Zeeland Stop | Gatehouse 30

How do we keep the railway safe? Today, we use signals and barriers. But in the past, railway watchmen and watchwomen played a vital role. Roughly every kilometer of track had a gatehouse. The watchman was responsible for monitoring safety one kilometer before and one kilometer after their post.

They did this by communicating with neighboring watchmen via telegraph or Morse code. This helped prevent train collisions.

Starting in 1884, this location also became a stop where passengers could get on and off the train. There was even a simple café in the front room of the farmhouse across from the stop. The stop remained in service until 1946.

Today, the gatehouse is a private residence, with a piece of track in the front yard—close to the red-and-white crossbuck from the former railway crossing.

This text has been translated using AI.