Skara – Timmersdala railway line
| Skara – Timmersdala | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Route
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| Route number : | STJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route length: | 25.765 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 891 mm ( Swedish 3-foot track ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum slope : | 16 ‰ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum radius : | 300 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed: | 35 km / h, later 40 km / h Railcar: 50 km / h |
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The Skara – Timmersdala railway was a 26 km long narrow-gauge railway in Skaraborg County in Sweden . It was built by Skara – Timmersdala Järnvägsaktiebolag , founded on February 12, 1907 .
prehistory
As early as 1855, the region began to think about building a railway line that followed the natural line from Skara past the northern tip of Billingen to Töreboda . In 1899 a preliminary committee made up of various interested parties planned to build a railway line from Skara via Timmersdala to Mariestad . The route was determined and mapped. The cost was estimated at 1,200,000 Swedish kronor .
Planning of the Skara – Mariestad route
In 1902, negotiations began between the provisional body and Västergötland – Göteborgs järnvägsaktiebolag (VGJ). These negotiations led to an extraordinary general meeting of the VGJ on January 30, 1904, at which, at the proposal of the board of directors, it was decided "to take over the construction of a branch line to the railway line of the own railway company from Skara via Timmersdala to Mariestad" .
The general meeting of the VGJ on May 28, 1904 confirmed the decision of the extraordinary general meeting. One reason that VGJ wanted to build the line was the old plan to " expand the Västergötland railway system and connect it with the lines in eastern Värmland and Nerikes bergslagar , even if the traffic development in this area is less important" .
Current cost estimates as well as plan and profile drawings were drawn up by John Nyström. The concession for the line was applied for and granted in 1905. In the course of the year there were disagreements between the board of the VGJ and the provisional committee. In a letter, the VGJ Board of Directors announced that some of the conditions for taking over the railway construction had not been met. As a result, VGJ withdrew from the project.
For VGJ, the story took a different turn: in 1905 an agreement was reached with Mariestad – Kinnekulle Järnväg on a takeover. Since Skara – Kinnekulle – Vänerns Järnväg had already been acquired in 1903 , VGJ trains reached Mariestad without building the new railway through Timmersdala. Since the planned route was not built, the concession expired on January 1, 1906.
Skara – Timmersdala Järnvägsaktiebolag
Despite the withdrawal of VGJ, the provisional committee did not give up the Skara – Timmersdala – Mariestad route. Now the focus was on building a railway between Skara and Timmersdala. Corresponding plans were signed on February 3, 1906 and the concession for an 891 mm narrow-gauge railway was applied for. The plan and profile drawings were basically the same as those previously drawn by John Nyström. The cost estimate was calculated at 600,000 kroner and increased to 705,000 kroner after a review by Vägoch vattenbyggnadsstyrelsen (road and water engineering authority). According to this proposal, the railways should not have their own vehicles. The concession was granted on November 29, 1906.
At a meeting in Skara on February 12, 1907, the Skara – Timmersdala Järnvägsaktiebolag (STJ) was formed with its seat in Skara. The first board of directors consisted of the chairman bank director Tor Bergqvist, Kronlehensmann V. Horneij, iron merchant Ax. Andersson in Skara, the technical director Sixten Groth, Mariestad and landowner CJW Hultström, Stohlan. Government loans were applied for and approved in the amount of 352,000 kroner. Shares were subscribed for an amount of 353,840 kroner. VGJ took over shares for 10,000 crowns.
Construction of the Skara – Timmersdala line
The traffic director of Lidköping – Skara – Stenstorps Järnväg (LSSJ), Manfred Moberg in Skara, and the dealer Edward Larsson in Lerdala were contractors for the construction of the railway . Construction began at the end of 1907 and was able to be implemented without difficulty despite considerable earthworks. On October 24, 1909, the route from Skara to Timmersdala was opened for public use. An agreement was made with LSSJ that they would operate the route with their vehicles and train crew.
According to the final calculation in 1915, the costs for the construction of the route amounted to 771,107 crowns. Steel rails were used that weighed 22.2 kg per meter. The original top speed of 35 km / h was later increased to 40 km / h, for railcars it was later set at 50 km / h. The number of employees was 14 people. A roundhouse with two stalls, a water tower and a 10-meter turntable had been built in Timmersdala .
Expansion plans
Tor Bergqvist, the chairman of the STJ, had major expansion plans very early on. He wanted to link the narrow-gauge railways from West- and Östergötland, from Mariestad via Torved and Gårdsjö to Askersund and from Skara via Timmersdala and Moholm to Askersund, where Norra Östergötlands järnvägar should meet a route from Borggård to Askersund. This should connect the local industry to the railway. The sawmill in Laxå could have transported its wood products to Laxå or in the direction of Vättern and the Aspa, Olshammar and Igelbäcken mills in the very sparsely populated area would have been accessible by public transport.
