Railcards and Tramcards

A site devoted to old postcards that show
us in a nostalgic way how our grandparents travelled.

You'll find here first of all postcards that show the
preferred means of city-transport at the beginning of
the twentieth century, the tramway. You may call it
streetcar, Strassenbahn, tram, trolley or interurban.
They served the people in a way that ever so often helped those
cities and their surroundings 'boom' into what they're now.

'New' cards will be added regularly, as I live in the Netherlands
my main interest is of course my native country.
Cards from other countries will be added later as well as
old postcards with railwaystations and other rail-related items.

Tramcards from Arnhem

Cute little three-window tram crossing the waterworks at Park Sonsbeek in Arnhem about 1920.

Grote Markt in Arnhem on a postcard that was sent on the 29th of dec. 1911
featuring a small tramcar on line 2


Grote Markt in Arnhem probably shortly before the second worldwar.
This card featuring a small three-window tramcar was sent in 1947,
three years after the total destruction of the tramwaynetwork in september 1944.


Arnhem Velperweg (the road to Velp) tramcar 34 on line 4 making it's way
through the pre-war traffic. The card was sent on the 18th of May 1943.
The tramwaycompany had about 16 more months to go...

Tramcards from Amsterdam

This is what the central square in Amsterdam looked like almost 80 years ago.


The 'Weesperplein' in Amsterdam as it looked at least 80 years ago.
In the background you can see the railwaystation
that disappeared about 60 years ago.

Tramcards from The Hague ('s-Gravenhage)

The Hague, the 'Stadhouderspoort' (-gate) to the 'Binnenhof'.


The Hague, tram in the 'Binnenhof' square, surrounded by the governement-buildings.
The trams were of a special type ('laagdakkers') with a low loof to be able to pass the gates.
The line was no longer necessary after 1924 and ceased to exist.


The steamtramway from Den Haag to Scheveningen about a century ago.


'Het Plein' in the centre of The Hague, adjacent to the governemental buildings


PCC-car at the Gevers Deynootplein, in front of the 'Kurhaus' in the early sixties

Tramcards from Groningen

Little tramcar at the 'Grote Markt' in the centre of Groningen.
This small meter-gauge system survived until the early fifties.


The square in front of the Groningen railwaystation
with one of the cities' metre-gauge tramcars.

Tramcards from Haarlem

Tram of the metre-gauge line Amsterdam - Zandvoort
passes the 'Amsterdamse poort' (Amsterdam-gate) in Haarlem
in direction Amsterdam (seen eastwards).


Tram of the metre-gauge line Amsterdam - Zandvoort
passes the 'Amsterdamse poort' (Amsterdam-gate) in Haarlem
in direction Amsterdam (seen westwards).


Tram of the standard-gauge line Heemstede - Haarlem
in the Haarlemmerhout in Heemstede.


Tram of the standard-gauge cityline at the 'Houtplein'.


Standard-gauge citytram in front of the railwaystation in Haarlem.
The metre-gauge tracks of Amsterdan - Zandvoort can be seen as well.

Tramcards from Nijmegen

Nijmegen used to have a famous scenic tramline to 'Berg en Dal',
it was discontinued in the mid-fifties, regretted by many.


The scenic tramway from Nijmegen to Berg en Dal.
One of the tramcars peeps around the corner.


Tramcar in front of the railwaystation.
The station itself was destroyed in the second worldwar.
The tramway outlived it by about 10 years.

Tramcards from Rotterdam

Rotterdam, Hofplein,
as it was before the second worldwar.



Rotterdam, bridge over the river 'Maas" (Meuse),
as it was before the second worldwar.

Tramcards from Utrecht

Utrecht, the 'Domplein', the square beneath the Dom-tower
as it was as it was early this century.



Utrecht, the 'Lucasbolwerk', just east of the old city-center
as it was as it was early this century.

Tramcards from Zeist

Zeist, Het Rond, with the horse-tramway that preceded
the electric tramway to Utrecht, early 20th century.