Railway line Visby – Visborgsslätt – Bjärs
| Visby – Visborgsslätt – Bjärs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Route length: | 7 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 891 mm ( Swedish 3-foot track ) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Maximum slope : | 10 ‰ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Minimum radius : | 300 m | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Top speed: | 30 km / h | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Visby – Visborgsslätt
The Visby – Visborgsslätt railway via the Förvaltarebostaden junction was a narrow-gauge railway line on the Swedish island of Gotland . It had a track width of 891 millimeters and was operated by Trafik AB Visby-Visborgsslätt .
The builder of the two kilometer long narrow-gauge railway between Visby and the military facilities in Visborgsslätt was the Swedish army. Since the priority was freight traffic to the military facilities in order to build a new barracks, the line was connected in the hairpin of the Lärbro – Burgsvik railway between Visby and the port station and not directly at Visby station. The unofficial start of operations for freight traffic took place on November 28, 1903. This freight traffic was carried out by Gotlands Järnvägsaktiebolag . Some officers joined forces and started passenger traffic with a steam powered railcar, which Trafik AB Visby – Visborgsslätt was responsible for from June 27, 1904.
From March 16, 1912, the line was leased by Trafik AB Västerhejde – Visby , which then operated the line under the name Visby – Visborgsslätt – Bjärs Järnväg .
Visborgsslätt – Bjärs
The Visborgsslätt – Bjärs line was an extension of the narrow-gauge railway line between Visborgsslätt and Bjärs. It branched off from the previous line at Förvaltarebostaden, had a track width of 891 millimeters and was operated by Trafik AB Västerhejde – Visby .
After the concession was granted on September 15, 1911, the first two kilometers to the Kneippbyn station at the newly created health resort were opened to public transport on June 23, 1912; on August 29, the remaining three kilometers between Kneippbyn and Bjärs were opened to the public released for public use. Even before the opening, a contract was signed on March 16, 1912, according to which the company leased the line between Visby and Visborgsslätt. The contract stipulates that the operation of the entire route between Visby and Halvard will be carried out by Trafik AB Västerhejde – Visby . According to the stipulations in the concession, Bjärs terminus was renamed Hallvards. Steam railcars and steam locomotives with passenger coaches were used on the route.
Hiring and dismantling
On March 1, 1940, all traffic on the section between Kneippbyn and Hallvards was stopped. Due to heavy snowfall, the last train had already left on January 1, 1940. On the Visby – Kneippbyn line, passenger traffic continued to decline, while freight traffic continued to run satisfactorily for several years.
On January 30, 1941, the nationalization of the Förvaltarebostaden – Kneippbyn section was decided by the army administration, the remaining section to Visby was in state hands from the beginning. On October 1, 1946, freight traffic on the entire remaining line from Visby to Kneippbyn was stopped. The railway systems between Kneippbyn and Hallvards were dismantled immediately after closure in 1940, between Visby and Kneippbyn and the Förvaltarebostaden – Visborgsslätt junction, dismantling took place in 1948.
Web links
- Historical description of the railway line at Historiskt om Svenska Järnvägar (swed.)
- VISBY – VISBORGS SLÄTT 1904–1912. Archived from the original on June 25, 2010 ; Retrieved August 29, 2018 (Swedish).