Kolbäck – Oxelösund railway line

Kolbäck – Oxelösund
Eskilstuna train station
Route number :	18th
Route length:	132 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Power system :	15 kV 16 Hz  ~
Top speed:	Bandel 492 Oxelösund– (Flens övre): 100 km / h Bandel 494 Flens övre– (Eskilstuna central): 120 km / h Bandel 450 Eskilstuna central – Rekarne: 200 km / h Bandel 493 (Rekarne) - (Kolbäck): 135 km /H
Dual track :	Folkesta – Eskilstuna
Legend Kolbäck – Ludvika railway from Ängelsberg Stockholm – Örebro railway from Västerås 130.133 Kolbäck Railway line Stockholm – Örebro to Örebro 126.614 Stuteriet 123.285 Strömsholm Freden 120.840 Mellansundet Mellansundet 27 m 119,803 Sanda 117.778 Nyckelön Lilla Blacken 117.735 Kvicksund 116.617 Kvicksund S (formerly Bf Kvicksund , since 1996 Hst) Svealandsbanan from Valskog 114.630 Recarne 109.465 Folkesta Norra Södermanlands Järnväg from Nybybruk 107 Hällby (until 1908 Hellby brunn ) 105 Brottsta Branch Brottsta Branch Gredby Gredbyvagen Gredbybangården Eskilstuna huvudverkstad 104 Stålfors (water station from 1895, from 1921 to 1964) 102.974 Eskilstuna Svealandsbanan to Södertälje Ast Tunafors (from 1898, Eskilstuna Järnmanufaktur ) 102 Fors (from 1895 water station, P-Halt until 1921) Ekbacken 99 Eskilstuna industrispår (formerly Vilsta ) 99.315 Skjulstavägen (formerly Skjulsta ) Tuvan 97.970 Skogstorp Hyndevadstrand (from 1883) Hyndevadån 97 Oskarshall Hyndevad's dam 96.296 Husby Banvaktstuga No. 34 (formerly No. 31 ) Husby-Rekarne prestgård 93.636 Hållsta Årby Bälgviken 88.854 Bälgviken (until 1910 Belgviken ) Piltorpsvagen Trindsätersvägen Kojäng 81 Harsjön Hallsforsnäs industrispår 76.885 Halleforsnäs Banvaktstuga No. 23 68,602 Mellosa Mellösasjön Taljasjön Flensån 62,805 Flens Oevre after Flen Västra stambanan Flensån 55.545 Silings Veckeln Hedenlundaån 51.042 Vadsbro kyrka 49.033 Vadsbro Långhalsen 46.028 Ålspångaskogen 42,424 Bettna kyrka 41.824 Bettna Farneby gård 35,315 Vrena Vrena sågverk Vrenaån 34 Vrena tegelbruk (formerly Tegelbruket ) 33.621 Lengths 31 Banvaktstuga No. 11 (from 1934) 30th Drögsta 28 Vallersta 27 Stigtomta Banvaktstuga No. 9 (from 1934) 23 Mälby Anst Mälby grusgrop (700 meters) 21st Larslund 17,901 Väderbrunn 13 Minninge (Hst until 1945, from 1959 Lst for kerosene) Viaducts Järna – Åby railway from Åby Railway line Järna – Åby to Nyköping C Nyköping föreningsbangården 12,070 Nyköping Södra (formerly Nyköping ) Instead of Nyköpings factory spar At Nyköping hamnspåret Anst Nyköpings Kullagerfabriks spår First Nyköping Sunlightspåret 10 Arnövägen (from 1925) Initially Björkövägen 7th Kriken (from 1925 to 1954) 5 Stjärnholm 4th Stjärnholmsbadet (from 1936 to 1954) 2.996 Vivestavägen (from 1917 to 1954) 2 Torpsvägen (from 1924 to 1954) 0.355 Oxelösund 0.000 ≈0.70 Oxelösunds hamn ≈ 2.30 SSAB Oxelösund Swell:

