From steam train to electric train
Fifty videos about the Dutch railway network have now been added to Open Images. In 65 years of Polygoon newsreels the railways have been a recurring news topic. In these years it´s not only about the problems because of delays and failures, but especially about the developments and growth of the railways in the Netherlands. Gradually, an increasing portion of the rail network is electrified. Steam trains are replaced by electric trains. Until these steam-breathing monsters are nowhere to be found in the Dutch landscape. In addition, there are cities and connections added to the rail network. This way, the rail passenger can visit an increasingly amount of spots in the Netherlands.
The electrification of the Dutch railway network is progressing nicely in 1938. Electric trains are driving at various connections and on certain routes diesel trains are being used. Over the years the steam train slowly disappears from the Dutch tracks. This Polygoon newsreel shows how the electrification of the railways is progressing in 1938:
Electric train is overrunning the Netherlands, by Polygoon-Profilti (producer) / Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (curator), is licensed under Creative Commons – Attribution-Share Alike.
Of course there sometimes is, even in earlier times, something wrong on the railways. Among other things, in 1926 and 1929, a passenger train derails. Accidents regularly occur on guarded, but mostly unguarded railway crossings. The following item shows how road users are being made aware of the dangers of an unguarded crossing.
Road users attention…. unguarded railway crossing, by Polygoon-Profilti (producer) / Nederlands Instituut voor Beeld en Geluid (curator), is licensed under Creative Commons – Attribution-Share Alike.
Not only the trains and railways are topics in Polygoon newsreels. There is also attention for passengers and what objects they leave behind in the trains. From guitars to shoes, the most strange objects are found in trains. Different people are sniffing between the found objects looking for something of their liking:
In the railway museum in Utrecht, people can take a look at the past of the railways. Among other things you can see here the oldest Dutch steam locomotive, called the Eagle. You can admire an old timetable and you can see a model of an electric train driving back and forth on a scale model. Visitors also get a look behind the scenes of the Dutch Railways and the automation of the railways is illustrated.