Köping–Uttersberg–Riddarhyttan Railway

The railway line Köpings - Uttersberg - Riddarhyttan was a narrow gauge railway in central Sweden between Köpings and Riddarhyttan. It was built during the last third of the 19th century in pieces of mutually independent public companies, which later gradually banded together. Eventually, the whole route was taken over by the SJ.

Background for the unusual in Sweden track gauge of 1093 mm was a misunderstanding with the order of the locomotives in which it was assumed the track width are measured from rail center to rail center.

History

The landscape northwest of Köpings is heavily wooded. There were large iron ore deposits. The river Hedströmmen was used as a power source and transport of the ironworks in the lower Dalarna. However, the capacity of the river limited the expansion of production in the huts. Therefore, it was at an early stage of the construction of a railway, starting from Köpings along the Hedströmmen examined. Already in 1853 there were early discussions and in 1856 a first plan was presented, but was not executed.

In September 1856 a meeting was held in Köpings in which civil G. Nerman after a previously conducted study of E. Norstrom purpose of planning a full track from Köpings after Uttersberg presented. At this meeting a first joint stock company was established. In October 1856 all the shares for the route were drawn. Now they asked King Charles XV. a government bond. Although we saw an improvement for the region, the State Commission rejected that request.

Köpings - Uttersbergs Järnvägsaktiebolag

At another meeting in Stockholm on October 24, 1862, a new attempt to build a railway was undertaken. Following a suggestion by Claes Adolf Adelsköld you planned a narrow-gauge railway with a track width of 3.5 English feet ( 1067 mm). The cost estimate of G. Nerman called for 750,000 crowns. The original share subscription list was canceled and created a new list with 1,000 shares at 750 crowns. They settled on the route of Köpings after Uttersberg and on a branch railway from Kejsartorp after Svansbo. At the same meeting, the establishment of the Köpings - Uttersbergs was järnvägsaktiebolag ( KUJ ) decided. The first board consisted of Baron C. F. Nieroth as well as the directors of the ironworks C. J. Ohlsson and L. Lindberg.

Now a concession and a government loan of 500,000 crowns was requested on 12 October 1863. Already on 30 October, the concession was granted, and the loan was granted. Construction of the track began in the fall under the architect C. Jansson and the top construction manager Cl. Adelsköld.

Gauge

The manufacturer of wagons Carlsdal and Arboga, had the job properly understood and delivered them with gauge 1067 mm (3.5 English feet ). However, the Lokwerkstatt Munktell had problems with the order and asked for a clarification on the gauge. When KUJ one was the mistaken opinion, the gauge will measure from rail center to rail center. It came so to 3.59 English feet = 1094 mm and informed the Lokwerkstatt with, which then created the locomotives with 1093 mm gauge.

Opening of the line

The cheapest solution now was to build the rails in the track in which the locomotives were delivered. The cars already delivered have been converted to the wider track. Luck was that upon delivery of the locomotives, the entire track was not yet built and only a portion had to be umgespurt. In this way, the route came to the unusual Sweden gauge.

In December 1864, preliminary freight traffic began on the Köpings - Kolsva section. On September 11, 1865, the 35 km long stretch of the provisional passenger could be opened. The official opening took place on 1 June 1866 at the same time the two-kilometer long branch line from Kejsartorp after Svansbo was released for general freight. On 27 June 1866, was a dedication ceremony for the final then 955,000 crowns expensive route, which was equipped with rails with a meter weight of 18.64 kg.

The rolling stock consisted of 40 baggage and freight cars and three two-axle passenger cars.

Overall, initially following steam locomotives were procured:

For the operation and maintenance of the vehicles was a Lokwerkstatt 1865 in Köpings built. In addition there was a car repair shop, a water tower and a coal bunker. All buildings are constructed of wood. These were destroyed except the car workshop in 1889 in a fire. Then they built a new roundhouse brick with six stalls and to a hub with six meters in diameter. This building existed until its demolition in 1971.

In Uttersberg a single track engine shed was built in 1865, which offered two locomotives place. Again, there was a water tower, a coal bunker, a two-track car workshop and a 6 -meter hub. These facilities no longer exist today also.

The first station in Köpings lay in the harbor. When the Stockholm- Västerås Bergslagens Järnväg (SWB ) was opened on December 7, 1875, this built a new station in the city. The KUJ integrated their range into this new station and put the passenger one to the port. The old station was then only the freight.

Uttersberg - Riddarhyttans Järnväg

With the opening of the line between Köpings and Uttersberg the transport paths for the ironworks at Hedströmmen, such as after Skinnskatteberg and Bagga simplified. Now there were only twelve kilometers from the railway station is Riddarhyttan Uttersberg.

The owner of Riddarhyttan, C. J. Ohlsson, was one of the driving forces for the construction of KUJ. He was eager to get a direct train as a continuation of the line to Uttersberg. When he died in 1876, his heirs were the Riddarhytte Aktiebolaget and pursued this idea further. In 1877 they made the KUJ a suggestion: Riddarhyttan AB provided the construction and equipping of a railway from Uttersberg by Riddarhyttan with an estimated cost of 326,000 crowns under their direction. This route should then go for the price of 100,000 crowns to the ownership of KUJ. The only condition was that the KUJ should operate the route with a daily pair of trains. For unknown reasons, the Executive Board of the KUJ did not respond to this offer, which is not followed then the Riddarhyttan.

