Mellerud – Arvika railway line

Mellerud – Arvika
The Dalsland Canal at Håverud
Route number :	71
Route length:	163 km
Gauge :	1435 mm ( standard gauge )
Maximum slope :	20  ‰
Top speed:	Bandel 662 (Mellerud) –Billingsfors: 80 km / h
Legend Värmlandsbanan by Kil 163 Arvika Värmlandsbanan to Oslo Gilseruds växel Jossefors östra 155 Jossefors 151 Rådana Kroksbol 143 Våxvik 134 Koppom Koppoms bruks lastspår 130 Prayed Railway Beted – Skillingsfors to Skillingsfors 124 Mosstakan (formerly Bhf.) 119 Månserud 114 Vännacka Stenslanda 104 Högelian 101 Silbodal 96 Årjäng Railway Åmål – Årjäng to Åmål 94 Kyrkerud (since 1976) 91 Björnåsen 82 Blomskog 74 Rösstegen Dalsland Canal 68 Gustavsfors 60 Kråkviken 57.5 Skiing (from 1977) 52 Svärdlång 43.779 Bengtsfors (until 1960 Bengtsfors Östra) 40.651 Tjugonde sluss (Dalsland Canal, swing bridge) 38.785 Infrastructure boundary Bengtsfors kommun - Trafikverket Narrow-gauge railway Uddevalla – Bengtsfors from Bengtsfors V 38.216 Billingsfors Narrow-gauge railway Uddevalla – Bengtsfors to Uddevalla 34.620 Friluftsgården 32,221 Långbron 29.985 Dals Långed 23,850 Tisselskog (formerly Bhf.) 18,460 Buterud (formerly Bhf.) 15.760 Råsjön 15.080 Håverud (formerly Bhf.) Håverud (Dalsland Canal) 13.9 Håfreströms lastspår (until 1975 industrial railway [600 mm]) 12,482 Åsensbruk (from 1975 to 1985 Håvreström) 9.712 Skållerud 6.405 Ingribyn Vänerbanan from Åmål from the port 0.000 Mellerud according to Bäckefors Vänerbanan to Gothenburg Swell:

The Mellerud – Arvika railway is a 163-kilometer standard-gauge railway in Sweden . It was built in several sections by Dal – Västra Värmlands Järnvägsaktiebolag , which was founded on November 2, 1914 , after around ten years of discussion about the route. The route is only partially in operation today.

Planning

Many sections of the route were built parallel to the Dalsland Canal . The transport of goods by water was too slow for the industrial companies there , and the canal could not be used in winter. According to the conditions of the concession , the latest construction should start on October 1, 1916 and the final commissioning should take place on October 1, 1922.

The construction phases were awarded as follows:

• Mellerud - Billingsfors , 38 km; Construction manager Karl Ludvig Gunnarsson was commissioned, construction work began at the turn of the year 1915/16 and the line was to be opened on October 1, 1920.
• Arvika - Vännacka , 48 km; The construction contract went to Skånska Cementgjuteriet , and construction work began here at the turn of the year 1915/1916.
• Billingsfors - Blomskog , 43 km; Gunnarsson received the building contract on December 16, 1921, and it provided for completion by October 1, 1926.
• Vännacka – Blomskog, 34 km; Construction contract for Skånska Cementgjuteriet on June 28, 1923 , completion planned for October 1, 1926.

Construction of the route sections

The poor economic situation after the First World War , price increases due to inflation , more expensive materials, rising wage costs and labor disputes ensured that these plans could not be adhered to. After many setbacks and the sometimes imminent danger of the entire construction work being stopped, the 13-kilometer stretch of Mellerud – Åsensbruk was released for temporary freight traffic on December 13, 1923. On December 9, 1925, the 25-kilometer stretch of Åsensbruk – Billingsfors followed, also for temporary freight traffic. Then on September 28, 1926, 29 kilometers from Arvika to Gilserud were added with the same restriction.

