History Arendal Line

1 history

1.1 planning
1.2 construction
1.3 narrow gauge operations
1.4 standard gauge
1.5 closing of treungen line
1.6 electrification

history
planning

planning of line started in 1874, when aust-agder county municipality (then nedenes) established railway committee. created based on national ambitions of creating vestland line (later named sørland line) connect rogaland , agder oslo , eastern norway. there controversy regarding choice of route; while many proposals existed, 2 main inland route , coastal route. nedenes county railway committee supported inner route, stating large amount of lumber logged in interior parts of county, , depreciated in value during log driving—which take 3 years.

during 1880s, norway fell recession , railway construction halted. 1884, planning of vestland line had halted, , instead municipalities started planning lines connect coastal towns inland lakes. hope if inland line later built, these act branch lines, giving towns railway connections capital. in nordenes, proposed both arendal , grimstad have branch line, connect somewhere north of towns, , continue northwards interior. in 1891, agreement reached between local politicians build line lake nisser through Åmli , moripen messel, line branch grimstad , arendal. proposal had called branching occur closer coast, @ rykene. representatives arendal wanted further away branching point, , proposed bøylestad.

in 1892, ministry of labour proposed several lines in area. 1 went grimstad via arendal nisser via nelaug, other kragerø line , line connecting risør. followed proposal line kongsberg—then terminus of sørland line—to grovane, had railway kristiansand. proposed line have branches skien, kragerø, arendal, Åmli, risør, grimtad, tvedestrand , notodden. in 1893, proposal rejected parliament of norway, although section arendal Åmli approved.

the plans based on station on southern shore langesævannet in arendal, branch continue port @ ormviken. along route possible continue line grimstad. line passed parliament run arendal via harebakken, blaakestad, lyngraat grube , hersel bøylestad Åmli. plans, not voted over, involved line continuing northwards country border telemark (then bratsberg), branch in 2 , run drangsvannet , tveitsund. on 1 march 1894, parliament passed great railway compromise, in addition among other things bergen line saw several smaller lines passed, including arendal Åmli.

the parliamentary decision required 20 percent of 4.2 million norwegian krone (nok) cost granted locally. arendal municipality guaranteed half of this, other municipalities , county municipality not willing grant sufficient sums. in 1895 , 1896, new route surveyed via messel instead of hersel, , in 1896 county council increased grant nok 80,000 150,000 on condition new route chosen. new route 8.6 kilometers (5.3 mi) long , had more difficult terrain.

the norwegian state railways supported hersel line because nok 388,000 cheaper, while lumber industry supported messel route. @ time, branch grimstad being planned built private railway, , messel blakstad messel route , grimstad line follow same right-of-way. ministry supported messel route, , section south of nelaug built trunk route standard, resulting in higher standards. route passed parliament on 11 june 1898, reduced local grants 15 percent.

the renaming route issue in arendal , town solbergvann, small lake outside. 6 lines proposed in 1902: 1 via strømsbusletten, 1 via kittelsbukt, 1 via barbudalen, 2 via strømsbubukten, , 1 through city center. in arendal, original plans build station outside of town @ strømsbusletten. sam eyde hired make new plan, , proposed filling kittelsbukt , placing station in town center. issue voted on in parliament on 8 june 1903, without decision. in 1903, nikolai prebensen elected parliament arendal, support kittelsbukt alternative major cause him winning election. 5 proposals made ministry when again sent issue parliament.

prebensen , minister hans christian albert hansen supported kittelsbukt alternative, while nsb , majority of railway committee supported barbu alternative. parliament first voted against kittelsbukt alternative, against alternative kittelsbukt municipality covered half of expenditure, , voted unanimously barbu alternative. @ same time, parliament decided build line 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge, although right-of-way built allow converted standard gauge later. cost saving of building narrow gauge minimal, allow line take on excess rolling stock lines being converted narrow standard gauge. upper section built class iii, light standard minimum curve radius of 250 meters (820 ft) , level crossings instead of underpasses public roads. proposal build line electric traction rejected. on 1 july 1907, parliament amended decision changing route @ bøylefoss , flatenfoss allow dams built.

