Anvers à Rotterdam (AR) built
2145-459: The delivery of the De Arend in early September 1839, train service could be started. The opening runs took place on 20 and 21 September 1839, with regular service commencing on 24 September 1839. The Lion was delivered as the fourth locomotive on 26 December 1839. The De Arend and Leeuw served the entire HSM broad gauge line, which was extended to Leiden in 1842, to The Hague in 1843 and to Rotterdam in 1847. In 1848, it appeared that
2210-557: The first electrified railway in the country. It was served by alternating voltage of 10,000 V. The overhead line was chosen over the third rail system to decrease the number of accidents. In 1927, the line between Rotterdam and Amsterdam was electrified. Eventually, all lines were changed to the 1500 V DC standard. See the article about the Nederlandse Spoorwegen until this section is completed (All notes are in Dutch) [REDACTED] Media related to History of rail transport in
2275-429: The first plan to build a railroad in the Netherlands shortly after Britain's first railroad opened. He planned to build a railway connecting Amsterdam to Cologne ( Germany ), passing through Arnhem . However, unlike most European countries, the Netherlands already had an effective manner of transporting goods and passengers between cities, the horse-drawn boat or trekschuit . The Netherlands had historically been
2340-499: The first stretch between Amsterdam and Haarlem proved viable, the company decided to complete the line to Rotterdam. Some people, especially the wealthy landowners, weren't too fond of the railway crossing their land, while other people were interested in the economic potential of the railway. This led to a rather famous incident when Aernout Hendrik van Wickevoort Crommelin, the owner of a small parcel of land in Delft which lay directly in
2405-408: The first stretch of railroad proved to be successful, the railroads started to expand slowly. The bulk of the railroads were constructed by either the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM, "Hollands Iron Railway-Company"), who also built the first line, or the Nederlandse Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NSR, "Netherlands Rhine Railway-Company"), and a few other minor railway companies. After
2470-459: The government to expand the growing network to include as yet unconnected towns. Others founded their own railroads ( Lokaalspoorweg ). In 1860 the spoorwegwet was approved in which the government stated its intention to build a large rail network. Previously, the government had subsidized certain lines, but never done anything of this scale. The network was designed for efficiency, which meant that as many cities as possible had to be connected with
2535-536: The least amount of track. Another aspect of this efficiency was that, save for a few major stations, all stations along the line were built to a standardised design based on the expected volume of travellers. The map on the right shows the lines constructed by the government in gold. To service the new lines built by the government, a new private company was founded, the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen , which fittingly translated as Company for
2600-436: The line were built to a standardised design based on the expected volume of travellers. The map on the right shows the lines constructed by the government in gold. To service the new lines built by the government, a new private company was founded, the Maatschappij tot Exploitatie van Staatsspoorwegen , which fittingly translated as Company for the Exploitation of the State Railways . Despite its name, however, this company
2665-568: The locomotive was used in filming for the film ‘’100 years of railways in the Netherlands‘’ at Hoofddorp Station . In the summer of 1939, the Arend drove around the exhibition grounds set up for the celebration of the centenary of the railways at Frederiksplein in Amsterdam . For ten cents, people could ride along for two rounds. At least 100,000 people took advantage of this opportunity;
History of rail transport in the Netherlands - Misplaced Pages Continue
2730-794: The locomotive‘’, a keystone for the Weesperpoortbrug in Amsterdam. In 1938, the Central Workshop in Zwolle built a replica on the occasion of the centenary of the railways in the Netherlands. Of twin locomotive the ‘’Lion‘’, the original drawings had survived, with which a replica was made of the ‘’Arend‘’, which had been delivered to the HSM as the second locomotive. Together with three also reconstructed matching passenger carriages (3rd class no. 10 ‘’waggon‘’, 2nd class no. 8 ‘’ char à bancs ‘’ and 1st class no. 4 ‘’diligence‘’),
2795-427: The north of Friesland . The line from Leeuwarden to Ferwerd opened in 1901, being extended to Metslauwier later that year. A line branched off at Stiens , reaching Harlingen by 1904, with a branch to Franeker and another goods-only branch to Berlikum . A final extension of the original line reached Anjum in 1913. In 1908, the Hofpleinlijn which connected Rotterdam with the Hague and Scheveningen became