Åsensbruk

The construction of a parallel track to Nordvästra stambana was originally planned on the Arvika – Gilserud line . For cost reasons, it was agreed with the SJ to operate this section together. On January 1, 1927, the 44-kilometer route between Mellerud and Bengtsfors Ö was opened for general freight and passenger traffic. The next handover took place on December 17, 1927 between Bengtsfors Ö and Blomskog, here the preliminary start of operations for freight traffic took place over 38 kilometers. On March 1, 1928, after a construction period of twelve years, the remaining part of Bengtsfors Ö – Gilserud– (Arvika) for general cargo, goods and passengers could finally be put into operation.

Opening of the individual route sections

Route section	Opening of provisional freight traffic	Opening of all traffic
Mellerud – Åsensbruk	December 13, 1923	January 1, 1927
Åsensbruk – Billingsfors	December 9, 1925	January 1, 1927
Arvika – Gilserud	September 28, 1926	March 1, 1928
Billingsfors – Bengtsfors Ö		January 1, 1927
Bengtsfors Ö – Blomskog	December 17, 1927	March 1, 1928
Blomskog – Gilserud		March 1, 1928

Buildings

Freight trains still run to Billingsfors

The total costs for the route construction amounted to around 16 million crowns . In the process, 13 train stations and 14 stopping and loading areas, some with loading ramps , were built. There were also 30 station keepers' houses. Eleven of the stations were equipped with point locks, these stations were temporarily unoccupied. Eleven bridges, including the crossing of the Dalsland Canal at Håverud , were required for the route . 41 level crossings were guarded.

For locomotive entertainment a two settled was in Mellerud roundhouse opposite the railway depot of Bergslagernas Järnvägar (BJ) built. This shed was demolished in 1960. In 1926, a separate locomotive shed with a 15-meter turntable was added in Bengtsfors Ö . In 1951 the conversion for the diesel locomotive maintenance took place. In 1928, Beted received a stand-alone engine shed with a 15-meter turntable. In Årjäng a round brick shed for four locomotives was built in 1928 , it was also given a 15-meter turntable. A diesel locomotive shed was added as early as 1939. When the company opened, Arvika received a round brick shed with two seats and a 15-meter turntable.

Through the agreement with the BJ, this provided the vehicles for the route during the entire private railway time. For this purpose, BJ procured five new tank locomotives of the Y3 series.

After the SJ took over the route, the rails were replaced. With the meter weight of 32.5 to 45 kg / m used, the locomotive-driven trains could run at 55 km / h and the multiple units at 80 km / h from this point on.

Operational settings

In the second half of the 1950s and early 1960s, as with many other rail lines, profitability fell sharply. Rationalization measures with the railcars from Hilding Carlssons Mekaniska Verkstad, which were still introduced by the DVVJ, and from May 1960 with the type Y6 and later Y7 railcars only brought short-term success. In 1985, modern class Y1 railcars were still in use. Nevertheless, the SJ planned to discontinue unprofitable route sections. Protests by the neighboring communities were unsuccessful. Over the years, parts of the line have been shut down and partially dismantled.

The Bengtsfors station was called Bengtsfors Östra until 1960 , as the narrow-gauge railway from Uddevalla ended in Bengtsfors V up to that point .

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

Route section	Setting PV	Setting GV	Complete shutdown	Remarks
Gustavsfors – Bengtsfors		June 1, 1975
Bengtsfors – Gilserud	June 10, 1985
Gilserud – Arvika	June 10, 1985
Årjäng – Jossfors Östra		July 31, 1985 (shutdown)	October 1, 1988	until the shutdown operation in freight traffic by trucks
Mellerud – Billingsfors	September 1, 1986 reopening in June 1987	December 18, 2013 reopening September 2014		from 1987 PV only from mid-June to the end of August
Jossefors Östra – Gilserud		October 1, 1989
Billingsfors – Bengtsfors		October 1, 1989	September 1, 1986 reopening in June 1987

The tracks between Årjäng and Jossfors Östra were dismantled in 1989 and between Jossfors Östra and Gilserud in 1993. On the Bengtsfors – Årjäng section, the tracks for tourist trolley trips have been preserved.