construction

construction started section between solbergvannet , blakstad on 17 december 1900. march 1903, 75 percent of leveling completed. work on lower part started in 1904, , construction of barbu tunnel started in september. earthworks tunnel used fill part of port. breakthrough made on 26 may 1906 , tunnel completed in june 1907. particularly section arendal rise , froland simonstad required leveling, , along 21 kilometers (13 mi) evenstad foløya there no road. eleven barracks built house workers on section.

on 1 july 1907, parliamentarian finn blakstad criticized progress in construction. then, 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) of line had been leveled in addition few bridges being started. given construction had been going on 7 years, estimated @ speed line completed in 1940. vestland line railway committee sent petition ministry on 28 november, stating construction going slow, , municipalities had paid necessary dues years ago. on 23 december, lund stated 16-kilometer (9.9 mi) long section between arendal , froland opened following year. among other things possible after minister of labour nils ihlen had promised increase number of workers 300 600. in 1908, large number of new navvies came work @ rjukan line, @ time experiencing strike.

work on bøylefossen bridge started in 1908 , completed in late 1909. several embankments built; largest 2 @ kilandskilen, made 20,000 cubic meters (710,000 cu ft) of earthwork, , @ foløysund, made 25,000 cubic meters (880,000 cu ft). navvies paid nok 2.50 ten-hour work day. 1 person, gustav albertsen, killed during construction, while laying ballast @ simonstad.

the grimstad line had been built faster, , opened on 14 september 1907. on 17 october 1908, first train ran between arendal , froland. however, regular services did not start until 23 november. line had 2 train per day per direction, using single train. travel time between 52 , 58 minutes, intermediate stops @ bråstad, rise , blakstad. first official opening of line took place on 17 december 1910 prime minister wollert konows, when whole section arendal Åmli taken use. regular service froland Åmli started following day. section arendal Åmli cost nok 5.3 million , received class iv locomotives. during years, trains long having 3 locomotives , 22 cars. on sundays, train used people in arendal visit surrounding areas, , these trains have 400 passengers.

from opening, there 2 or 3 train per direction per day, of 1 train went between froland , arendal. travel time between arendal , Åmli between 2 , half , 3 hours. morning trains Åmli aendal , afternoon express service other way carried post. post offices established @ bøylestad, flaten , simonstad. 2 additional stations, @ torbjørnsbu , rossedalen, taken use on 1 may 1911. same year, parliament decided arendal line own district , not administrated along setesdal line kristiansand.

the decision extend line tveitsund (treungen 1926) taken parliament on 20 july 1908. details section in bratsberg taken in 1910, , remaining part in 1911. construction started in late 1910 in north, while southern part started construction @ end of year. 300 people worked on line, saw strike 1 may 1912 until end of august. laying of track started during late 1912. north of gaukås, terrain more hilly. @ 1 place, 4,000 cubic meters (140,000 cu ft) of earth , 6,000 cubic meters (210,000 cu ft) needed removed create cutting. line had minimum curve radius of 250 meters (820 ft) , had gravel ballast. permanent way built wide enough line converted standard gauge.

the 33.2-kilometer (20.6 mi) long section Åmli tveitsund officially opened on 14 december 1913. however, station buildings not yet ready, , dispatch of passenger , freight @ first done sheds. stations gradually completed 1914. trains running Åmli extended treungen, , line received new rolling stock, including 2 class xxiiid locomotives. whole railway arendal tveitsund cost nok 9.9 million.

narrow gauge operations

at tveitsund, railway corresponded ferry nissen , dølen, ran on nisser. nissedal municipal council stated location of station problematic, located on south side of river, while access north side. bridge across river therefore built , opened in 1918. in 1916, mine opened @ søftestad on nisser. ore transported barge down lake , transshipped railway. passenger service dølen on nisser terminated in 1937.

after opening of line froland, nsb started operating ore trains froland arendal. ore mined @ gloserhei , hauled blakstad station horse. mine halted production 1914 1924, , after 1934 started using trucks, ran way arendal. during first world war, 514 tonnes (506 long tons; 567 short tons) of apatite mined , transported rail blakstad arendal. during war, railway increased transport of wood, used replace coal. lack of coal resulted in many cancellations on line.

