Flåm Line
Flåmsbana is a single-track standard gauge branch line from the Norwegian mountain railway. It leads from the 866 m high Myrdal down to Flåm by the Flåmsdalen on Aurlandfjord (2 moh. = Two meters above sea level). Since 1 January 1998, the Flåm Flåm Utvikling by the private company is jointly operated with Norges Statsbaner. The railway is an important tourist attraction in Western Norway and is accordingly mainly used by tourists ( in 2005 the railway had more than 475,000 visitors). At the waterfall Kjosfossen a stop will be made to give way to take pictures. The journey time is about an hour drive it eight to nine trains in each direction in summer and four trains in the winter. The maximum speed is uphill 40 km / h, downhill 30 km / h
History
The construction of the originally applied for transporting goods train was started in 1923 to provide transportation down from the mountain railway to the Sognefjord and thus to replace the last part of Rallarroad. Of the 20 tunnels of route 18 were propelled by hand, so per meter tunnel month of work was needed. In the fall of 1936 - after 13 years - were the construction work progressed so far that the tracks could be laid. On 1 August 1940 the line was opened with steam-powered freight trains in operation. The regular passenger services began on 10 February 1941. The final completion in 1944, with the electrification of the line.
In the 1950s and 1960s the route as other secondary roads in Norway was threatened with closure. However, since the use steadily increased through the passenger, was finally apart. The Company Flåm Utvikling AS newly founded in 1998 took over the entire marketing including advertising- side product development for the Flåmsbana. In 2005, could be set up with 475 033 passengers a new visitor record: the Flåmsbana is thus one of the most visited tourist attractions in Norway become.
- Impressions while driving
On Kjosfossen 5 minutes stop for photo
View from a tunnel to the next tunnel
Route
The railway line is 20.2 km long and overcomes a difference in altitude of 864 m. 16 km of the route have a slope of 28 ‰; the largest gradient is 55 ‰ ( corresponding to a slope of one meter to 18 meters distance). In this way the Flåmsbana is one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. Five different braking systems provide the necessary safety of the operation.
The route passes through 20 tunnels, one was executed by them as spiral tunnels to gain altitude. The total length of the tunnel is 5,692.4 m: So are 28 % of the distance in the tunnel. To avoid avalanche prone areas in Flåmsdalen that Flåmsbana crosses the river several times. Only in one place for this purpose, a bridge was built; otherwise you managed the flow through the tunnel under the railway underpass. In Berekvam station train crossings can take place.
Gradient map of Flåmsbana
Flåmsbana towards Myrdal in 2010 with locomotive El 17 2225
Train the Flåmsbana in summer 2010
Tunnel
Railway operation
Already in 1947, the purpose-built electric locomotives of the series El 9 came on the Flåm Railway. This was followed from around 1987, the El 11 As cars often former Central and driving trailers from railcars of class BM65, BM67 and BM91 was used. From 1992 Swedish railcars of class X10 SL ( Storstockholms Lokaltrafik ) were on loan then used for some years that even retained their lettering and painting. Meanwhile operate tourist trains customized sandwich. They consist of two locomotives of the series El 17 with passenger car range B3-4, B3 -5 and BF3 -3, painted dark green. A total of six locomotives of the series El 17 available (as of 2004).