Railway line Köping – Uttersberg – Riddarhyttan

Köping – Uttersberg – Riddarhyttan
The engine shed in Riddarhyttan is now a café
Route length:	with branch lines approx. 60 km
Gauge :	1093 mm
Maximum slope :	10  ‰
Minimum radius :	300 m
Top speed:	32 km / h
Legend 1.5 Bakegruvan 5.0 Lerklockan 0.0 2.5 Växel Nedre Skärsjön 48.9 Källfallet 46.9 Riddarhytte såg also grusgrop 46.4 Lienshytte kolhus 0.0 46.1 Riddarhyttan 42.1 Forshammar 40.5 Aronsberg 39.1 Ugglefors växel 40.8 Cramps 38.2 Godsstråket genome Bergslagen 34.0 Uttersberg Östanfors 26.0 Karmansbo 23.1 Bernshammar Svansbo 20.0 Kejsartorps växel 17.7 Gisslarbo 14.4 Kolsva 13.2 Hagen Kolsva järnverk 11.6 Guttsta 10.0 Värnbo 7.0 Åsby 5.8 Malma kyrka 5.8 Växel grusgrop 1.0 Karlsdalsvägen from Valskog 0.0 Köping (from 1875) 0.0 Köpings Hamn (P train station from 1865 to 1875) to Munktorp

The Köping – Uttersberg – Riddarhyttan railway was a narrow-gauge railway in central Sweden between Köping and Riddarhyttan . In the course of the last third of the 19th century, it was built in sections by joint-stock companies that were independent from one another and that later merged. In 1952 the entire route was taken over by the SJ .

The reason for the unusual track width of 1093 mm was a misunderstanding when ordering the locomotives, for which it was assumed that the track width would be measured from rail center to rail center.

history

The landscape northwest of Köping is heavily forested. Large iron ore deposits were found there . The Hedströmmen River was used as a source of power and a transport route from the ironworks in Lower Dalarna . However, the capacity of the river limited the expansion of production in the smelters. Therefore, the construction of a railway , starting from Köping along the Hedströmmen, was examined at an early stage . As early as 1853 there were first considerations and in 1856 a first plan was presented, but it was not carried out.

In September 1856 a meeting took place in Köping, at which civil engineer G. Nerman presented a plan for a full railway line from Köping to Uttersberg after a previous study by E. Norström . At this meeting a first stock company was founded. In October 1856 all shares for the route were subscribed. Now they asked King Charles XV. a government bond . Although an improvement was seen for the region, the State Commission rejected this request.

Köping – Uttersbergs Järnvägsaktiebolag

At another meeting in Stockholm on October 24, 1862 a new attempt was made to build a railway. According to a proposal by Claes Adolf Adelsköld , a narrow-gauge railway with a gauge of 3½ English feet (1067 mm) was planned. G. Nerman's estimate was 750,000 kroner . The original share subscription list was canceled and a new list of 1000 shares at 750 kroner each was created. The route from Köping to Uttersberg and a branch line from Kejsartorp to Svansbo were decided upon. At the same meeting, it was decided to found the Köping-Uttersbergs järnvägsaktiebolag (KUJ). The first board consisted of Baron C. F. Nieroth and the managing directors of the ironworks C. J. Ohlsson and L. Lindberg.

Now on October 12, 1863, a license and a government loan of 500,000 crowns were applied for. The license was granted on October 30th, and the loan was also approved. The construction work for the route began in autumn under the architect C Jansson and the top construction manager Cl. Adelskold.

Gauge

The manufacturers of the freight cars , Carlsdal and Arboga, understood the order correctly and delivered them with a gauge of 1067 mm (3½ English feet ). However, the Munktell locomotive workshop had problems ordering and requested a clarification of the gauge. The KUJ was of the wrong opinion that the track width was measured from rail center to rail center. This resulted in 3.59 English feet = 1094 mm and communicated this to the locomotive workshop, which then manufactured the locomotives with 1093 mm gauge.

Opening of the route

The cheapest solution was to build the rails in the gauge in which the locomotives were delivered. The cars that had already been delivered were converted to the wider track. Fortunately, when the locomotives were delivered, the entire route had not yet been built and only a section had to be re-gauged. In this way, the line came to have a gauge that is unusual for Sweden.

In December 1864, provisional freight traffic began on the Köping – Kolsva section. On September 11, 1865, the 35-kilometer route was opened for temporary passenger traffic. The official opening took place on June 1, 1866, at the same time the two-kilometer branch line from Kejsartorp to Svansbo was opened for general freight traffic. On June 27, 1866, there was an inauguration ceremony for the route, which then finally cost 955,000 kroner and was equipped with rails weighing 18.64 kilograms per meter .

The rolling stock consisted of 40 baggage and freight cars and three two-axle passenger cars.