The Kolbäck – Oxelösund railway is a standard-gauge Swedish railway line . It was built by Oxelösund-Flen-Västmanlands Järnvägsaktiebolag (OFWJ), a private railway company . It is a north-south connection around 50 kilometers west of Stockholm .

prehistory

In order to create good transport routes in Bergslagen , Count AE von Rosen planned a railway line between Örebro and Hult am Vänern . The rail connection did not come about and so the products, especially wood and iron , had to be brought to the Mälaren harbors and loaded onto sailing ships in the direction of Stockholm. There the goods were reloaded abroad on seagoing vessels.

Even then it was found that the shortest route to the sea would be a railway line to Oxelösund , which had a rarely frozen port . A track that with the west and north of the Mälaren existing railway companies Örebro Köpings Järnväg , Bergslagernas Järnvägar , järnvägsaktiebolag Nora-Ervalla and Köping-Uttersbergs Järnvägsaktiebolag and the Strömsholms channel would be able, from the heart of the country, home of the Iron industry to transport the goods. Together with the Mälaren waterways , a connection to a trunk line would connect the populated areas with an unusually large number of agricultural and industrial operations, the two largest cities of Södermanland, to the outside world.

In 1862 a meeting took place in Nyköping and in 1863 in Eskilstuna for a railway project to connect Oxelösund with Kvicksund am Mälaren. The negotiations went so far that in 1864 the two cities agreed to subscribe for 1,350 shares of 200 Riksdaler (Rdr.) Each for a railway company. The project was discontinued because of the projected high costs, difficulties in obtaining government grants and the current economic conditions in the country.

Plans for the Oxelösund – Flen rail transport

It was only when King Oskar I presented his ideas about the country's rail infrastructure that the project of the Oxelösund – Kvicksund rail connection was returned to. New ideas were gathered at a meeting in Malmköping on July 8, 1869. As it was feared that the planning could be delayed, the preparation of plans for a railway Oxelösund - Flen began in Nyköping and the surrounding area . In May 1872 the Nyköping City Council was asked to raise Rdr. to approve the construction of a railway line. On September 26, 1872, after the route north of Flen had been determined, the city of Eskilstuna also granted 62,000 Rdr. for a standard gauge railway line from Flen via Eskilstuna to Västmanland . However, a condition was the prior granting of a state loan.

At the same time, the application for a license was made, which was granted on October 11, 1872. This concerned the sections of the route from Flen to Nyköping and Oxelösund, from Flen via Eskilstuna to Valskog an der Köping-Hults Järnväg with a branch route via Kvicksund to a station on the route from Västerås to Köping. Kolbäck was chosen as the intersection.

Oxelösund – Flen – Västmanlands Järnvägsaktiebolag

The statutes for Oxelösund - Flen - Västmanlands Järnvägsaktiebolag (OFWJ) were approved on December 6, 1872, some changes were made on January 18, 1873. Immediately afterwards, the company's shares were issued. The share capital was increased to at least 4 million Rdr. and to no more than 6 million Rdr. assumed, divided into shares of 100 Rdr. Even before this call, 4.6 million Rdr. Shares subscribed on the condition that the remaining 1.4 million Rdr. nor would it be subscribed to by other shareholders.

A number of communities and individuals signed more than Rdr. 120,000, Nyköping Rdr. 300,000. and Eskilstuna an additional 530 shares, corresponding to Rdr 53,000. On March 11th, 1873 the public limited company was founded on the Stockholm Stock Exchange .

Construction of the route

The company's board of directors commissions G. Wythe and J. Longridge from London to build the railway. The route was planned from Oxelösund via Nyköping, Flen and Eskilstuna to Valskog, plus a branch line from Rekarne via Kvicksund to Kolbäck to Stockholm – Västeråsbanan . In addition, there were all the train stations and the necessary construction work in the port of Oxelösund, as well as all vehicles, the necessary telegraph lines and land with a total volume of twelve million crowns . An agreement on a loan with a return of 5 ½% for the missing six million crowns was concluded a few days after the order was placed.

