Nesttun–Os Line

The railway line Nesttun -Os (Norwegian Nesttun - Osbanen ) was a narrow gauge railway between Nesttun, now part of Bergen, and Osøyro in the community Os Fylke Hordaland in Norway.

It was opened as the first private railway in Norway on 1 June 1894. The line was built to connect with the Os Vossebane in passenger and freight traffic to Voss and Bergen. On September 2, 1935 the track was the first Norwegian railway line, which was closed.

It survived only short sections of track and some stations. A large part of the former railway line is used as a bike path, which makes the revival of the route Nesttun -Os impossible as a museum railway. A piece of track is located on Stend station, which remained unchanged. There, a diesel locomotive and a passenger car in memory were set up at the track. The station building itself was restored and is used as a museum.

History

Proposals to build a railway from Nesttun by Os were first made in connection with the planning of Vossebane from Bergen to Voss. Initial plans saw it before a slightly longer route via Os, Samnanger, Norheimsund and Granvin. At the time it was required that municipalities with 20 % of the cost participated in the railway construction. In 1874 the municipality of Os was encouraged to buy shares for 8,000 crowns. This was rejected by the local council and finally the Vossebane about Dale was built. In 1884 a committee was formed to investigate the possibility of building a branch line from Nesttun after Fana Fana. But neither the community nor the country were willing to give grants for the route and so the plans were discarded in 1885. At the same time the doctor Daniel Schumann Krüger developed an initiative (now Osøyro ) to maximize the possibility of building a connection from Nesttun after Osøren. At the time it was customary among others branch lines to build the route along existing roads and to use slow locomotives. Kruger first suggested such a solution, but decided later to support a conventional construction.

In 1884 the construction of the section of Os to Nesttun with 885,000 crowns plus land acquisition costs were estimated. Public meetings were held and in 1885, a planning committee was formed. The following year an application to the state for grants of 3,000 crowns was provided for preparatory work. The railway was to be built under private management, but the committee wanted to receive state funding. The government favored at that time the construction of railway lines, but the track had a low priority among the many proposed projects. 1888 examined a state engineer the planned route and recommended to build the line across Rådal. In addition Fanahammeren and Stend were then treated as a transport hub. Subsequently, shares were issued for 50,000 crowns, but this was not sufficient to finance the car.

Instead of increasing the capital, Kruger tried to reduce the cost. He proposed to reduce the minimum curve radius of 100 to 50 meters and take the track width of 1067 mm as shown on the Vossebane to use only 600 millimeters. This allowed the train ride tighter turns and drive around obstacles and hills, eliminating the need for the construction of tunnel incisions and accounted for.

Nicolay Nicolaysen Sontum engineer began planning the route in 1889, he estimated the cost at 500,000 crowns. Having reported on the construction in the press in Bergen, received the measures of shipowners Fredrik Georg Gade and Johan A. Mowinckel support, as well as the deputies of the Wollert Konow. The application for a license was made ​​on March 15, 1890, in the Gade and Mowinckel guaranteed the necessary capital. This could be built with the distance of Nesttun by Os as the first railway in Norway without government subsidies. The Works with Sontum was signed on March 29.

The concession was granted on February 2, 1891 and had a term of 40 years from the date of commissioning of the track. The delay was partly due to a debate in the Norwegian Parliament on the gauge of the track. The sale of shares began on March 3, 1891. The largest shares acquired Gade ( 20%), Mowinckel (10%), the municipality of Os ( 5%) and Kruger ( 2%). The community used the entire budget for the year for the stock purchases and with additional borrowed money that had to be repaid in 40 years. In addition, the track received free land of many landowners.

The built narrow gauge railway was 750 mm, the smallest gauge that was ever built in Norway. The smallest turning radius was 50 feet. This combination enables it to avoid all tunnels. The longest bridge was eight meters. The track width with the result that all the goods in Nesttun station had to be reloaded and the train only had a top speed of 25 km / hr. The train was of great importance for the community Os. Through them, day trips were possible in the city of Bergen. The ride only lasted two hours and was much faster and cheaper than a trip on the steam ship.

The first steam locomotive named Rotten was supplied by decauville in Paris. The other steam locomotives in service were of the type Mallet, built by La Métallurgique in Tubize in Belgium. They were given the name Bjørnen, Ulven and Os.

Eight cars on the track came from Oldbury from England and seven were supplied by Skabo jernbanevognfabrik in Oslo.

Despite a disease caused by the First World War economic boom, rail lost after shares in the road, which was faster and more convenient. On September 2, 1935 it was the first Norwegian railway line, which was closed. The following year, the largest part of the track was dismantled.

Today's state

In many places the embankment still exists, although the rails were removed in 1936. 1980, the majority of the embankment in Bergen was converted to a walking and bike path and paved later. The 12.7 km long stretch of Nesttun after Kismul extended as a footpath. The section of Selsvik after Ytre Sandvika was built in 2002 as a bike path in 2002 and 2008, about a mile past extended to Kismul. For the remaining portion after Kalandseid there is a plan, but lack of funds prevented the expansion. The route can be walked on, but the path is overgrown and partly swampy.

From Kalandseid after Søfteland the route runs alongside the European route E39. In the south of Kalandseid the trail passes through private agricultural land in the direction Røykenes. In the section of Os Tømmernes is paved by Søfteland. From Store traumas south of Søfteland about one kilometer was converted to a gravel road. In this section you will find the two -meter-long Bergstø Bridge, on the still are the rails.

In the station of Stend a railway museum. It is the only station that has been preserved in its original structure. In the 1980s, the building had fallen into disrepair, but in 1987 the restoration began by the railway club Osbanens Venner. Here is a small collection of objects from the path time, including old photos and tools from the former workshop. On a 70 -meter-long section of track a handcar from 1925 and a combined 3rd grade / post- wagon from 1894 is installed. It consists of two half frames, which are welded together and are mounted on purchased from Poland bogies. It is the smallest bogie wagons Norway. The station has a water crane and a diesel locomotive from 1967. Bauzuglok This was used in Fana in Bergen, and later for the construction of sewers and handed over to the museum in 1995. She has a track width of 750 mm, but has nothing to do with the rolling stock of the former route.

The Os station has been preserved and is part of the community. It is planned to transfer him back to the state of 1894, but for lack of money it was deleted only in the original colors. The plan is to move a short piece of track. The former workshop includes a sewer pumping station and was externally restored. The depot was built with decorative columns, but it was only built in the 1930s. In the 1990s, these columns were removed. The cultural association of Os has the rights to use buildings located in community ownership. It is planned, it set up a center for art. For this purpose, a glass facade would be built towards the fjord as well as art workshops and studios are furnished.

The train station in Ulven is also preserved and modernized. He is in private ownership. All railway building in Kalandseidet except a residential building in private ownership were demolished. The station area of Hamre was converted to a bus station. The Fana Station still stands, but it was defaced by renovation and modernization and now serves as a private residence. The Radal train station is also a private residence.

Two cars are kept in Norsk Jernbanemuseum Hamar, after they were used on the Urskog - Hølandsbanen 1935-1960. They are used in the museum train Tertitten who drives on the museum grounds and have been renovated in the years 1994/95. The municipality has an Os dismantle Oldbury - car body of a car from the year 1894. A 1907 built by Skabo car body is in a garden in Kismul and still has some original benches.

Part of the route is now used as a pedestrian and bicycle path. 2011 in the Bergen area of Skjoldskiftet and Odin was veg closed because of construction of the new light rail.