A railway, the first in continental Europe,…
May 1835 CE
A railway, the first in continental Europe, is opened between on May 5, 1835, between Brussels-Groendreef/Allée verte and Mechelen.
Some sort of railroad or canal had been envisaged for the new Kingdom of Belgium as early as 1830.
Engineers Pierre Simons and Gustave De Ridder had investigated the feasibility of a railroad.
The first trains are Stephenson engines imported from Great Britain, called Pijl, meaning Arrow, Olifant, meaning Elephant, and finally the eponymous Stephenson.
They pull bench-cars and diligences.
On the return from Mechelen, the Olifant pulls all thirty cars.
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