Construction began on October 1, 1873, the line should be ready before June 1, 1876 and the port in Oxelösund should go into operation before the end of 1878. Detailed plans for the route were initially not defined; these should be drawn up gradually during the construction period. More than 20 bridges were to be built, including three swing bridges over Arbogaån , Kvicksund and Borgåsund . There should only be two classes of cars. The 2nd class should correspond to the usual 3rd class, but the 1st class should be between the 1st and 2nd class in terms of comfort. The cars were to be built according to the American model, with seats on the sides and doors at the ends, with the transition to the neighboring car being possible.

First, W. Stanley was the chief engineer. After his resignation in 1875, a man named Baye took over the office. Claes Adolf Adelsköld took over the control tasks . The necessary bridges between Kolbäck and Valskog caused disputes. Especially in shipping circles people spoke out against the coming competition . The construction of the port in Oxelösund was split off as a separate project.

opening

On November 17, 1875, the first locomotive drove to Eskilstuna. On March 1, 1876 it was reported that the rails had been laid all the way between Oxelösund and Kvicksund and to Valskog. However, it was requested that the completion date be postponed to December 31, 1877, as the dispute over the bridge construction resulted in long delays. The Royal Construction Office only approved an extension until December 31, 1876. The first seven locomotives were delivered between 1874 and 1875. The OFWJ No. 1 locomotive was built at Sharp Stewart in Manchester , England in 1874. A locomotive shed and workshop was built in Eskilstuna for the operation and maintenance of rail vehicles .

On July 1, 1876, traffic on the Nyköping – Flen section began, and goods traffic between Rekarne and Nyköping began in August. On January 1, 1877, the entire line and the branch line Valskog – Rekarne were opened. The grand opening began on September 2, 1877 by the King and the Crown Prince in Oxelösund, where the King inaugurated the port. The celebrations then continued in Nyköping. The next day the pageant went to Eskilstuna, where the opening ceremony ended.

Economic problems

Income in the first three months was only 49,688.62 kroner. These were the effects of the poor economic situation and the fact that the port in Oxelösund was not yet ready. The company's board of directors found it necessary to ask for interest on the bond to be deferred. In order to avoid an immediate bankruptcy, English shareholders were asked to take over some parts of the route entirely. After a negative reaction, the board renewed its request for postponement. At an extraordinary general meeting on August 22, 1878, it was decided to increase equity by issuing new shares. The regulatory authorities required the subscription of at least 260,000 kroner for the rescheduling. By the next meeting on September 23, only 21,330 crowns had been drawn, so on November 23 it was decided to ask the king for a loan of one million crowns.

Oxelösund harbor

Around the same time it became known that Finland wanted to switch to Oxelösund for a regular post connection with Sweden because of the obstruction by ice in the Stockholm harbor. The steam ferry Express was able to call at Oxelösund all winter despite the extreme cold. In 1879 negotiations were also held about Russian transit traffic to Oxelösund, but this did not lead to any result. The following year 1880 was marked by efforts to increase rail traffic to and from Bergslagen. The excellent traffic situation in Oxelösund was recognized abroad. The management of the Cologne-Mindener Eisenbahn-Gesellschaft suggested the mutual export of Swedish iron ore to the Rhineland and Westphalia as well as Westphalian coal to Sweden via the port.

Cooperation with Frövi-Ludvika Järnväg

Negotiations have now started with Frövi – Ludvika Järnväg and Köping – Hults Järnväg in order to divert traffic from these locations on the railway lines from Stockholm to Oxelösund. This wish was also brought to the locations on the Valskog – Lindesberg railway line. The first agreement was made with Frövi – Ludvika Järnväg to bring goods from Lübeck , Copenhagen and Gothenburg to Västmanland, Närke and Dalarna . At Köping-Hults Järnväg , overland transport would have been necessary from Valskog and Kolbäck. In the port of Oxelösund, goods were now also reloaded onto the Mälaren ships instead of Stockholm.