Current state

On February 26, 1987, a foundation called Dal-Västra Värmlands Järnväg (DVVJ) was established in Bengtsfors, in which the municipalities of Mellerud, Bengtsfors and Årjäng are members. The foundation's task is to keep the Billingsfors – Bengtsfors section of the route abandoned by SJ operational and, after SJ has ceased passenger traffic, to run tourist trains between Mellerud and Bengtsfors in the summer months. Operations began in June 1987 with class Y7 railcars . Class Y1 railcars were also purchased later . Combinations of train trips and boat tours on the Dalsland Canal can also be booked. Under the direction of the foundation, draisines are also rented to tourists between Bengtsfors and Årjäng.

In October 2013, Trafikverket proposed to discontinue the maintenance of the line between Mellerud and Billingsfors. This would have meant the end of freight traffic and the Billingsfors – Bengtsfors section operated by the DVVJ Foundation would have been cut off from the rest of the rail network. In an urgent program for the reconstruction of railway lines on December 16, 2013, it was determined that no more trains would run after the 2013 Christmas break. The provisional cessation of operations took place on December 18, 2013. After the Västra Götaland region had agreed to assume part of the costs, it was decided in February 2014 to extensively rehabilitate the Mellerud – Billingsfors line for 65 million SEK by September 2014. The work was carried out in spring and summer 2014. The tourist traffic could be operated with certain restrictions during this time. Freight traffic was resumed in September 2014, now also under the direction of the DVVJ Foundation.

The abbreviation DVVJ of the foundation name is also interpreted in tourist publications as Den Vackra Vyernas Järnväg (German: "Railway of beautiful prospects").

literature

• Lars-Olof Lind: Järnvägsdata med trafikplatser. Series of the Svenska Järnvägsklubben No. 83, 2009.
• Svante Forsæus, Gösta Johannesson: Dal-Västra Värmlands Järnväg. Frank Stenvalls Förlag, 1990, ISBN 91-7266-118-6 .
• Dal-Västra Värmland - alternatively till Inlandsbanan. In: Tåg. No. 7/1985.

Web links

• Dal – Västra Värmlands Järnväg Association
• Mellerud-Bengtsfors-Årjäng. De Vackra Vyernas Järnväg. In: jarnvag.net. Retrieved February 2, 2016 (Swedish). 
• Historical description of Dal-Västra Värmlands Järnväg (swed.)
• current timetable
• UNDERLAG TILL LINJEBOK D407. (PDF) Book timetable for today's remaining route. trafikverket.se, accessed September 3, 2018 (Swedish). 

Individual evidence

1. ↑ TRAFIKVERKET JNB 2021 Bilaga 3 E STH per sträcka. (PDF) Utgåva 2020-03-31. trafikverket.se, May 3, 2020, p. 138 , accessed on July 7, 2020 (Swedish). 
2. ↑ ^{a b} Mellerud – Bengtsfors – Årjäng. De Vackra Vyernas Järnväg. In: jarnvag.net. Retrieved February 2, 2016 (Swedish). - Kilometers according to Tidtabell 1930 DVVJ. Retrieved February 2, 2016 (Swedish). - Association of Central European Railway Administrations (ed.): List of stations of the European railways . (formerly Dr. KOCH's station directory). 52nd edition. Barthol & Co., Berlin-Wilmersdorf 1939. 
    
   
3. ↑ Dressinbanan. dvvj.se, accessed February 9, 2017 . 
4. ↑ Bilaga 3.5 JNB 2014 STH och Mh per sträcka. (xls) Bandel 662 (Mellerud) –Billingsfors stängs tillfalligt för trafik under 2014 . www.trafikverket.se, December 18, 2013, archived from the original on February 1, 2014 ; Retrieved February 2, 2016 (Swedish). 
5. ↑ http://dvvj.com/