Bredsjö – Degerfors railway line

Bredsjö – Degerfors
Vikersvik Railway Station (1930s)
Route number :	BDJ
Route length:	97 km
Gauge :	802 mm; from 1907: Striberg – Bredsjö 1435 mm
Operating points and routes
Legend Göteborg – Falun railway from Kil 0 Bredsjö Railway line Gothenburg – Falun to Ludvika 7th Hjulsjö Bornsälven Bornsälven Södra Hyttan (Nyhyttan) Grönälven (Länkälven) 0.0 Pier on the Bredsjö (1887–1894) 56.4 Grängen (1887–) 2.7 Slotterberget (horse tram) Rössbergs gruvor (3.4 km, 1887–1907) 52.9 Sågheden (1887–1907) 49.8 Yxsjön 48.1 Orogatan 46.3 Finnshyttan ( request stop) Petersfors bruk (1.3 km, 1887–1907) 45.0 Järnboås (1887–) Rastälven Gammelhyttan (Lindeshyttan, 0.4 km, 1888–) 41.0 Timansberg (1887–) 40.0 Timanshyttan ( request stop) 36.1 Klacka-Lerberg (1887–) (on the right standard gauge line from 1907) 30.1 Dammsjön 29.1 Striberg (standard gauge from 1907) Nora – Karlskoga Järnväg to Gyttorp (1874–) Striberg nedre (three-rail track 1874–1907) (left narrow gauge line until 1907) Striberg övre (1873–1907) Fogdhyttan Roedberg Nora – Karlskoga Järnväg from Nora Vikersvik Nora – Karlskoga Järnväg to Karlskoga Skrikarhyttan Dalkarlsberg Rösimmen Snöbergshyttan Immetorp Standard gauge line from Bofors (from July 1, 1907) Valåsen Värmlandsbanan by Kil Degerfors Värmlandsbanan to Laxå

The Bredsjö – Degerfors ( Swedish Bredsjö – Degerfors Järnväg (BDJ)) was a narrow-gauge Swedish railway in Värmland . It was formed by the merger of three lines previously built by different companies.

history

As early as 1893, when the Striberg – Grängen railway line was still under construction, the owners of Nora-Karlskoga Järnvägsaktiebolag applied for the three existing narrow-gauge lines in the region to be merged into one company.

The application was approved in November 1893. This meant that the railway Striberg-Degerfors the järnvägsaktiebolag Vikern-Möckelns , the railway line Striberg-Grängen the järnvägsaktiebolag Striberg-Grängen and the railway Bredsjö-Grängen the Bredsjö-Grängens trafikaktiebolag into a single 97-kilometer railway line together had to be that Bredsjö -Degerfors Järnväg (BDJ) and owned by Nora-Karlskoga Järnvägsaktiebolag .

The existing vehicles, which were previously marked with WMJ, were given the new label BDJ. Further vehicles were also procured:

Steam locomotives

number	Surname	design type	Wheel alignment	Manufacturer	Fabr.-No./ year of construction	Special
5		Tank locomotive	1 C t	Nydqvist och Holm , Trollhättan	387 1894	Shut down in 1953, retired in 1955
6th		Tank locomotive	1 C t	Helsingborgs Mekaniska Verkstad , Helsingborg	16 1899	1907 to Woxna-Lobonäs Järnväg , WLJ 1 , 1934 to Hällefors-Fredriksbergs Järnväg , HFJ 9 , 1957 retired
7th		Tank locomotive	1 C t	Helsingborgs Mekaniska Verkstad, Helsingborg	17 1900	1907 to Woxna-Lobonäs Järnväg , WLJ 2 , 1934 to Hällefors-Fredriksbergs Järnväg , HFJ 10 , retired in 1959

In 1900 BDJ owned the following vehicles: seven steam locomotives, seven passenger cars and 232 freight cars, including open and closed cars. All but a few bogie charcoal transport wagons were two-axle. These were procured in 1897 when BDJ scrapped a number of the oldest short two-axle wagons. Two of these wagons were connected with a long coupling made from used rails. A transport container was attached over this. A total of around 20 cars of this type were converted.

Restructuring

Over time, the economic situation of Nora-Karlskoga Järnvägsaktiebolag deteriorated and finally reached the point when the company had to act. These changes were radical for BDJ.