For the expected higher transport volume with iron ore in the following years, the management of the railway company negotiated with The Swedish Association that they should invest 300,000 crowns for new vehicles and jobs. The vehicles should remain in association ownership. In return, the railway company offered a fixed contract for ore transport between Valskog and Oxelösund for 11½ ore per hundredweight for five years.

These suggestions were accepted. In 1884, an agreement on cooperation with the was Frövi-Ludvika Järnväg completed, after the goods have a loading track in Skogstorp the Hyndevadsån was loaded and thus the web at the Hjälmare channel joined.

Research showed that there would be advantages in separating freight traffic from passenger traffic. Therefore, in 1887 passenger locomotives were bought and changes were made to the passenger cars. In addition, bogie cars with 2nd and 3rd class were built in the OFWJ's own workshop in 1889 .

A new agreement was reached in 1889 with the mining company Grängesberg ( Grängesbergs gruvaktiebolag ) founded in 1883 , according to which 100,000 tons of iron ore should be transported annually. To this end, the port in Oxelösund was expanded and equipped with new crane systems. As the ore traffic increased steadily, 120,000 tons were already transported a year later.

An important decision for the company's finances was made at the 1892 general meeting. The debentures of the company were bonds totaling 5,896,000 crowns with 5 ½% interest and invalid pension coupons amounting to 2,593,800 crowns, ie together 8,489,800 crowns. The decision was to redeem all outstanding bonds by the end of June 1893 and to issue new interest-bearing bonds with an interest rate of five percent from the proceeds. This was intended to replace all old loans, and the new bonds should not exceed a value of eight million kroner.

Takeover by Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg – Oxelösund

The iron ore came to Oxelösund from many mines, one of the most important was the one in Grängesberg . Originally, ore traffic on this route was carried out by three railway companies - apart from the OFWJ, these were Köping – Hults– (formerly Örebro – Köpings–) Järnväg and Frövi – Ludvika Järnväg . To increase competitiveness, the three railways formed a new company - the Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg-Oxelösund (TGO). The Trafikaktiebolaget Grängesberg – Oxelösund acquired the majority of shares in the OFWJ as early as 1897. In 1900 she took over the entire administration. This meant the end of the previously independent Oxelösund – Flen – Västmanlands Järnvägsaktiebolag . In November 1900, a central administration for the three railways in Eskilstuna was set up. In 1931 the name was changed to TGOJ and all vehicles were identified using a common numbering system.

Route history

Flen station (2011)

Kvicksundsbron

The route was built with iron rails that weighed around 28 kg / m per meter. The sleeper length was approximately 8.5 Swedish feet . Wood products were shipped first, but the first ore train was already running in 1878. From then on, freight traffic increased to its peak in 1939.

At the end of the 1880s, the iron rails were replaced by steel rails with the same weight per meter. Nine foot long sleepers were used for this. However, due to the increasing traffic with heavier locomotives and freight wagons, it became necessary to reinforce the superstructure and from 1898 to install rails with a weight per meter of 41 kg / m. In 1908 the renovation of the entire route was completed.

Several station buildings were rebuilt, all turntables , scales and water cranes rebuilt according to modern principles. All bridges had to be reinforced for a load of 18 tons so that a maximum speed of 90 km / h could be driven on the route . The stations received new turnout and signal safety systems, and all stationkeepers' houses received telephone connections to the stations.

A significant structure was the new Kvicksund Bridge, the largest swing bridge in the north, which was built as a combined rail and road bridge. It consists of two movable parts, each 38 meters long, and a fixed part of 18 meters. Kvicksund station was raised three meters to increase the much-needed space between the bridge and the water table for smaller tugs and barges. This work was carried out in 1924 and 1925.