in 1910, construction work started bøylefoss power station; railway ran right past , used transport of both materials , people. during construction, halt built there. power station completed in 1913. construction of høgefoss power station, located along line, started in 1919 , completed following year. later construction included flatenfoss power station between 1925 , 1928, , evenstad power station between 1937 , 1940.

from 1915, milk transport started along lower part of line. milk weights installed @ lindtviet, løddesøl , rise. 1 july 1913 though 31 june 1914, treungen , grimstad lines had 157,986 passengers, of 2,461 traveled on 50% more expensive second class. 1918–19, ridership had increased 10,000, while number of second class riders halved. 1924, second-class carriages removed on both lines.

the line received 2 cmb 13 diesel multiple units in 1927, , third in 1930. resulted in additional halts being created, , short while multiple units stop @ road crossings. in 1928, nsb unmanned stations bråstad, haugsjø, vallekilen, seljås, sandå , gaukås. on express trains ran treungen arendal in morning , other direction in evening, there post clerk. in addition dispatching post, sold newspapers, magazines, lottery tickets , hired perform various smaller tasks while in arendal.

standard gauge

in 1927, sørland line extended neslandsvatn , received temporary terminus @ kragerø via kragerø line. next stage of line extension neslandsvatn nelaug, connect arendal line , use reach coast. in preparation arrival, nsb had in 1923 proposed convert treungen , grimstad lines standard gauge. denied, again proposed in 1928. cost estimated @ nok 2.7 million. nsb stated alternative close line north of nelaug , grimstad line. in 1931, new proposal made, , decision made rebuild line arendal nelaug dual gauge. 1934, proposal changed grimstad line closed, section arendal nelaug has standard gauge, , northern part have narrow gauge. after local protests, decided parliament keep grimstad line.

since 1925, maintenance on line had been done standard gauge conversion in mind. among other things, 30,000 narrow gauge ties had been replaced. work on replacing remaining ties started on 1 july 1932. 2 years later, third rail started being laid. on both sides of bridge @ froland, profile narrow, resulting in curve radius of 220 meters (720 ft). nelaug station built, , because upper part of line retain narrow gauge, new station received transshipment facilities. last narrow-gauge train arendal ran on 19 october 1935. following evening, standard-gauge operations introduced. first train arendal oslo ran on 2 november, , new line officially opened on 9 november. grimstad line retained narrow gauge until 9 november 1936.

while terminus sørland line, arendal experienced larger increase in traffic, transport south coast went through town. on 21 june 1938, sørland line between nelaug , grovane opened, , arendal line became branch. arendal district closed, , arendal line became part of kristiansand district. passengers arendal had transfer express trains @ nelaug, , second class carriage terminated. however, number of services along line increased slightly, in part allow fish transported express train oslo.

the section nelaug treungen had break-of-gauge, causing increased operating costs , inconvenience. 1935, line received 2 daily trains per direction per day. increased 3 following year. in 1938, class 9 locomotives introduced on so-called small trains , fireman acted conductor. after grimstad line converted standard gauge, class used on freight trains between arendal , grimstad. arendal rise, run forward grimstad, grimtad rise , run forward arendal.

in 1939, mine @ søftestad reopened, annual production of 100,000 tonnes (98,000 long tons; 110,000 short tons) of iron ore. transported truck treungen, loaded onto trains. during second world war, non-local travel not permitted without permit. 1 of large attractions weekend trips pick berries; @ 1,000 people took train arendal in mind.

the cost change standard gauge estimated nok 1.3 million; deemed expensive ministry in 1938. nsb bought 20 boxes lumber , 16 boxcars modules transshipped between 2 cars. decision convert gauge made in 1942 , of necessary funds granted. change of gauge started on 8 july 1946, including increasing axle load 10 tonnes (9.8 long tons; 11 short tons). trains ran simonstad, Åmli , treungen, conversion gradually completed. first through train ran on 20 july.

from 1950, nsb introduced express train twice per day between oslo , kristiansand, using class 66 units. corresponding service put between arendal , nelaug; ran without intermediate stops , used 38 minutes. in 1951, line received two, , later three, class 87 multiple units. milk routes terminated in 1952. in 1953, new road fyresdal tjønnefoss opened, giving increased traffic station. in 1955, last of cmb 13 trains retired , new class 86 train stationed in arendal. ran on lower part of line. if @ service, steam locomotives—normally class 21—and carriages used, cause delays.

