Motorcar 20
Left: NBM 20, in Hoorn, 1976(foto: Ray Deacon). Right: Amsterdam, 2011
The firm Allan of Rotterdam deliverd four electric narrowgauge trams in 1910 to the OSM with the numbers 20-23, in cream coloured livery and supplied with a bow collector. These cars were intended for the line between Driebergen and Zeist (narrow gauge), operated by the O.S.M., to replace horsetraction.
In 1923/24 these trams were then transferred to the line Utrecht-Zeist, but that required a rebuild to standard gauge. The bowcollector was also replaced by no less than three trolley's. In normal operation, just one trolley was required except for the stretch along the Royal Meteorological Institute KNMI, because the KNMI suffered from interference in her instrumentation in the so-called "Earth-Magnetic Pavilion" when electric trams passed by. These interferences could be stopped by using a second overhead wire for the return current instead of using the rails (which is standard with trams and trains alike), hence the third trolley!
As a matter of interest, the rebuild of the cars coincided with the renumbering too. The small serie 20-23 was evenly renumbered into 17-20. So our NBM 20 was previously numbered OSM 23.
1927
In 1927 it was transferred to the NBM, which applied its company colours (cream/olive green) in 1930. The 20 was sold by the NBM in 1949 to Germany, to the KWRE (Kleinbahn Wesel-Rees-Emmerich) after the shut-down of its tramlines. In 1966 this also ceased its operations and the car returned to the Netherlands via the Dutch Society of Railtransport and ended up in De Meern.
After the Tramweg Stichting bought it in 1970, it went to Rotterdam and in 1972 to Hoorn (where the museum steamtram is). Finally, the car arrived in Amsterdam in 1978, at the tramway museum.
Number 20 is undergoing an extensive restoration, where the German changes have been undone, which means that both balconies got their centre door back. That gives the car it's characteristic NBM appearance and the possibility for the guard to transfer from one car to another during the tramride.
testrides
During 2011 it became possible to testdrive NBM 20. We hope to bring this motorcar fully restored into service during 2012. Follow the progress on our News page.
about the NBM
The Ooster Stoomtram Maaschappij (OSM, founded in May 1882), possesed roling stock and tramlines across the Utrecht district (Rhenen-Wageningen-Oosterbeek-Arnhem,Utrecht-Zeist, Driebergen-Zeist) and it merged in 1927 into the NBM, where the name Ooster Stoomtram Maatschappij dissolved.
The Nederlandse Buurtspoorweg Maatschappij was founded on 14th December 1900, as seperate (independent) company of the Nederlandse Centraal Spoorwegmaatschappij (NCS). In fact it was a kind of holdingcompany, which aimed to invest (and make a profit from) public transport and was a comparitively newcomer in this field.
The NBM came to being at a moment in history when electric traction became an appealing alternative for the then still existing horse- and steam traction for trams.
The operation of the NBM lines was later taken over by Centraal Nederland, superseeded by Connexxion.
trailercar 43
The OSM acquired car number 43 from the NCS back in 1919 , that had been built by Allan of Rotterdam in 1915. In 1927 the car was transferred to the NBM as a result of the closure (liquidation) of the OSM .
In May 1949 came an end to the tramservices of the NBM (as a result of the widespread introduction of busservices) after which 43 was sold to Germany to the KWRE, that closed down in 1966. After this the car arrived first in Enschede in 1967 and later in Haarlem , arriving in 1968 in Hoorn at the Steamtram Society.
15 september 2005
For the first time since 1950 an electric NBM tram was running on rails again. Hopefully, during 2012 both motorcar and trailer will jointly run in normal tramservice once more.