Instead, the Riddarhyttan built the track itself now The concession for the line was granted on March 7, 1879. Sub engineer J. Nilsson began immediately with the track construction and could the twelve -kilometer route between Uttersberg and Riddarhyttan as Uttersberg - Riddarhyttans Järnväg ( URJ ) into operation on 1 August 1880. The cost was 274 600 crowns. As the KUJ the line was built with the track gauge 1093 mm, the minimum radius was 297 meters and the maximum slope was 16.67 ‰. The top speed was 32 kilometers per hour. The laid rails had a weight per meter of 17.2 kilograms. With the KUJ was agreed that this performs the railway operations.

Since the connection of the URJ south of the station Uttersberg met on the route of KUJ, 1897 were converted the tracks in Uttersberg and built a new station. After the newly built track Frövi - Krylbo SJ the URJ crossed a few kilometers south of Forshammar, a new cost-effective connection to the standard gauge network revealed. The company applied for the concession for a railway siding of Uggelfors for cramps station of the state railway, which was issued on 27 October 1899. The port was put into operation on 1 April 1901. The three -kilometer-long railway branch of Riddarhyttan to Källhyttan was opened in June 1902 as the freight line.

The procured rolling stock consisted of 20 wagons and a C -coupled steam locomotive. This 1879 manufactured by Nydqvist & Holm in Trollhättan. For the locomotive einständiger roundhouse was built with a water tower and a 6 -meter hub in Riddarhyttan 1880. After the merger with KUJ a new shed was built in 1911 and expanded in 1927. 1972 all the buildings were demolished. After the takeover of the URJ by the KUJ the only locomotive of the company was given the number 5 and the name Riddarhyttan.

For many years there have been negotiations on a merger of the two companies URJ and KUJ. End of 1910, the sale of the URJ was decided. For the price of 110,000 crowns the URJ of derKöping - Uttersbergs Järnvägsaktiebolag was taken. The new company changed its name to Köpings - Uttersberg - Riddarhyttans Järnvägsaktiebolag ( KURJ ).

Köpings - Uttersberg - Riddarhyttans Järnvägsaktiebolag

Through the merger on 1 January 1911 was possible to optimize traffic flows. Among the previously connected to a train track pits Källfallet, Bäckgruvan and Lerklockan crossovers were planned by Riddarhyttan from. The six -kilometer branch line to Lerklockan went into operation in 1914. To carry freight and public, in turn, a concession was necessary, which was filed on December 31, 1914 and granted on 25 October 1915. Another two-kilometer long branch line was laid between järnverk Guttsta and Kolsva, the concession for the general freight was issued on 14 January 1938.

1916 took over the majority of shares, a consortium of Norrköping, where mainly the city of Norrköping was involved. It was planned at this time a railway line between Riddarhyttan and Norrköping. This project, however, was not realized. In 1931 the town bought Köpings the majority of shares of Norrköping. Over the years, more steam locomotives were procured:

Takeover by Statens Järnvägar

In the late 1940s increased the operating costs and the company began negotiations with regard to nationalization. On January 25, 1952, the City Council Köpings agreed to the transfer. For 638,000 crowns the SJ, the company took over on July 1, 1952, all routes and vehicles.

By the increase in traffic, it was necessary to replace a portion 1960 of the rails. 15 km were rails with a meter weight of 24.8 kg, the rest of the main line was equipped with rails with a meter weight of 27.8 kilograms.

Setting up and dismantling

The structural change in the mining and the timber industry did not spare this route stop, the competition grew by road traffic.

On January 1, 1937, the traffic was adjusted to Zweigstrecke Kejsartorp - Svansbo. The line was dismantled in the same year. Next, the closure of the route part Nedre Skärsjön - Lerklockan followed the route Riddarhyttan - Lerklockan on 1 January 1941. These track was dismantled immediately.

On September 1, 1952, two months after the takeover by the SJ, the entire passenger was adjusted. This was followed on 1 July 1966, the transport of goods between Guttsta and Uggelfors and general freight between Riddarhyttan and Bäckegruvan and between Riddarhyttan and Källfallet. In 1954 the railway tracks between the Köpings station and the course was reduced to the freight depot. From this time the freight was with standard gauge cars, which were loaded on the cart, carried out.

Freight traffic on the section between Köpings and Kolsva järnverk ended on 1 July 1966. Two years later, in the fall of 1968, also drove the last freight train on the route between cramps and Riddarhyttan. Riddarhyttan AB had in 1966 signed a contract with the SJ to 30 April 1969, drove these transports on their own. For the Riddarhyttan had bought two locomotives and eleven trolley from the SJ to carry standard gauge cars can. In 1969, but could not find a train. This year, the dismantling of the section between Kolsva and the goods station was Köpings. In 1971 the remaining track systems were eliminated.

Köpings - Uttersbergs Järnvägs Museiförening

The existing since 1975 Köpings - Uttersbergs Järnvägs Museiförening is housed in the old train yard in Köpings. The former engine shed is used to store the museum pieces such as the steam engine No. 7 ( PATRIC Reuterswaerd ), the cars BC 9 - this was built in 1872 in its own railway workshop in Köpings, the cars BC 10 - built by Atlas in 1875 and the diesel locomotive No. 4 Nordmark - Klarälvens Järnvägar. This machine was delivered in 1952 as Z4tu 316 at the SJ, 1961 rebuilt from 891 mm to 1093 mm gauge and was on the KURJ among other locomotives of this series, to operational setting in use, last between Riddarhyttan and staples.