Gothenburg – Skara railway line

Gothenburg – Vara – Skara
Skara train station
Route length:	130 km
Gauge :	891 mm ( Swedish 3-foot track )
Minimum radius :	200 m
Top speed:	45 km / h
Operating points and routes
Legend Railway line Skara – Hönsäters hamn from Hönsäters hamn Railway line Skara – Timmersdala (STJ) from Timmersdala (from 1912) Lidköping – Stenstorp (LSSJ) railway from Stenstorp (until 1912) Lidköping – Stenstorp (LSSJ) railway line from Lidköping (from 1912) of Gothenburg (until 1912) 129.315 Skara 1874 113  m o.h. Railway line Skara – Timmersdala (STJ) to Timmersdala (until 1912) Railway line Lidköping – Stenstorp (LSSJ) to Stenstorp (from 1912) Railway line Lidköping – Stenstorp (LSSJ) to Lidköping (until 1912) to Gothenburg (from 1912) 126.143 Simmabo 122.974 Ardala 119.830 Kålltorp 119,300 Flian 116.753 Budatorp 114.502 Öttum 112.258 Kvänums tegelbruk Lidköping – Kvänum railway line from Lidköping (planned) 111.386 Kvänum 105.557 Stora Hov 103.177 Tråvad 102,700 Lidan 98.32 Emtunga Uddevalla – Herrljunga (UWHJ) railway from Herrljunga 95.171 Vara Uddevalla – Herrljunga (UWHJ) line to Håkantorp 89.180 Kedum Tumleberg – Håkantorp (VGJ) railway from Håkantorp 85.895 Tumleberg (Pedersbacke) 81.703 Essunga 77.903 Nossebro Trollhättan – Nossebro (TNJ) railway to Trollhättan 75.960 Glossbo 72,440 Gendalen (1900–1961) 69.630 Borg 67.982 Stora Mellby 64,330 Sollebrunn 62,400 Karlskulle grusgrop (400 m) 60.088 Gräfsnäs 59.022 Gräfsnäs Slottspark 56,452 Kvarnabo 52.556 Arelid 48.367 Anten 47,500 Brobacka tunnel 196 m 44.687 Mjörnsjö 38.025 Sjövik 35,309 Buaholm Tunnel 139 m 34.043 Granåsen 32,319 Björboholm 30.597 Mjorn 29.219 Hjällsnäs 27.290 Gråbo 23.827 Stannum 21.686 Ytterstad 19.644 Stenared 18,560 Olofstorp 16.810 Björsared 14.505 Gunnilse Tegelbruk 12,867 Gunnilse 8.520 Hjallbo 5.770 Lärje Railway line Gothenburg – Kil to Kil Lärje rangeringsstation Gothenburg-Marieholm Gamlestadstorget VGJ rangerbg. Slakthusgatan VGJ omlastningsbg. Olskroken 0.000 Göteborg Västgöta (from 1932) Bergslagsbanan to Gothenburg BJ Gothenburg central station Göteborg Lilla Bommen (until 1932) Gothenburg harbor railway

The Göteborg – Skara railway was a 140-kilometer narrow-gauge railway in Sweden . It was built by Västergötland – Göteborgs järnvägsaktiebolag , founded on September 19, 1896 . The aim of the company was to develop the narrow-gauge networks from Göteborg in Göteborgs och Bohus län through Älvsborgs län to Skara in Skaraborgs län . The route to Gårdsjö on the Västra stambana was later extended.

The aim was to upgrade the entire narrow-gauge network and to open up the hinterland of Gothenburg. It was one of the few routes that the company built itself. Additions were mostly made through the purchase or establishment of affiliated subsidiaries.

history

As early as January 9, 1893, an interim board of directors who wanted to realize this idea had submitted an application for a license. From the minutes of the board of directors of August 14, 1893, it can be seen that the main line from Gothenburg via Vara to Skara and a branch line between Pedersbacke and Håkantorp or alternatively between Vara in an eastward direction to Vänersborgsbanan to Håkantorp station are to be built.