2860-433: The path of the railway, only wanted to sell his land in exchange for a train station at a place favorable to him. The HSM first tried to use legal means to buy the land, but when that took too long, they simply built the railway with a sharp curve around the land. Van Wickevoort, seeing that his plan had failed, then donated the land to the railway. This small change in the route had only been operational for five days, but cost
2925-400: The period 1854-1855, the HSM tried to take over some of the younger broad gauge locomotives that had become redundant at the NRS, to replace the oldest of its own locomotives. However, the NRS had already sold them to the dealer B.J. Nijkerk in Amsterdam. With this trader, the HSM agreed to swap twelve locomotives with an additional payment of 2,000 guilders per locomotive. In 1856, the ‘’Leeuw‘’
2990-439: The railroad incompatible with those of neighbouring countries, whereas the system was originally intended to link up with them (the railroads would later be converted to standard gauge to remedy this). It also delayed delivery of the locomotives. When the line was finally completed, and the locomotives delivered, the line could be opened. On September 20, 1839, a train pulled by the locomotives De Arend (and De Snelheid as
3055-494: The railroad more than they would have spent fulfilling Van Wickevoorts' demands. This incident is referred to as 'Het laantje van Van der Gaag'. Without further major incidents, the line was completed in 1847 when it reached Rotterdam (the Rotterdam Delftsche Poort railway station , which was located to the east of the current location of the Rotterdam Centraal railway station ). The only other major railway which
3120-475: The railroads experienced their early expansion; the period 1860–1890, when the government started to order the construction of new lines; the period 1890–1938, when the railroads were consolidated into two large railroads; the period 1938–1992, when the Nederlandse Spoorwegen was granted a monopoly on rail transport; and finally the period from 1992 to the present, when the Nederlandse Spoorwegen lost its monopoly . An ambitious army officer, W. A. Bake, launched
3185-530: The railway, when he personally vouched for the interest payments on the financing of the railroad. Once the funding was secured, the line could be completed. Like the HSM, the NRS made the odd decision to build the railway using a Dutch broad gauge of 1,945 mm ( 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in ), while the connection in Germany was on 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . The first stretch connecting Amsterdam to Utrecht opened on December 18, 1843, and
3250-400: The railway. This led to a rather famous incident when Aernout Hendrik van Wickevoort Crommelin, the owner of a small parcel of land in Delft which lay directly in the path of the railway, only wanted to sell his land in exchange for a train station at a place favorable to him. The HSM first tried to use legal means to buy the land, but when that took too long, they simply built the railway with
3315-447: The running of the existing broad gauge rolling stock on special occasions. The De Arend has been at its permanent location since 2005, with two of its carriages (8 and 10), part of the attraction ‘’ The Great Discovery ‘ Nederlandse Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij The history of rail transport in the Netherlands is generally considered to have begun on September 20, 1839, when the first train, drawn by De Arend , successfully made
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#17327919671113380-411: The stretch to Arnhem was opened on May 16, 1845. The final stretch, the connection with Germany, was only completed 11 years later, in 1856, possibly because the railway first had to convert to standard gauge. The NRS also undertook the construction of the line from Rotterdam to Utrecht, thus connecting Rotterdam to Germany. A few other minor railway companies started operation in this period, such as
3445-538: The train covered about 3,000 kilometres (1,900 mi) on the grounds. Afterwards, the locomotive was stored in a shed near the workshop in Zwolle. There, the second ‘’Arend‘’ survived the destruction of Zwolle yard in 1945 by a German Sprengkommando . In 1948, the locomotive and carriages were brought to Delft for the 100-year anniversary of the Delftsch Studenten Corps . The student fraternity
3510-601: The train. After two years in the locomotive shed in Hoorn , the train was incorporated into the newly opened Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum in Utrecht Maliebaan Station in 1953, where it has had its home base ever since. During the event ‘’ Treinen door de Tijd ‘’, on the occasion of the 150th anniversary of the railways in the Netherlands in 1989, the Dez Arend made its rounds on the exhibition grounds at