The first locomotives delivered to the OFWJ were saddle tank locomotives . When stronger locomotives were needed, Sharp Stewart from Manchester delivered twelve tank locomotives with the C 2 wheel arrangement between 1894 and 1901. These were given the road numbers 16 to 27. Locomotives with large tractive power were procured for the heavy ore trains. The peak of the steam era was reached in the 1930s when NOHAB built three M3t steam turbine locomotives for the TGOJ in Trollhättan . This type was next to the SJ -Erzzug locomotives type R one of the most powerful steam locomotives in Sweden. The M3t were used until electrification 1953-54 when they were replaced by electric locomotives of the types Bt and Ma . The TGOJ M3t 71 is the only operational steam turbine locomotive in the world today.

First the passenger train traffic was carried out with steam-driven trains and steam railcars. This was followed by diesel-electric multiple units (called DEVA-Wagen) and Hilding Carlssons rail buses, later in turn, multiple units of the types Yoa104 and Yoa202 (later X20 / X21) were purchased. TGOJ also procured steel passenger cars that were used in SJ trains (e.g. TGOJ B1).

The TGOJ was nationalized in 1978 when it was merged into SSAB AB ( Svenskt Stål AB ). In 1989 the railway company became a wholly owned subsidiary of SJ. April 19, 1990 was a historic day for TGOJ, because the last ore train from Grängesberg went to Oxelösund. The last ore train from Dannemora to Oxelösund left two years later. TGOJ has not carried passenger trains since 1995. The main activity shifted to the workshop operation for heavy maintenance of rail vehicles (for example in Malmö , Örebro and Tillberga ). In 2000 the vehicle maintenance was reorganized under the name TGOJ Trafik . For Green Cargo and other railway undertakings you worked in Sweden. The headquarters and main workshop were located in Eskilstuna. On January 1, 2011, TGOJ Trafik was taken over by Green Cargo . The name TGOJ formally disappeared from the Swedish rail sector.

In 1983 most of the passenger traffic between Flen and Oxelösund was discontinued, the final discontinuation followed in 1985/86. In contrast, passenger traffic on the rest of the route developed positively. In the 1990s, national traffic began on the Uppsala –Västerås– Norrköping line , which was initially served by X2 railcars. Other types of railcars were also used later. For traffic with heavy trains, the axle load of the line was increased to 25 tons.

SJ regional trains ( Bombardier Regina or X12 ) operate between Kolbäck and Flens övre and cover the entire route Uppsala - Sala - Västerås - Eskilstuna - Norrköping or parts of it. Svealandsbanan trains run between Rekarne and Eskilstuna .

The center of freight traffic is the former TGOJ traffic and maintenance center in Eskilstuna. There is a combined transport terminal here. The heavy steel trains between Oxelösund and Borlänge shape the route.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ TRAFIKVERKET JNB 2021 Bilaga 3 E STH per sträcka. (PDF) Utgåva 2020-03-31. trafikverket.se, May 3, 2020, p. 134 , accessed on August 26, 2020 (Swedish). 
2. ↑ Kolbäck – Oxelösund. Bandel 268, supplemented by stops and load places from banvakt.se, Bandel 264 and 266. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved October 12, 2013 (Swedish). 
3. ↑ Kolbäck – Eskilstuna – Flens övre – Oxelösund. In: jarnvag.net. Retrieved January 8, 2017 (Swedish). 

Web links

• Kolbäck – Eskilstuna – Flens övre – Oxelösund. In: jarnvag.net. Retrieved August 26, 2020 (Swedish). 
• Oxelösund – Flen – Västmanlands Järnväg (Swedish)
• Description from Stig Lundin
• Rekarne – Kolbäck. Bandel 268. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved October 12, 2013 (Swedish). 
• Valskog – Rekarne – Eskilstuna – Skogstorp – Flen övre – Flen. Bandel 264. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved August 26, 2020 (Swedish). 
• Flen övre – Nyköping – Oxelösund. Bandel 266. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved August 26, 2020 (Swedish).