The proposed main line was 129.2 km long and should cost 4,029,000 kroner , the secondary line Pedersbacke - Håkantorp would have a length of 11.8 km and cost 270,000 kroner, while the alternative proposed route Vara - Håkantorp would be 8.5 km long and would cost 186,000 crowns.

December 1, 1899 was approved as the completion date for the line upon request.

Track construction

The engineers KA Lagergren and OJM Malmstedt were commissioned with the construction of the route on September 10, 1897. Work on the route had already started in August 1897 and by the end of the year 47.3 kilometers had been prepared for the laying of the rails. Work was carried out on 16 bridges and 105 culverts. Between 400 and 1,300 workers were deployed. Negotiations were held with Uddevalla – Vänersborg – Herrljunga Järnväg (UWHJ) and Lidköping – Skara – Stenstorps Järnväg (LSSJ) to connect VGJ to their Vara and Skara stations .

At the end of 1898, 126.2 kilometers had been routed. Two tunnels were built for this purpose. These were Brobacka tunnels south of Ålanda station (now Anten ) and a second tunnel between Björboholm and Sjövik . Several bridge structures were completed and some train stations were under construction. The laying of the rails began in June 1898 and was completed by the end of the year on the sections Vara - Öttum (20 km), Håkantorp - Utby (27 km), Pedersbacke - Afså (27 km) and Skräppekärr - Linnarhult (6 km).

However, due to the poor economic situation, the contracting parties threatened to stop construction. Therefore VGJ decided to continue the work under its own direction. The workforce, the technical equipment and the material were taken over. Under the direction of JOH Nyström, the work continued at high speed. At the end of 1899, the construction of the line was essentially completed, so that on January 1, 1900 the Gothenburg – Skara line and the branching Pedersbacke (Tumleberg) –Håkantorp railway could be opened to public transport.

In Gothenburg the passenger trains ended at Lilla Bommen . On June 11, 1932, passenger traffic was relocated to a new Gothenburg Västgöta station with a connection to Gothenburg's central station.

building-costs

The total cost of the route for the VGJ up to the end of 1900 was 4,831,969 crowns, of which 794,944 crowns were for the procurement of rolling stock. This price was opposed to a 141.190 km long narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 891 mm, whose side tracks measured another 10.8 kilometers. The installed steel rails weighed 17.4 kilograms per meter . The greatest gradient was 16 ‰ and the smallest curve radius was 200 meters. It was driven at a top speed of 45 km / h. 187 employees were employed by the company. To this end, a large number of residential buildings, train stations with associated outbuildings and station keepers' houses were built.

Conversions in Gothenburg

Due to the growing traffic, the railway facilities in Gothenburg were very soon full and expansion options were sought.

The route to Gothenburg originally ran over a viaduct that crossed the Järnvägar mountain camps near Skräppekärr. From the Lärje station, it led past its own shunting and storage facilities to Marieholm, where the locomotive shed and workshop were located. It passed Säveån near its mouth and continued via Hultmans holme to the end of the line at Lilla Bommen .

The passenger station was narrowed between the BJ site and urban land. In 1900 the company got more space, which meant that another bypass could be built. Nevertheless, the station with its two tracks and a few sidings was very small. Despite an extension of the tracks in the station in 1915, it became increasingly clear that the station, because of its location, was neither satisfactory for the railway nor for the city. This became even more pronounced when standard gauge passenger traffic was merged at Gothenburg Central Station in the late 1920s.

At that time the city of Gothenburg had plans for a new connection to Hisingen. The construction of the new bridge over the river was planned. The areas around the old VGJ station were included and ultimately the plans provided for the demolition of the VGJ station. In 1928 negotiations began with the Royal Railway Construction Office ( Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen ) and the City of Gothenburg to solve these problems. Investigations into the relocation of the station began immediately afterwards. VGJ planned to introduce their trains to the main station, this proposal was rejected. Instead, plans were drawn up and cost estimates made for the construction of a new and independent train station right next to the main train station.

