The Railway from Amsterdam to Antwerp. Build in the period from 1839 to 1877

- From the view of postal history -

By Erling Berger

The distance between the two cities was 160 Km, yet, because of many obstacles it took 38 years to build the track. The first part of the railway was Amsterdam - Haarlem, which was opened in 1839. Rotterdam was reached in 1847. The terminal was in the north end of Rotterdam near the gate of Delftsche Poort, which became the name of the station. Nothing happened here until 1877.

The station of Delftsche Poort in Rotterdam

1847-1877

As from 1850 every sub-office along the railway received a special hand-stamp with broken rings with the name of the main post office under which they belonged

Noordwijk (sub-office under Leiden) to Amsterdam sent by train. This letter was posted in the train and was never in Leiden. The hand-stamp was applied to show from where the postage should be paid.

In a convention between The Netherlands and Belgium of 1852 it was laid down that a railway between Antwerp and Moerdijk should connect the two kingdoms.

A side-track to Breda from Roozendaal should be added.

In article 11 is decided that post shall be conveyed by the railway

In 1855 the railway from Antwerp towards the north reached Moerdijk, on the south bank of the Hollandsche Diep. It was decided on May 11th 1855 that a rolling post-office should be erected on the railway from Moerdijk to Antwerp. The name became EXP: MOERDYK.

At the same time steam-ships were operating between Rotterdam and Moerdijk.

Letters posted in Rotterdam, heading for the south either for Antwerp or the southern Netherlands, were marked in the train by the special strike of

ROTTERDAM[BRIEVENBUS]

“Brievenbus” = Letterbox

Oudenbosch (NL) 1863 to Eecloo (Belgium). Both hand-stamps are set in the rolling post-office of EXP: MOERDYK. The postage-due of “2” Décimes should have been 4.

Rotterdam 1871 to London, conveyed by steam-boat from Rotterdam to Moerdijk. The three hand-stamps are all set in the rolling post-office of EXP: MOERDIJK.

The bridge over Hollandsche Diep was opened 1.1.1872. At the same time the track from the bridge to Dordrecht was opened.

Feyenoord is on the south bank of the river Maas. The track to Feyenoord from Dordrecht was opened on Nov.11th 1872 via the bridge from Dordrecht to Zwijndrecht across the Oude Maas.

What is missing now is a bridge over the Maas and a break through of the densely populated city of Rotterdam.

Rotterdam 1875 to Paris. The track from the south has now reached Rotterdam, at least in the part of Rotterdam (Feyenoord) that was on the south bank of the river Maas. So, above we see a train having a round hand-stamp of ROTTERDAM – ANTW:

The Rotterdam station of Delftsche Poort was in 1877 moved 500 m North-West. The station also got the name of “Centraal-station” because the station served two railway lines

Map of Rotterdam showing 13 views of the Rotterdam-Feyenoord Railway as seen on 13 post cards

View 1. The Station of Delftsche Poort, opened 1877

View 2. The Schiekade seen towards the north. The railway is crossing in the background

View 3. In front: The Delftsche Poort (not the Station). Far to the left is the railway crossing the Hoofplein

View 4. The Strooveer. We cannot see the street, but the houses in the background are on the Strooveer

View 5. The Groote Kerkplein, on the north side of the Groote Kerk

View6. Behind the Groote Kerk

View 7. The Erasmus statue on the Groote Markt

View 8. The Beurs Station as seen from the Kolk. (Seen from NE)

View 9. The Beurs Station as seen from SW

View 10. The Beurs Station as seen from the North

View 11. Bridge over the Wijnhaven

View 12. The bridge over the Maas

View 13. Bridge over the Koningshaven

In 1957 the station was moved to the west. It was left there for 50 years. Nowadays a brand new building is under construction