Historic trams
PostNL will issue the Historic Trams stamp sheet on February 17, 2025. The 10 stamps feature color and black-and-white photos of various trams that used to run through the cities of Amsterdam, Arnhem, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht. The issue was produced in collaboration with the Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem. The stamps were designed by studio026. Price per sheet: €12,10.
Historic trams
The word 'tram' comes from the English word 'tramway'. In the 17th century, 'tram' in Scotland was the word for the small wagon used to transport coal over wooden rails in the mines. The word likely has a Dutch origin, as in Middle Dutch, 'tram' or 'trame' means a wooden lath or beam. At the end of the 19th century, the first electric trams with overhead lines ran in the Netherlands, succeeding the previously deployed horse-drawn trams, steam trams, and battery-powered trams. Electric trams receive their power via the overhead line, through the contact between the contact wire and the tram's pantograph. Amsterdam welcomed the first electric city tram with overhead lines in 1900, followed by The Hague in 1904, Rotterdam in 1905, Utrecht in 1906, Groningen and Vlissingen in 1910, Leiden, Arnhem, and Nijmegen in 1911, and Haarlem and Enschede in 1913. Today, city trams only operate in Amsterdam, The Hague, Rotterdam, and Utrecht.
Five historical tram types are depicted on the stamps. The GETA 76 of the Gemeente Electrische Tram Arnhem (Arnhem Municipal Electric Tram) shown in the color photo is a replica made by the Netherlands Open Air Museum. The original trams from this series were built in 1929 by Beijnes in Haarlem. For their time, the trams were very modern due to their four axles, one-man operation, and the slanted windshield which prevented light reflection. The RET 520 of the Rotterdamse Elektrische Tram (Rotterdam Electric Tram) was built in 1931 by Werkspoor in Utrecht. The four-axle tram weighs 18 tons and has 22 seats and 25 standing places. Until the late 1960s, these vehicles were a defining feature of Rotterdam's streetscape. The GVB 903 of the Gemeentevervoerbedrijf Amsterdam (Amsterdam Municipal Transport Company) was built in 1949, also by Werkspoor. This tram was part of the Amsterdam tram network from 1949 to 1975. Due to its red-colored nose, this model soon acquired the nickname "The Bloody Nose." The HTM 274 from 1921 of the Haagse Tramweg Maatschappij served in The Hague until 1963. It belonged to the 250-279 series, manufactured by HAWA in Hanover. The tram is powered by two Crompton motors (500 volts, 63 kW). The NBM 20 of the Nederlandse Buurtspoorwegmaatschappij was built by Allan & Co in Rotterdam in 1910 for the narrow-gauge line from Driebergen to Zeist. In 1923-1924, this railcar was converted to standard gauge to operate on the Utrecht-Zeist line. The GETA 76, RET 520, GVB 903, and HTM 274 can be found in the Dutch Open Air MuseumThe NBM 20 is owned by the Electric Museum Tramway Amsterdam.
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