In total, the following steam locomotives were initially purchased:

number	Surname	design type	Wheel alignment	Manufacturer	Fabr.-No./ year of construction	Special
1	KÖPING	Tank locomotive	1 B t	Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad , Eskilstuna	11 1864
2	UTTERSBERG	Tank locomotive	1 B t	Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad, Eskilstuna	11 1865
3	MÄLAREN	Tank locomotive	1 B t	Munktells Mekaniska Verkstad, Eskilstuna	13 1865
4th	HEDSTROMMEN	Tank locomotive	C t	Kristinehamns Mekaniska Verkstad	1 1867	1873 from the Christinehamn – Sjöändan railway line , there before No. 3 - VAULUNDER (due to change of gauge to standard gauge)

A locomotive workshop was built in Köping in 1865 to operate and maintain the vehicles. There was also a wagon workshop, a water tower and a coal bunker. All buildings were made of wood. Apart from the car workshop, these were destroyed in a fire in 1889 . Then a new round brick shed was built with six stalls and a turntable six meters in diameter. These buildings existed until they were demolished in 1971.

A single-track locomotive shed was built in Uttersberg in 1865 to accommodate two locomotives. Here, too, there was a water tower, a coal bunker, a two-track wagon workshop and a 6-meter turntable. These institutions no longer exist today either.

The first train station in Köping was at the harbor . When the Stockholm – Västerås – Bergslagens Järnvägar (SWB) opened on December 7, 1875 , they built a new train station in the city. The KUJ integrated its route into this new station and stopped passenger traffic to the port. The old station was then only used for freight traffic.

Uttersberg – Riddarhyttans Järnväg

The opening of the route between Köping and Uttersberg has simplified the transport routes for the ironworks on Hedströmmen, such as to Skinnskatteberg and Baggå . Now it was only twelve kilometers from Riddarhyttan to the train station in Uttersberg.

The owner of the Riddarhyttan, C. J. Ohlsson, was one of the driving forces behind the construction of the KUJ. He endeavored to get a direct rail connection as a continuation of the route to Uttersberg. When he died in 1876, his heirs formed the Riddarhytte Aktiebolag and pursued the idea further. In 1877 they made a proposal to the KUJ: Riddarhyttan AB offered to build and equip a railway from Uttersberg to Riddarhyttan at an estimated cost of 326,000 crowns under its own direction. This route would then become the property of the KUJ for the price of 100,000 crowns. The only condition was that the KUJ should serve the route with a daily pair of trains. For incomprehensible reasons, the board of the KUJ did not accept this offer, which Riddarhyttan did not pursue any further.

Instead, the Riddarhyttan built the line itself. The concession for the line was granted on March 7, 1879. Under engineer J. Nilsson, the track construction began immediately and the twelve-kilometer line between Uttersberg and Riddarhyttan was put into operation as Uttersberg-Riddarhyttans Järnväg (URJ) on August 1, 1880. The cost was 274,600 crowns. Like the KUJ, the line was built with a gauge of 1093 mm, the minimum radius was 297 meters and the maximum incline was 16.67 ‰. The maximum speed was 32 kilometers per hour. The laid rails weighed 17.2 kilograms per meter. It was agreed with the KUJ that it would run the railway.

Uttersberg train station

Since the connection of the URJ met the KUJ route south of the Uttersberg station, the track systems in Uttersberg were rebuilt and a new station was built. After the newly built Frövi - Krylbo line of the SJ crossed the URJ just a few kilometers south of Forshammar, there was a new, inexpensive connection to the standard gauge network. The company applied for the concession for a siding from Uggelfors to Krampen station of the state railway, which was granted on October 27, 1899. The connection was opened on April 1, 1901. The three-kilometer branch line from Riddarhyttan to Källhyttan was opened as a freight train route in June 1902.

The rolling stock procured consisted of 20 wagons and a C-coupled steam locomotive. This was manufactured by Nydqvist & Holm in Trollhättan in 1879 . A separate engine shed with a water tower and a 6-meter turntable were built for the locomotive in Riddarhyttan in 1880. After the merger with the KUJ, a new shed was built in 1911 and expanded in 1927. In 1972 all buildings were demolished. After the URJ was taken over by the KUJ, the company's only locomotive was given the number 5 and the name RIDDARHYTTAN .

For many years there were negotiations about a merger of the two companies URJ and KUJ. At the end of 1910 it was decided to sell the URJ. The URJ was taken over by Köping-Uttersbergs Järnvägsaktiebolag for the price of 110,000 kroner . The new company changed its name to Köping-Uttersberg-Riddarhyttans Järnvägsaktiebolag (KURJ).