Negotiations with the authorities and BJ were concluded in 1929 and the general meeting of the VGJ 1930 approved the proposal. By decision of October 16, 1930, the relocation was approved after agreement on the agreement between the city of Gothenburg, the Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen and BJ prevailed. So construction could begin. This was completed in 1932 and the trains first entered the new station on June 11, 1932.

A new access track with a length of 6.3 km had to be built for this purpose. A new station was built in Lärje, to which the old access route connected. After the opening of the new station, this old route was only used for freight traffic. This relocation and the connection of the VGJ to the Olskroken station increased the traffic importance of the route. The construction also included three relatively large bridges, some with four tracks, some of which were used by SJ. In 1938, with the electrification and relocation of BJ, the bridge over Slakthusgatan was added.

The construction costs, together with the necessary land purchase, which did not already belong to the railway or the city of Gothenburg, amounted to 1,870,000 crowns. All the necessary land owned by the city was included in the construction project free of charge. The value of these properties was estimated at over a million crowns. In addition, the city of Gothenburg paid a further million crowns for the benefit of combining the railway systems in one place and exposing the areas at Lilla Bommen.

It quickly became apparent that the conversion brought many advantages. The Gothenburg Västgöta VGJ train station was conveniently located. On the ground floor of the building there were rooms for handling, an express goods warehouse and a waiting room with a kiosk. The administration was housed on the upper floor, Statens Järnvägar used the third floor and apartments were located on the fourth floor.

Partial conversion to standard gauge and closure

Discussions about the expansion of the rail network to standard gauge already existed in 1920. This measure was not carried out mainly for economic reasons. The plans for renovations were taken up again after the nationalization. In the late 1950s it was decided to equip some of the former VGJ lines with standard gauge tracks.

During the SJ period, the narrow-gauge railways, which had been an important part of society and the economy for many years, came under pressure. The development of traffic in both trucks, buses and cars over time increased. Despite the rationalization, the competitiveness of the narrow-gauge railways fell. This reduced profitability and resulted in losses. A large part of the railways was shut down and dismantled.

• On the Lärje – Göteborg godbang railway line, which was only used for freight traffic after the new station in Gothenburg. Freight traffic was stopped on February 28, 1961. The line was dismantled in 1962.
• Passenger traffic on the Sjövik – Gothenburg section was suspended on May 28, 1967. The line was dismantled in 1967/68.
• All traffic on the Sjövik – Nossebro section was suspended on August 24, 1979.
• Passenger traffic on the Nossebro – Skara section was suspended on August 24, 1970.
• Freight traffic on the Vara – Skara section ceased on October 1, 1984.
• Freight traffic on the Vara – Nossebro section was unofficially suspended on February 1, 1987. The last freight train was already running on December 19, 1986. Freight traffic officially ceased on October 1, 1989. The dismantling of the line began in 1988.

Anten – Gräfsnäs slottspark railway line

The Anten – Gräfsnäs slottspark railway line is the only remaining section of the entire line and belongs to the Museiföreningen Anten – Gräfsnäs Järnväg , who is responsible for maintenance. The subsequent section between Gräfsnäs slottspark and Nossebro was dismantled in 1970/71, as was the section between Sjövik and Anten.

literature

• Västergötland – Göteborgs Järnvägar , en historik sammanställd av Måns Mannerfelt, Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag, Göteborg 1948.

Web links

• VGJ, Västergötland – Göteborgs Järnvägar (swed.)
• Preserved vehicles from VGJ at the Anten – Gräsnäs museum railway. Retrieved February 9, 2017 (Swedish). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Gothenburg Västgöta – Olskroken – Anten. Bandel 417, SJ district 36 bs. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved October 12, 2013 (Swedish). 
2. ^ Anten - Nossebro - Tumleberg - Vara. Bandel 419, SJ district 36 bs. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved October 12, 2013 (Swedish).  
3. ↑ Vara – Skara. Bandel 421, SJ district 36 bs. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved October 12, 2013 (Swedish).  
4. ↑ ^{a b} track plan Gothenburg (swed.)