PostNL will issue the Historic Trams stamp sheet on 17 February 2025. The 10 stamps feature colour and black-and-white photographs of various trams that used to run through the cities of Amsterdam, Arnhem, The Hague, Rotterdam and Utrecht. The issue was created in collaboration with the Netherlands Open Air Museum in Arnhem. The stamps feature the denomination 1 for mail up to and including 20 grams with a destination within the Netherlands. The stamps were designed by studio026 from Velp.
The stamps depict 5 historic tram types. The GETA 76 of the Municipal Electric Tram Arnhem in the colour photograph is a replica, made by the Netherlands Open Air Museum. The original trams from this series were built in 1929 by Beijnes in Haarlem. Before that time, the trams were very modern due to their four axles, one-man operation and the slanted windshield, which prevented the lamps from reflecting. The RET 520 of the Rotterdam Electric Tram was made in 1931 by Werkspoor in Utrecht. The four-axle tram weighs 18 tons and has 22 seats and 25 standing places. Until the end of the 1960s, these cars determined the streetscape of Rotterdam. The GVB 903 of the Amsterdam Municipal Transport Company was built in 1949, also by Werkspoor. This tram was part of the tram network in Amsterdam from 1949 to 1975. Because of the red-coloured nose, this model was soon nicknamed The Bloody Nose. The HTM 274 from 1921 of the Hague Tramway Company was in service in The Hague until 1963. It belonged to the 250-279 series, made by HAWA in Hannover. The tram runs on 2 Crompton motors (500 volts, 63 kW). The NBM 20 of the Dutch Local Railway Company was made by Allan & Co in Rotterdam in 1910 for the narrow gauge line from Driebergen to Zeist. In 1923-1924 this motor carriage was converted to standard gauge to be able to serve on the Utrecht-Zeist line.
The GETA 76, RET 520, GVB 903 and HTM 274 can be found in the Dutch Open Air Museum, the NBM 20 is owned by the Electric Museum Tram Line Amsterdam.
The 10 stamps of the stamp sheet Historic Trams show 2 photos of each of the 5 historic trams. The colour photo is a current photo of the tram, the black and white photo is a historic recording from the time when the tram was still in active service. The photos are connected by a black and white tram track that runs from top to bottom and from left to right as a route across the stamps and the sheet edge. Within the white area of the curves of this graphic representation of a tram track, the names of the tram companies involved are shown on the left and a line with crossbars on the right as a symbol for the tram line. The name of the city where the tram ran is shown above each photo. The type number of the tram is shown at the bottom of the colour photo, the name of the place where the photo of the moving tram was taken is shown in the black and white photo. Each photo is bordered on the left and right by different coloured bands that have the diamond shape of a tram's pantograph. This diamond shape is mirrored on the sheet edge. As a result, the print is built up from top to bottom from organic round shapes as symbols for the tram stops. Tram rails run through the stamps from left to right, connecting the stamps as a network. The sheet edges feature a pattern of grey checks, with a border of alternating coloured blocks as a frame. There are 3 links on the sheet edges and in the title. This vignette is the work of architect Hein Berlage, who designed it for a transport poster from 1893 for the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij.
The design of the stamp sheet Historical trams was created by graphic designers Anne Schaufeli and Huub de Lang from studio026 in Velp. Although you could also include horse-drawn trams and steam trams under this subject, the designers decided to focus on electric trams. “People have a better image of electric trams,” says Anne Schaufeli. “A lot of old trams were still in use for a long time, some until well into the 1970s. There are still many people who rode them. First we went looking for images. In the Netherlands, all kinds of organisations and museums are involved with trams, but that is often limited to a specific city. In the Dutch Open Air Museum, which represents the entire country, there are also old trams driving around. We know that because we go there often. It is not too far from where we live and work and it is a wonderful museum to visit. Also because of the nostalgic feeling that the design of the past evokes: the historic trams, the old letters, the signs, the tram tickets, the colours and the typography. I find that endless.”
