Did the train stop in Wetsens ?

There used to be a railway line near Wetsens. All that remains is a dyke on which the track was laid. The train ran from Dokkum to Anjum with two stops on the way, Metslawier and Morra-Lioessens. The track was part of the line Leeuwarden - Anjum of the North-Frisian Local Railway Company , the NFLS (Noord-Friese Lokaal-Spoorwegmaatschappij). (April 1901 - July 1936). The track has been built in several phases.

April       1901 opening of the section  Leeuwarden - Stiens - Ferwerd. Oktober  1901 opening of the section  Ferwerd - Dokkum - Metslawier. Augustus 1913 opening of the section  Metslawier - Anjum.

The line became known as "It Dokkumer Lokaeltsje" (The Dokkum Local) Passenger transport was ended in 1936 but restored for a brief period in May 1940 by another company, the NTM, the Dutch Tramway Company. In 1942 the section Dokkum - Anjum was closed down, after passenger transport had already been stopped in 1936. For a long time people have often wondered : "Was there a stop in Wetsens ?" According a newspaper of that time, the Oostergo, there were plans for a stop in Wetsens, even a timetable was published. But so far nothing has been found in official records. A poem by T. Postma,  in the newspaper "Nieuwsblad van Friesland" of the 18th of June 1904 supports the idea that a railway stop was in people's minds. However, ....that the plan never materialized !

The railway bridge in 1963. Then It Jellegat was rather narrow. Here was the railway bridge over It Jellegat in Wetsens Metslawier Station

The poem gives a vivid description of the digging off of the greater part of the mound on which the village of Wetsens was built. The soil was very fertile and could be sold at a good price. By doing so the villagers, poor as they were, managed to make a living. The work started in 1896 and must have come to an end in or before 1901, because late in that year the railway line was opened. The picture that the poet evokes in 1904 is that of a village that had become prosperous. The villagers had had a busy time. Up to 30 ships a day had come to Wetsens to carry off the soil. So one can imagine that the prospect of having their own railway station was a very appealing one. It might even bring further prosperity. Unfortunately, the railway company decided otherwise. Though living so close to the railway, they would now have to go to Dokkum or even Metslawier, a distance of 2 or 3 kms, to make use of it. The last stanza of the poem says: Now both the mound and the bustle are gone. Here the railway never was of any use. And the village - that once had so much coming and going, to everybody's surprise, - has gone to rest again. The train in Metslawier Once more passing Wetsens and then click, to return !

The hermit of Wetsens is cutting reed. (1963) The railway dyke in Wetsens Station Dokkum - Aalsum