From this and from an intended large industrial plant, the railway could expect an annual freight volume of at least 30,000 tons. In addition, the railway would pass through the large town of Undenäs and the Sätra sawmill, where a lot of traffic is to be expected. The large limestone quarries in Timmersdala would bring lime transports via Moholm to Värmland and the Göta Canal near Vassbacken, as well as opening up a large part of Vadsbo and the southwest corner of the Lerdala and Timmersdala to Undenäs on the banks of the Vättern.
The STJ Board of Directors saw the route as the first part of a future larger network. That is why the buildings along the route, such as the train station in Timmersdala, were built accordingly generously.
Conversion of the Skara
To avoid turning the LSSJ trains to Lidköping in Skara, the station was redesigned in 1912 so that the trains in Skara left the station in an easterly direction like the Skara – Timmersdala line. The new route led over a loop and after a few kilometers met again on the old way to Gössäter.
Sale to SJ and VGJ
From the start, the company's finances have been very weak, spending has been higher than revenue all along. These were not enough to cover the operating costs. LSSJ, who ran the trains, was ultimately not paid for their services. Therefore, in 1915, she canceled the traffic service agreement with STJ. In the same year, VGJ acquired a large part of the shares on very favorable terms. The previous owners of the shares almost gave them away. In 1916 VGJ had acquired all the shares in STJ and was represented on the STJ board. Despite this fact, STJ was continued as an independent company. Due to the poor economic situation, the company applied for liquidation in 1920 .
At the auction, which took place in Skara on November 2, 1920, the Swedish state acquired the company, since at that time it was the largest creditor through the Riksgäldkontoret . The railway was now operated by Statens Järnvägar . It was a Simplified operation introduced, which meant that the signals removed off the telegraph and the course was blocked on the line. With the exception of lime transports, all traffic on the route was abandoned. SJ rents locomotives and wagons for this task.
The operation was unsustainable for SJ because the line was separated from the rest of the SJ network. In addition, SJ did not have narrow-gauge vehicles for 891 mm gauge at that time. The solution was to sell the railroad to VGJ. VGJ became the owner of the STJ on June 30, 1925 for 125,000 crowns. This continued to exist as a private railway company and was administered by VGJ. The traffic service was carried out by VGJ.
Further cost reduction through VGJ
In order to further reduce operating costs, no more passenger traffic was carried out on the entire route from September 1, 1932. Freight traffic only took place when needed. On September 15, 1940, consumer goods traffic between Demman and Timmersdala ended. The line was dismantled in the same year. On the remaining section of the Skara – Dämman route, freight traffic continued only when required. Most of these were lime transports to Demman.
nationalization
As part of the general nationalization of railways in Sweden , the Swedish state offered VGJ the nationalization of their routes on November 4, 1946. The VGJ general meeting on February 16, 1948 approved this offer.
See also : Nationalization of Västergötland – Göteborgs järnvägsaktiebolag
Shutdown
Due to the poor economic situation, it was not possible for the SJ to make a profit. Over the years, a large part of the former VGJ lines has been shut down and dismantled.
See also : Closures of the former VGJ lines
On March 1, 1952, traffic on the Skara –damman line was stopped. Only 500 meters of the route are still used today by the Skara – Lundsbrunn museum railway . It is not known when the rest of the route was dismantled.
literature
- Sveriges Järnvägar , Carl Olofsson, Kungl. Järnvägsstyrelsen, Stockholm 1921, reprinted 1978
Individual evidence
- ↑ Skara – Timmersdala. Bandel 437. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved March 26, 2015 (Swedish). and Kjell Byström, Östersund: Bandelsregister of the Järnvägsmuseum. December 5, 2004, accessed March 26, 2015 (Swedish).
- ↑ a b data in Nordisk familjebok. Nordisk familjebok , Uggleupplagan. 25. Sparkling wine - Slöjskifling. In: Project Runeberg . 1917, pp. 909-910 , accessed March 26, 2015 (Swedish).
- ↑ Description by Stig Lundin (Swedish)
- ↑ a b c data in Nordisk familjebok. Nordisk familjebok , Uggleupplagan. 38. Supplement. Riksdagens bibliotek - Öyen. Tillägg. In: Project Runeberg . 1926, pp. 341–342 , accessed March 26, 2015 (Swedish).
- ↑ book data