Åmål – Årjäng railway line

Åmål – Årjäng
Åmål Railway Museum
Route number :	ÅmÅJ
Route length:	72.42 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	16.67  ‰
Minimum radius :	300 m
Top speed:	Hallanda – Kättilsbyn - with axle pressure 5.1 t 50 km / h; - at an axle pressure of 6.3 t 20 km / h; Port railway - to the port 10 km / h; - from the port 30 km / h; otherwise 60 km / h
Operating points and routes
Legend Railway line Mellerud – Arvika to Beted 69.9 Årjäng (formerly Bhf.) Railway line Mellerud – Arvika to Mellerud 67.2 Beach baking 65.8 Kasa (from May 1, 1938) 64.8 Sillegårdsed (from May 1, 1938) 63.9 Leverhögen 62.6 Rävkullen (from May 1, 1938) 59.4 Åsebyfors 56.0 Sandaholmen 53.4 Snarkil 50.8 Sillerud 49.9 Utängen (from May 1, 1938) 48.6 Trubbyn (from May 1, 1938) 47.0 Fältakan 44.2 Jämnenon Stora Bör – Östra Silen railway line 41.9 Norane 40.8 Noraneby (from May 1, 1938) originally planned route 36.9 Humletorp 34.9 Kyrkudden 32.4 Värmland's Ödebyn 31.2 Lillängen (from May 1, 1938) 30.1 Urine (from May 1, 1938) 4.0 Kättilsbyn 0.0 24.9 Hallanda 24.9 Svanskog 22.1 Kalkegen Bollsbytunneln (263 m) 20.7 Bollbyn (from May 1, 1938) 19.7 Ömmeln 17.6 Kroppan 15.1 Bårnäs (from May 1, 1938) 10.6 Finntorp (formerly train station) 6.5 Jakobsbyn Jakobstorp 4.6 Slommerud (from May 1, 1938) Vänerbanan from Gothenburg 0.0 Åmål Östra Åmål Djuphamntunneln (249 m) -0.8 Åmåls djuphamn (Örnas) Vänerbanan to Kil

The Åmål – Årjäng railway is a railway line in Sweden . It was planned and built by Åmål – Årjängs Järnvägsaktiebolag (ÅmÅJ).

The first discussions about planning and construction were held at the end of the 1880s. From the start of construction on February 1, 1916, it took eleven years to July 11, 1927 for the first train to run on the 20-kilometer section between Hallanda and Sillerud, which was opened for temporary freight traffic . As a result of the multiple changes of ownership, there have been strong fluctuations in the operation of the individual route sections over the years.

Building history

In addition, the routing plans were changed several times. While the route was initially supposed to lead from Norrane via Kättilsbyn to Svanskog , Kättilsbyn was finally opened up by a four-kilometer branch line. These changes and other bad planning meant that the planned costs of 4.365 million kroner after eleven years of construction with the spent 7,693,296 kroner and 69 ore had been significantly exceeded. The assumption that Bergslagernas Järnvägar (BJ) would contribute to the construction costs of a community station in Åmål turned out to be wrong. A separate train station - Åmål Östra - had to be planned and built for this route. In addition, a locomotive shed , a turntable and a water tower were necessary because the assumption that the BJ would use their vehicles on the newly built line turned out to be wrong.

Opening of the individual route sections (GV = freight traffic, PV = passenger traffic)

Route section	Opening prov. GV	Opening of all traffic	Setting PV	Reopening PV
Åmål Östra – Hallanda	November 22, 1927	December 2, 1928	April 20, 1933	November 1, 1936
Hallanda – Sillerud	July 11, 1927	December 2, 1928	April 20, 1933	November 1, 1936
Hallanda – Kättilsbyn	January 24, 1928	December 2, 1928	September 5, 1932	-
Sillerud – Årjäng	-	December 2, 1928	April 20, 1933	November 1, 1936
Åmål Östra – Åmål djuphavn	-	December 22, 1930 (freight traffic only)	-	-

Insolvency of the first operating company

So that was the insolvency of the operated Amal-Årjängs Järnvägsaktiebolag inevitable, on 1 July 1932, the company had its insolvency login. In May 1932 the first discussions with the SJ regarding a takeover had already been held. The auction negotiations were scheduled for January 23, 1933. In the meantime, passenger traffic on the Hallanda – Kättilsbyn section was suspended on September 5, 1932. In November 1932, the SJ announced that they would not take over ÅmÅJ. Negotiations were then carried out with Bergslagernas Järnvägar (BJ) to secure a takeover. A three-year contract was concluded with the BJ, as a result of which it took over the freight transport . Although the neighboring communities made great efforts to get the FOJ to take over the passenger traffic, this did not succeed. From April 20, 1933, BJ operated freight traffic on the ÅmÅJ route. Up to November 1, 1936 there was no passenger traffic by rail.

In the summer of 1933, the presidents of the Swedish Railway Union and the Swedish Train Drivers Union, Carl August Ehrlin and Carl Viksten, examined the prerequisites for resuming all traffic. On October 22, 1933, they presented the report on possible traffic on the Åmål – Årjäng route, which was based on the establishment of a new company.

At that time, the railway owned two in 1890 by A.-B. Atlas steam locomotives with a tender (No. 14 and No. 15) manufactured in Stockholm with a 1'C1 'wheel arrangement with a three-axle tender . These were equipped with a steam superheater in 1917. There were also two class F passenger wagons (No. 51 and 52) manufactured in 1904 and 1906, 13 boxcars of class Gmh (No. 101 to 113) and 20 gondolas of class N3 with numbers 201 to 218, 220 and 225 present. In addition, there were 21 open class N freight wagons on Bahn, which belonged to Vagnuthyrningsbolaget in Stockholm. There were also nine construction vehicles that were used as work vehicles.