Köping – Uttersberg – Riddarhyttans Järnvägsaktiebolag

The merger from January 1, 1911 made it possible to optimize the traffic flows. Track connections from Riddarhyttan were planned to the Källfallet, Bäckgruvan and Lerklockan mines that were not previously connected to a railway line. The six-kilometer branch line to Lerklockan went into operation in 1914. In order to also carry out public freight transport, a license was again necessary, which was applied for on December 31, 1914 and granted on October 25, 1915. Another two-kilometer branch line was laid between Guttsta and Kolsva järnverk, and the concession for general freight traffic was granted on January 14, 1938.

In 1916 the majority of the shares were taken over by a consortium from Norrköping , in which the city of Norrköping was particularly involved. At that time a railway line was planned between Riddarhyttan and Norrköping. However, this project was not implemented. In 1931 the city of Köping bought the majority of shares in Norrköping. More steam locomotives were procured over the years:

number	Surname	design type	Wheel alignment	Manufacturer	Fabr.-No./ year of construction	Special
5	RIDDARHYTTAN	Tank locomotive	C.	Nydqvist & Holm , Trollhättan	1879	Procured from Uttersberg – Riddarhyttans Järnvägsaktiebolag
6th	FERNA	Tank locomotive	C.	Nydqvist & Holm, Trollhättan	1884	delivered to KUJ
7th	PATRIC REUTERSWÄRD	Tank locomotive	C.	Nydqvist & Holm, Trollhättan	1894	Museum locomotive at Köping-Uttersbergs Järnvägs museiförening
8th		Tank locomotive
9		Tank locomotive	1 C	Helsingborgs MV , Helsingborg	1911
10		Tank locomotive	1 C	Helsingborgs MV, Helsingborg	1914
11		Tank locomotive	1 C	Helsingborgs MV, Helsingborg	1915

Takeover by Statens Järnvägar

In the late 1940s, operating costs rose and the company began negotiations for nationalization. On January 25, 1952, the city council of Köping approved the handover. On July 1, 1952, the SJ took over the company with all its routes and vehicles for 638,000 crowns.

Due to the increasing traffic, it was necessary to replace part of the rails in 1960. Fifteen kilometers were fitted with rails weighing 24.8 kilograms per meter, the rest of the main line was fitted with rails weighing 27.8 kilograms per meter.

Hiring and dismantling

The structural change in mining and the timber industry did not stop at this route either, and competition from road traffic grew.

On January 1, 1937, traffic on the Kejsartorp – Svansbo branch ceased. The line was dismantled in the same year. The next step was the closure of the Nedre Skärsjön – Lerklockan section of the Riddarhyttan – Lerklockan line on January 1, 1941. This line was also dismantled immediately.

On September 1, 1952, two months after the takeover by the SJ, all passenger traffic was stopped. This was followed on July 1, 1966 by freight traffic between Guttsta and Uggelfors and general freight traffic between Riddarhyttan and Bäckegruvan and between Riddarhyttan and Källfallet. In 1954, the tracks between the Köping train station and the switches to the freight yard were dismantled. From this point on, goods traffic was carried out with standard-gauge freight wagons that were loaded onto trolleys.

Freight traffic on the section between Köping and Kolsva järnverk ended on July 1, 1966. Two years later, in autumn 1968, the last freight train also ran on the route between Krampen and Riddarhyttan. Riddarhyttan AB had signed a contract with the SJ until April 30, 1969 in 1966 and carried out these transports on its own. For this, the Riddarhyttan had bought two locomotives and eleven rolling wagons from the SJ in order to be able to transport standard-gauge freight wagons . In 1969, however, there were no more trains. This year the section between Kolsva and the Köping freight yard was dismantled. In 1971 the remaining track systems were removed.

Köping-Uttersbergs Järnvägs museiförening

Locomotive shed of the museum railway in Köping

The Köping-Uttersbergs Järnvägs museiförening , which has existed since 1975, is housed in the old freight yard in Köping. The former locomotive shed is used to store museum pieces such as the steam locomotive No. 7 ( PATRIC REUTERSWÄRD ), the passenger car BC 9 - this was built in 1872 in the company's own railway workshop in Köping, the passenger car BC 10 - built by Atlas in 1875 and the diesel locomotive No. 4 the Nordmark-Klarälvens Järnvägar. This machine was delivered to the SJ in 1952 as the Z4tu 316 , converted in 1961 from 891 mm to 1093 mm gauge and was in use on the KURJ alongside other locomotives of this series until it ceased operations, most recently between Riddarhyttan and Krampen.

Web links

Commons : Köping-Uttersberg-Riddarhyttans Järnväg  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• History of the railway line (German)
• Köping – Uttersbergs – Riddarhyttans Järnväg (Swedish)
• Website of the museum railway

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Stations and kilometers according to Dr. Koch 1939
2. ↑ Köping – Guttsta – Kejsartorp – Ugglefors – Riddarhyttan. Bandel 251. In: banvakt.se. Retrieved October 13, 2013 (Swedish).