: Laatst bijgewerkt: 21 februari 2024

The tram

The tram track was built, also by Grolloo. The (E.D.S.) tram (Eerste Drentsche Stoomtrammaatschappij) chugged through the Drenthe roads at a speed of 50 km per hour. The stop in Grolloo was on the village green opposite the Merk between Hofsteenge and Gerrie, where baker Luinge lived at the time. The switch was located in the middle of the former schoolyard. In Grolloo it was also possible to put wagons on a dead track. In the direction of Schoonloo, the rails lay on the right along the main road and from Grolloo to Amen for "'t oal dairy factory" along and exactly between the farms Amerweg 19 and 21 and then always on the right side of the road towards Amen. You can still find the track here, but the rails have been broken. The first buses arrived in the early 1920s. Many tram lines were broken up, but in Grolloo the tram still brought coal that could then be removed from the freight wagons at the stop. The last tram ran on March 3, 1947 and buses and trucks took over.

kog-6-stoomtram-001

The tram on the way.

The drawing below has been made for the erected monuments "Pieces of symbolic rails" on the corners, which were created by the construction of roads and the course of the rails. This drawing can be found on the applied plaques

tekening trambaan door Grolloo .

Monument tramlijn

From the book Kijk op Grolloo (Look at Grolloo):

The important tram connection Assen-Coevorden was opened on 3 June 1918 with M. de Jonge and B. Leyssenaar as conductors and G. Engels as engineer.

Grolloo also made grateful use of this connection for passenger, livestock and freight transport. For example, during the days around the Rolder market it was bustling with activity due to frequent loading and unloading at the switch in Grolloo. The bread from Baker Jan Luinge was transported in boxes by tram to shopkeeper Ratering in Ekehaar.

At the time, a single trip to Assen-Coevorden cost f1.95 first class and f1.35 second class. For the Assen-Grolloo-Schoonoord route alone, f 0.50 was requested. Piece goods up to a weight of 5 kg. cost 10 cents per shipment. The transport of horses over a distance of 25 km. cost f 1.00, cows f 0.75 and calves and pigs f 0.40.

The first buses were used on this line around 1930, which of course meant a major loss for the tram.

As the tram wound its way through the villages, it unfortunately claimed quite a few victims. The last ride of the tram was in 1947 with Messrs Leyssenaar and Engels. The tram track is still clearly visible on many photos of the old Grolloo. Fewer photos are available of the tram itself.

De tram onderweg.

The tram on the way.

The EDS steam tram ran through Grolloo from about 1918. The last tram ran in 1947.

tram plan December 15, 1905 (click on the image to enlarge)

Below is a collection of newspaper articles:

(We are currently looking for volunteers to translate the old newspaper articles.
We will add these in due course.)

19060124-krant-DAC-tram.jpg

Mr Editor!

In response to your "lament" I should like to say something in the middle. There is a more or less covert reproach directed at our residents that they have signed too little on the list for a steam tram.

And now I wish to point out two circumstances, which were undoubtedly very influential. In the first place on the fact that about half of the farms located here are run by tenant farmers, while the owners mostly live elsewhere. It is understandable that the Meiers will not be financially interested in a steam tram, as it offers them advantages, which they have to pay in the form of more rental value. And the owners, who have been asked several times to cooperate in obtaining better traffic routes for our village, either refuse to do so, or - repeatedly do not even condescend to an answer. In that respect we cannot yet say that "it's dawn in the east!"

Secondly, it should not be forgotten that almost all residents still have financial obligations with regard to the road plan Westerbork - Rolde, for which a considerable amount was signed. These are not sums of a share - steam tram, but they are amounts, of which one does not directly see interest again. Now this street road plan certainly had no chance of success with a possibly accepted and insured tram construction, it will nevertheless probably be finished sooner. In any case, it is certain that the subscription for a highway has stood in the way of taking shares for a tram plan. To what extent the size of the shares (or halves) also had an influence, I wish to leave in the open. Will I be satisfied with the financial results of the tram plan here? Not at all, m.d.r. ! A few times I was annoyed when presenting the list where people simply refused to cooperate and it was possible because of financial resources. Fortunately, an exception. I also firmly believe that still too much overlooks the fact that by increasing the value of the land one gets back his share, if necessary taken up, with interest.

Where people here nowadays only pay 10 to 15 guilders for an H.A. good heathland, suitable for cultivation, can easily receive 80 to 100 guilders for it on good roads. How many thousands of guilders would the great field between Assen and Schoonoord not increase in value with a tram construction!

Finally, m.d.r., we hope that your comments and my "lamentation" and further writing, will still lead to those who can still support the tram plan, still do it; the opportunity will certainly be offered at a next meeting of fellow villagers.

Thanks for posting,

Your messenger.

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19051017 newspaper NieuwsvdDag tram

19051017 krant NieuwsvdDag tram