3575-429: Was completed by steamferries. By 1860, only 325 km (202 mi) of railway had been constructed, but the real boom in railway construction was about to start. As in most other countries, the government chose to leave the construction and operation of the railways to private companies. This led to a concentration of the lines in the densely populated North and South Holland Provinces, the Province of Utrecht and to
3640-411: Was exchanged for the younger ex-NSR locomotive 16 ‘’Bromo‘’ . The ‘’Bromo‘’ was immediately rejected and delivered back to the contractor. In 1857, the ‘’De Arend‘’ was exchanged for the NRS 12 ‘’Vesusius‘’ , which served the HSM until 1863. All the aforementioned locomotives were subsequently scrapped . In 1939, Hildo Krop chiselled ‘’D'Arend‘’ out in granite for his sculpture ‘’The development of
3705-505: Was founded in this period was the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NRS). The first line the NRS wanted to build ran from Amsterdam to Utrecht , Arnhem , and then on into Germany . They however only launched their plan shortly after the HSM had started constructing their first line, and could only find a few investors (mainly German). King William once again proved to be the saviour of
3770-575: Was located on the Phoenixstraat , where a third rail was installed alongside the track of the tramlijn Den Haag-Delft over a length of 950 metres (1,040 yd). 13,000 people took a ride for 15 cents. From 21 August to 1 September 1951, the train ran in Enschede , where the exhibition ‘’FF (fecerunt fortissimo)‘’ was held in the Volkspark . Of the 210,000 visitors, 20,000 took a ride on
3835-450: Was located to the east of the current location of the Rotterdam Centraal railway station ). The only other major railway which was founded in this period was the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NRS). The first line the NRS wanted to build ran from Amsterdam to Utrecht , Arnhem , and then on into Germany . They however only launched their plan shortly after the HSM had started constructing their first line, and could only find
3900-441: Was never to return to his plans. An employee of Bake, W. C. Brade, continued his plans, although he changed the route to run from Amsterdam to Rotterdam , with the original stretch running to Haarlem to test its economic viability. This change in route may have been partly influenced by wealthy investors who were eager for a direct train connection between either of the great Dutch ports (Amsterdam and Rotterdam). King William I
3965-413: Was not founded by the state, but by a group of private investors who received the concession for the lines built by the state. While the government took on the job to build the majority of the lines, the private railway companies continued to build their own new lines. For example, the HSM built a line connecting Amsterdam to Germany to compete with the NRS on freight and passengers bound for Germany, while
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#17327919671114030-497: Was one major obstacle, a lack of qualified railroad construction engineers . The experts had to be imported from other countries, mainly England. Even with this expertise, a few odd decisions were made; citing safety concerns, it was decided that the rail would be built on a broad gauge of 1,945 mm ( 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in ), while the neighbouring countries all used 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . This made
4095-502: Was originally intended to link up with them (the railroads would later be converted to standard gauge to remedy this). It also delayed delivery of the locomotives. When the line was finally completed, and the locomotives delivered, the line could be opened. On September 20, 1839, a train pulled by the locomotives De Arend (and De Snelheid as a backup) left Amsterdam, arriving in a (then) recordbreaking 30 minutes later in Haarlem. Commercial transport started four days later. After
4160-468: Was reluctant to have the Netherlands at a competitive disadvantage to the neighbouring countries who were all building railroads. He might also have felt threatened by the plans for the Iron Rhine . With the blessing of the king, construction of the railroad could commence. However, there was one major obstacle, a lack of qualified railroad construction engineers . The experts had to be imported from other countries, mainly England. Even with this expertise,
4225-514: Was then decided to completely overhaul the four oldest locomotives. After overhauling the Speed and the Hoop in 1848 and 1849, the Leeuw and the Arend were overhauled in 1850 and 1851 respectively. After the railway of the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NRS) had been converted from broad gauge to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge in
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