Winsum – Zoutkamp railway line
| Marnelijn Winsum-Zoutkamp |
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| Route length: | 18.4 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1435 mm ( standard gauge ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Winsum – Zoutkam railway , also known as Marnelijn , was a railway connection between Winsum and Zoutkamp in the Netherlands. The line opened in 1922 and closed and dismantled in 1942.
history
The Groningen – Delfzijl railway via Sauwerd , opened in 1884, is the oldest railway line in the province of Groningen . As a branch line, the Sauwerd – Roodeschool railway line with a connection to the Winsum station was built by 1893 . At the same time, a license for the construction of the line from Winsum to Zoutkamp was granted, but this was not realized. Later plans, for which a separate company ( NV Spoorwegen Hunsingo ) was founded, did not lead to construction. The neighboring communities were ready to take their own funds into their own hands, but without the participation of the government it seemed too risky for them. The planning was later taken over by the company Groninger Lokaalspoorweg-Maatschappij (GLS), which was founded on July 9, 1887 and which already operated the railway line between Sauwerd and Roodeschool. This takeover also led to the construction of the railway. The cost was three million guilders , including the three small bridges. Because it connected the villages of the old Frisian Gaus Marne , part of the old Hunsingo region , it was nicknamed Marnelijn (Marnelinie). See also what is now De Marne .
Route
The route branched off one kilometer north of Winsum from the route to Roodeschool and led from there in the direction of Eenrum , turned slightly to the south in the direction of Wehe-den Hoorn and then westward in the direction of Leens and Ulrum . From Ulrum there was a last bow to Zoutkamp . All of the listed locations each had a train station. There was also the Breweelsterweg stop between Leens and Ulrum . The total length of the railway line was 18.7 kilometers.
End and break off
For economic reasons, passenger transport was discontinued in 1938 and replaced by four bus routes from the Marnedienst transport association , which was established in 1938 and based in Zoutkamp. The increasing car and bus traffic on ever better roads was ultimately one of the reasons for the unprofitable route. On October 16, 1940 crashed near the hamlet Ranum , a bus ( "Service Uitvoering plants," DUW) north area of Winsum with participants of a job creation measure that on the way to Polderbau were. The bus collided with a train and 13 people lost their lives.
At the beginning of the Second World War, passenger trains ran again for some time. However, the railway line was finally closed by the German occupiers on October 26, 1942 and dismantled two months later for use on the Eastern Front .
After the war it was decided not to rebuild it due to the unprofitable route.
remains
The route of the railway line can still be traced back today. On the section between Abelstokstertil and Ulrum , the Provinciale trail N361 leads. Between the Abelstokster style and the connection to the route to Roodeschool there are still some brick bridgeheads .
The station buildings in Leens and Ulrum have been preserved. The station building in Zoutkamp also still exists, but was completely converted into a luxury property after a fire in 1975 and its original purpose can no longer be recognized.