#0028
Snelheid
🇬🇧 United Kingdom ·built by R. B. Longridge and Company· from 1839· first steam locomotive in the Netherlands
1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. Snelheid: ETH-Bibliothek Zürich, Bildarchiv / Ans_05373-1857· CC0
what is it?
The Snelheid (meaning "Speed" in Dutch) was the name of the first locomotive in the Netherlands, which, together with the De Arend (meaning "Eagle"), pulled the first train between Amsterdam and Haarlem. Founded in 1837, The Hollandsche Ijzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM), (Dutch Iron Railway Company), in July 1838 ordered four Stephenson-type Patentee steam locomotives from R.B. Longridge & Co. of Bedlington, England, to be named Snelheid (Speed), Arend (Eagle), Hoop (Hope), and Leeuw (Lion).
who runs it
base stats
Bars compare against all trains: 600 km/h (maglev), 1,700 seats; power, weight and number built on a log scale up to 20 MW, 1,000 t and 20,000 built.
fun facts
- First built 187 years ago, in 1839.
- Served for 17 years (1839–1856).
steam locomotive: Burns coal, wood or oil to boil water; the steam drives pistons that turn the wheels.
spec sheet
- built
- 1839
- in service from
- 1839
- retired
- 1856
- status
- retired
- number built
- 2
- kind
- Steam
- traction
- steam
- origin
- 🇬🇧 United Kingdom
- builders
- R. B. Longridge and Company
- operators
- Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij
- top speed
- 40 km/h
- power
- —
- gauge
- 1,945 mm broad gauge
- wheel arrangement
- 2-2-2
From the Wikipedia infobox and Wikidata. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q1854276, Wikipedia: Snelheid (locomotive) (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-25.