Tumleberg – Håkantorp railway line

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Tumleberg – Håkantorp
Tumleberg station
Tumleberg station
Route length: 12 km
Gauge : 891 mm ( Swedish 3-foot track )
Minimum radius : 200 m
Top speed: 45 km / h
Operating points and routes
Route - straight ahead
Uddevalla – Herrljunga (UWHJ) railway from Vänersborg
   
Gårdsjö – Håkantorp railway from Lidköping
Station, station
11,650 Håkantorp
   
Uddevalla – Herrljunga (UWHJ) railway to Vara
   
7.715 Helås
   
3,922 Arentorp
   
Gothenburg – Skara (VGJ) railway from Vara
   
0.000 Tumleberg (Pedersbacke)
   
Railway line Gothenburg – Skara to Gothenburg

The Tumleberg – Håkantorp railway was a 12-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 aim was to upgrade the entire narrow-gauge network and to open up the hinterland of Gothenburg. This 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. The branch line Pedersbacke – Håkantorp would have a length of 11.8 km and cost 270,000 crowns, while the alternative proposed route Vara – Håkantorp would be 8.5 km long and would cost 186,000 crowns.

The proposal to build the branch line between Vara and Håkantorp led to violent protests, especially from Lidköping. These protests delayed the entire railway construction for a few years. The concession for the Gothenburg – Vara – Skara line was granted on May 10, 1895. The condition was that construction had to begin by December 31, 1896 and traffic had to begin on October 1, 1898.

Because of the protests for the branch line, the other alternative between Pedersbacke and Håkantorp was chosen. Lidköping agreed to this suggestion, because they wanted a direct connection to Gothenburg. The concession for this variant was granted on December 31, 1896 and the completion date for the line should be December 1, 1899 upon request.

Pedersbacke is a scattered settlement with a larger collection of houses called Tumleberg, near which the branch station was built.

Track construction

The engineers KA Lagergren and OJM Malmstedt were commissioned with the construction of the routes 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.

At the end of 1898, 126.2 kilometers had been routed. 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 largely completed, so that on January 1, 1900, the main line Gothenburg – Skara and the branching line Tumleberg – Håkantorp could be opened to public transport.

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.

A locomotive shed was built in Tumleberg for this purpose. In 1912 the coaling plant in Tumleberg was expanded.

Conversion proposals to standard gauge

At the suggestion of Nyström, detailed investigations and calculations were carried out between 1918 and 1920 regarding a changeover to standard gauge on the Gothenburg – Gårdsjö and Tumleberg – Håkantorp lines. The cost of the entire project including the vehicles was estimated at 9,540,000 crowns. This amount included the cost of one million kroner for the connection to the standard gauge station in Gothenburg. The renovation should start in Gårdsjö, because the first priority was to reach the industry around Kinnekulle and Lidköping.

This question has been raised repeatedly but has never been carried out over the years. In 1943 it was discussed in the Railway Committee, but was postponed again. This topic was discussed again with the nationalization of the VGJ network in 1948.

Decommissioning and dismantling

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 even led to losses. A large part of the railways was shut down and dismantled.

On the Tumleberg – Håkantorp railway line, all traffic was stopped on September 1, 1953 in connection with the conversion to standard gauge between Håkantorp and Lidköping.

literature

  • Västergötland – Göteborgs Järnvägar , Historical compilation by Måns Mannerfelt, Elanders Boktryckeri Aktiebolag, Göteborg 1948.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. Tumleberg – Håkantorp – Lidköping. Bandel 426, SJ district 36 bs. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved February 8, 2016 (Swedish).
  2. ^ Location of Tumleberg