On January 1, 1903, Nora-Karlskoga Järnvägsaktiebolag had a new manager, Lieutenant Olof Bärnheim, Väg- och vattenbyggnadskåren . It was clear to him from the start that both technical and financial restructuring was necessary. In December 1903 he presented a plan in which certain parts of the narrow-gauge network were to be converted to standard gauge. The rest should be shut down to remove the financial burden from the company.

Bärnheim presented the plans, which were based on drawings and cost estimates, in the summer and autumn of 1903. They planned to discontinue the 55-kilometer narrow-gauge railway line Bredsjö – Degerfors, with the exception of the four-kilometer section Dalkarlsberg – Vikersvik, and to convert the Striberg – Bredsjö section to standard gauge. In order not to lose any transports, a four-kilometer standard-gauge line would have to be built from Bofors to Valåsen .

The proposal was approved by the company's board of directors and also by a committee consisting of the board of directors and the governor Ax. G. Svedelius, board member CG Fineman and managing director Bärnheim examined. The committee should negotiate with the banks interested in the company.

On October 26, 1904, the drafted proposal was presented to the board, which approved it. An extraordinary general meeting on January 9, 1905 approved the decision of the Board of Directors.

In the meantime, on November 29, 1904, the board had applied to the king to be released from the traffic obligation on the narrow-gauge railways, which would be shut down as part of the plan. At the same time, applications were made to build the Bofors – Valåsen line and to convert the Striberg – Bredsjö section to standard gauge. One of the reasons for this was that Nora-Karlskoga järnvägar and Bredsjö-Degerfors järnvägar had the same catchment area over five miles and the company's operating costs would be unusually high as a result. The operation of the entire railway company is only possible with a loss, especially since the company's liabilities have increased from year to year. The company's debts at the end of 1903 amounted to 680,268 kroner, plus uncovered bonds of 830,544 kroner.

On June 2, 1905, the king confirmed the company's plans and determined that all the main railways should be named Nora Bergslags järnväg and the narrow-gauge railway Dalkarlsberg – Vikersvik Dalkarlsbergs järnväg after the renovation . In June 1905 the renovation and new construction began. The new line between Bofors and Valåsen opened on July 1, 1907. At the same time all traffic between Degerfors and Dalkarlsberg was stopped. On November 15, 1907, the Striberg – Bredsjö section, which had been converted to standard gauge, was put into operation. On that day the traffic between Bredsjö and Vikersvik ended.

From the originally 97 km long route Bredsjö – Degerfors only the 3.9 km long section between Vikersvik and Dalkarlsberg remained. The vehicles on this remaining stretch kept the designation BDJ. Surplus vehicles were sold, such as the Woxna-Lobonäs Järnväg (WLJ), which went into operation in 1908 . She took over the two steam locomotives number 6 and 7, a passenger car and a number of freight cars.

Nora-Karlskoga Järnvägsaktiebolag also underwent financial restructuring. This was done through the re-establishment of Nora Bergslags Järnvägs Aktiebolag (NBJ) on August 12, 1905, which NKJ and BDJ took over on November 15, 1905.

literature

• Erik Sundström, Hans Eriksson: Smalspår och sjöfart i Bergslagen - 802-banorna . Stenvalls förlag, Göteborg 2004, ISBN 91-7266-160-7 .

Web links

• Overview map. Retrieved December 10, 2013 (Swedish). 
• Gerhard Köhler: Nora - the cradle of the Swedish railways. Archived from the original on December 12, 2013 ; accessed on February 12, 2016 . 
• Om Järnvägar i Örebro County. Bredsjö – Degerfors järnväg (BDJ). Retrieved December 10, 2013 (Swedish). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Laxå – Svartå – Degerfors – Strömtorp – Kristinehamn. Bandel 388. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved December 2, 2013 (Swedish). 
2. ↑ Karlskoga Härad Aren 1867-72. Immetorp. Retrieved December 4, 2013 (Swedish). 
3. ↑ Bofors – Valåsen. Bandel 275: 2. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved December 8, 2013 (Swedish). 
4. ↑ from locomotive statistics pospichal.net. Retrieved April 11, 2013 .