on 17 june 1957, tunnel between town square , station in arendal opened. 1950 1957, nsb replaced tracks south of nelaug heavier 38 kilograms per meter (25 lb/ft) tracks. heavier class 18c locomotives introduced, these used south of nelaug. in 1960, upper part of line received class 86, , in 1965, common reserve class 86 stationed in drammen stavanger, kristiansand , drammen districts. grimstad line closed 1 september 1961. part of nsb s campaign retire steam locomotives, di 2 diesel locomotive test-run on 16 february 1961. ran on arendal–nelaug section month in 1962, proved stiff. trials in 1964 showed issues had been resolved, , line class use 1965. last steam locomotive used in 1968.

closing of treungen line

during 1950s, iron ore , lumber main use upper section of line. 1960, there 2 or 3 weekly pure ore trains in addition hopper cars in ordinary freight trains. new lumber crane installed @ treungen in 1962, hunsfoss fabrikker stating sending additional 18 tonnes (18 long tons; 20 short tons) of lumber. in 1964, five-year contract signed mine 44,000 tonnes (43,000 long tons; 49,000 short tons) of ore per year, following year mine closed. same year, 1,000 tonnes (980 long tons; 1,100 short tons) of lumber being sent line. there 23 percent drop in passenger traffic between 1962 , 1965, 45,300 people, , line lost nok 700,000 year. during last years, upper part of line had 3 daily services class 87 trains , 3 weekly freight trains hauled di 2.

nsb proposed line closed in 1966, , in april 1967, standing committee on transport , communications had inspection of area, particularly looking @ roads. decision close line 1 october 1967 made parliament on 22 june, , included nok 12 million new roads. there proposal use part of line build airport treungen. line remained in sporadic use years, both access fjone power station, , railway have access gravel pit @ bjorevja. passenger traffic replaced buses. parliamentarian osmund faremo attempted reopen line in april 1968, rejected minister håkon kyllingmark. work demolish line in may, starting @ treungen.

on 26 october 1971, sawmill @ nidarå opened. section nelaug simonstad reopened, , 1-kilometer (0.62 mi) long branch line built simonstad. di 2 set haul freight trains. similar industry planned @ suplandsfoss, 4 kilometers (2.5 mi) further north; plans reopen line there launched, in 1970, nsb agreed norwegian public roads administration use remaining part of line national road 415.

in 1984, di 2 locomotives replaced skd 224, can haul train weight of 250 tonnes (250 long tons; 280 short tons), albeit @ low speeds. in 1988, number of passenger trains on arendal line reduced 6 five, trains corresponding trains on sørland line , oslo. after upgrades track, maximum speed on line increased 60 90 kilometers per hour (37 56 mph). in 1989, nsb decided close large number of branch line, arendal line 1 of few not closed. same year, stops blakstad, blakstad bru , hurv merged new stop.

electrification

on 6 august 1993, government approved plans electrify arendal line south of nelaug. nok 20 million of necessary 45 million granted 1994 budget, nok 12 million being advanced municipalities , county. temporary remedy replace aging trains, class 92 multiple units put service 1994. line took electric traction use on 15 june 1995. nsb introduced class 68 trains on line, @ time oldest electric multiple units used company. 6 months later, nsb stated unless received addition grants, many smaller services, including arendal line, have terminated. july 1997, nsb terminated night train arendal because of lack of rolling stock.

in 2000, railway company timetoget had negotiated agreement nsb take on passenger operations on bratsberg line. company started negotiating taking on operations on arendal line. proposed using y1 diesel railcars capacity 70 people. introduction of class 73, nsb proposed establishing direct morning express arendal oslo without transfer @ nelaug. however, neither proposal realized. 20 october, service terminated on arendal line , bratsberg line. nsb had large shortage of motormen, , chose close operations on lines least traffic allocate sufficient personnel areas higher ridership. traffic resumed on 24 june 2001. 1999 2003, line halved traffic, 50,000 passengers per year. in mid-2000s, class 69 multiple units put service on line. 2007, ridership again rising, 16 percent increase year. in 2008, new station @ stoa opened, costing nok 1.5 million.