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LEEMSPOOR RIJSSEN

In Rijssen, at the foot of the Rijsserberg mountain, there is a stretch of a narrow gauge railroad on which stone factories transported their raw material some 100 years ago. You can visit this track and take a ride on it.

The departure station is easy to find on the Markeloseweg and is already signposted in several places in Rijssen. There you will find our cozy depot, where you can enjoy a delicious cup of coffee in the restaurant. You can also buy souvenirs here.

The rolling stock includes a steam locomotive, various diesel locomotives, passenger, freight and work trains. In the shed you can see the state of restoration of the rolling stock. One of the carriages has been adapted for wheelchair users. Narrow gauge is a little-known form of transportation that is useful for transporting large quantities of sand and clay on soft ground, in heavily hilly terrain and in today's tunneling.

A ride on the train goes through a beautiful forest trail to Arend Baan Street. There is a short stop and the locomotive is "turned over" Shortly after the return trip we stop at the new shed under construction, where one of our volunteers will tell the story and history of the Rijssens Clay Railway for young and old.

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LEEMSPOOR RIJSSEN
LEEMSPOOR RIJSSEN
Markeloseweg 78 B
7461 EE Rijssen
REGIO TWENTE
Nederland

About 100 years ago there were about fifteen brickworks in Rijssen, the number of which had shrunk to four by the 1960s.  From the beginning of the twentieth century until 1964, these four brickworks in Rijssen operated a narrow-gauge railroad to transport clay from the quarry to the factory. Between Rijssen and Markelo, a narrow-gauge railway network of some 12 km in length had been created.

For centuries, bricks have been fired in and around Rijssen from the clay that came here in the ice ages. First, the loam (or boulder clay, because so many boulders are found in it) at the deposits was baked into bricks and roof tiles. Later, the loam was transported over increasingly long distances to the ever-expanding brickworks. Peat and wood were used as fuel for the field kilns. This was readily available in the area.

In the first years, people could still manage with horse and cart. But starting in 1907, transport between Markelo and Rijssen was by rail. Tentatively at first: rails were bought for half of the route, then about 4 km. In the loam mining season, from April to October, the rails lay from the Hoch to the dump. This dump can still be recognized in the landscape today. In the real campaign season, from October to April, the rails were laid from the landfill to the factory. They were light rails, so easy to move.

In total, an H-shaped narrow gauge network was created with double track on some sections to allow passing. The timetable was simple. Full trains had priority over empty trains. If they met on the single-track, the empty train rode backwards to a switchyard.

 

(source: leemspoor.nl)

Admission:For details see website
Access for persons with disabilities:For details see website