During the current three-year period, the Public Debt Office negotiated again with the FOJ. These discussions ended with the result that the BJ took over ÅmÅJ on January 1, 1937 for the price of 438,000 crowns. BJ resumed all traffic on November 1, 1936. For this purpose, the two diesel multiple units BJ 52 and BJ 53 were procured from Nydqvist och Holm in Trollhättan .

ÅmÅJ and Dal – Västra Värmlands Järnvägsaktiebolag (DVVJ) were transferred to a new subsidiary of BJ, Järnvägsaktiebolaget Dal – Västra Värmland (DVVJ), with effect from September 1, 1937 . This means that operations on the Järnvägsaktiebolaget Dal – Västra Värmland route continued.

nationalization

In 1939, in view of the increasing competition from trucks and buses , the Swedish Reichstag passed the fundamental decision on general nationalization of the railways . Not only weak economic societies but also those with profit were included in the analysis. On the basis of this resolution, preparations were made for the takeover of the Trafikförvaltningen Göteborg – Dalarne – Gävle (TGDG) area in 1945 . These were the Bergslagernas Järnväg (BJ), Lödöse – Lilla Edets Järnväg (LLEJ), Kil – Fryksdalens Järnväg (KFJ), Gävle – Dala Järnvägar (GDJ), Södra Dalarnas Järnväg (SDJ) and the former Årvägs Järnväg (SDJ) was included in the new DVVJ, as well as the new DVVJ itself. On July 1, 1947, all these railways were transferred to the now joint state-owned company Järnvägsaktiebolaget Dal-Västra Värmland . On July 1, 1948, this was again transferred to the SJ and their organization integrated. The state DVVJ formally ended on September 2, 1949.

On the Åmål – Årjäng route, the shift in traffic to the road was noticeable. Therefore, gradually, various sections of the route were no longer served regularly or not at all.

Closure of the individual route sections (PV = passenger traffic, GV = total traffic, MV = passenger traffic on the museum route)

Route section	Setting PV	Last freight train	Setting GV	Opening of the MV	Setting MV
Hallanda – Kättilsbyn	-	June 1, 1940	June 10, 1954	-	-
Åmål Östra – Svanskog	September 26, 1966 ( restricted operation since May 26, 1963 )	December 19, 1991	January 1, 1992	December 24, 1993	November 7, 2009 (provisional)
Svanskog – Årjäng	June 10, 1954	June 10, 1950, thereafter only if necessary	January 1, 1956	-	-
Åmål Östra – Åmål djuphavn	-	-	-	December 24, 1993	November 7, 2009 (provisional)

Regardless of the closure date of the Svanskog – Årjäng section, the track was dismantled as early as 1955.

Museum train

The Järnvägssällskapet Åmål – Årjäng (JÅÅJ) was formed as early as 1976 to preserve the history of the Swedish railways. In the same year, the association bought a steam locomotive, the SJ S5 1895 (formerly BJ Y3 106), two type Gsh boxcars and one gondola. In 1977 a former BJ wooden dining car was added, followed by two B6 passenger cars the following year. From 1979 the locomotive shed of the former ÅmÅJ could be used and the SJ E2 935 was also acquired. Today the association's railway museum is housed in this shed . Further vehicles followed in 1981 with the steam locomotive SJ A7 1804 (DJ H3 10) and the passenger car SJ A4 4112 (BJ ABo1 13). In the coming years came railcars type SJ Y7 , Sidecar and Rangierdieselloks it.

The Museum Railway Association ran the last scheduled train on the Åmål Östra – Svanskog route on December 28, 1991 with its own railcar, the former SJ Y7 1223. In 1992, a license agreement for museum trips on this section of the route was concluded with the SJ and in 1993 the museum train started for the first time Christmas from Åmål Östra to Svanskog. From then on, steam trains in summer and diesel trains in winter between Åmål djuphavn and Svanskog were run as special trips.

The embankment between Åmål and Svanskog was badly washed away on November 7, 2009 by heavy rain . This resulted in the immediate cessation of operations. Since then, the museum railway association has tried to restore the line. In 2011 the Bollsby tunnel was closed due to the risk of rock falls.

There is trolley traffic between Finntorp until shortly before the Bollsby tunnel .

Individual evidence

1. ^ Association of Central European Railway Administrations (ed.): Station directory of the European railways . (formerly Dr. KOCH's station directory). 52nd edition. Barthol & Co., Berlin-Wilmersdorf 1939.
2. ↑ Åmål-Årjängs Järnväg Stationer och Hållplatser
3. ↑ Stop at Jakobstorp
4. ^ Report by Svenska Järnvägsmannaförbundet and Sveriges Lokomotivmannaförbund
5. ↑ Inventory list from the 1933 report
6. ↑ shutdown dates
7. ↑ Historical data of the museum railway. Archived from the original on April 18, 2013 ; accessed on February 15, 2015 . 
8. ↑ temporary cessation of operations. Retrieved February 15, 2015 . 
9. ↑ History of JÅÅJ. Archived from the original on August 6, 2013 ; accessed on March 12, 2016 . 
10. ↑ Trampa dressin. In: jaaj.nu. Retrieved July 22, 2019 (Swedish). 

Web links

Commons : Åmål Railway  Museum - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Historical description of the railway line at Historiskt om Svenska Järnvägar (Swedish)
• Åmål-Svanskog. In: järnväg.net. Retrieved February 15, 2015 (Swedish). 
• Åmål-Årjängs Järnväg. In: mv.helsinki.fi. (Swedish).