Communication trail Söderhamn – Bollnäs
| Söderhamn – Bollnäs | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Route number : | SBJ | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Route length: | 15 km / 2 km | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gauge : | 1217 mm / 891 mm | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Söderhamn – Bollnäs communication trail ( German : Verkehrsweg Söderhamn – Bollnäs ) was a transport link in Sweden . It consisted of the Söderhamn – Bergvik railway ( gauge 1217 mm), the Landa – Edsänge horse-drawn railway (891 mm gauge) and several shipping lines across Lake Bergviken and the Ljusnan River .
prehistory
In the mid-1850s, attempts were made in the region around Söderhamn to establish better transport connections from the hinterland to the coast. Ironworks and fast-growing timber companies sprang up on the coast . The raw materials for iron production as well as wood and charcoal as fuel were found in the hinterland. On August 12, 1853, representatives of various companies met in Söderhamn to discuss these connections. In the meeting, various solutions were presented that provided for a network of railway lines with shipping lines.
A committee was formed, which met again on October 19 and 20, 1853. There it was decided to build a railway between Söderhamn and Lake Bergviken with steam locomotives . In addition, a horse-drawn tram should be built between Landa and Edsänge. Calculations resulted in building costs of 400,000 Reichstaler . The routes were to be operated seven months a year with an estimated annual freight volume of 27,000 tons.
Under the leadership of PG Widmark, interested parties met on January 16, 1856 in the town hall of Söderhamn to found a railway company. In this common shares worth 625,000 Reichstaler for the section Söderhamn-Bergvik and 407,000 Reichstaler drawn for the horses train to Landa. The assembly also decided to apply for government loans.
Söderhamns Jernvägs Aktiebolag
On July 27, 1856, Widmark reported in a new meeting that a government loan of 500,000 Reichstaler had been granted. As a result, Söderhamns Jernvägs Aktiebolag was founded on September 17, 1858 , which was granted the concession to operate the line on September 24 . The aim of the company was to build a railway line from Söderhamn to Bergvik and to operate the entire traffic route from Söderhamn to Bollnäs. This communication trail was to consist of a locomotive-operated railway line between Söderhamn and Bergvik, a ten-kilometer shipping line across Lake Bergviken between Bergvik and Landa, a two-kilometer horse-drawn railway between Landa and Edsänge and another 15-kilometer shipping line across Lake Varpen and the Ljusnan between Edsänge and Bollnäs.
Söderhamn – Bergvik railway line
Under the direction of Claes Adolf Adelsköld and the engineer JA Söderlind, construction work began on September 27, 1858. On September 9, 1861, the railway was put into operation, the inauguration took place on September 15, 1861. The line had a gauge of 1217 mm (4.1 English feet), the length was 15 kilometers and the rails weighed about 20.5 kilograms per meter . The first steam locomotive was delivered for the line construction as early as 1860. As the traffic increased sharply over the years, more, more powerful locomotives were procured.
| number | Surname | design type | Wheel alignment | Manufacturer | Fabr.-No./ year of construction |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | PH WIDMARK | Tank locomotive | B. | Nyköpings Mekaniska Verkstad , Nyköping | 1/1860 |
| 2 | JG BROLIN | Tank locomotive | B. | Nyköpings Mekaniska Verkstad, Nyköping | 2/1860 |
| 3 | PC RETTIG | Tank locomotive | B. | Nyköpings Mekaniska Verkstad, Nyköping | 8/1863 |
| 4th | SÖDERHAMN | Tank locomotive | C 1 ' | Nydqvist & Holm , Trollhättan | 18/1870 |
| 5 | THOR | Tank locomotive | C 1 ' | Nydqvist & Holm, Trollhättan | 33/1873 |
| 6th | SLEIPNER | Tank locomotive | C 1 ' | Nydqvist & Holm, Trollhättan | 49/1874 |
Three passenger cars with 1st and 3rd class were purchased for passenger traffic. The car had front doors on the sides. As the number of passengers increased, more passenger cars were bought, so that in the year the company ceased operations in 1885, six two-axle cars were available. For freight traffic , operations began with 60 open two-axle freight cars . Freight traffic increased year after year. In 1885 there were 222 wagons with a load capacity of 1,604 tons.
From June 1, 1863, the following timetable was in effect: every day except Sundays and public holidays:
- from Söderhamn 7.30 a.m., 10.45 a.m., 2.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. from Bergvik 9 a.m., 12:15 p.m., 4 p.m. and 9 p.m. All trains stopped at the intermediate stations Berga, Kinsta and Marma.
Bergvik – Landa boat route
Like the Söderhamn – Bergvik railway, the ship line opened on September 9, 1861. The steamship BERGVIKEN was procured from the railway company for this purpose. The ship was 33 meters long and 6 meters wide and had a 30 hp steam engine . The company also bought a smaller steamboat called CHRISTIAN and some barges. In 1880 the S / S Kilhafors , S / S Warpen and S / S Bergviken existed .
From June 1, 1863, the ship CHRISTIAN ran every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, except on Sundays and public holidays, from Bergvik to Landa at 8.15 a.m. and from Landa to Bergvik at 10.30 a.m.
Landa – Edsänge horse-drawn tram
Like the other parts of the communication trail , this section was opened for business on September 9, 1861. The 1.9 km long route was carried out with a gauge of 891 mm. At first, the terminus were Landa vid Bergviken and Landa vid Varpen according to their location on the respective waters. They were later called Landa and Edsänge . The highest point of the route was roughly in the middle of the route. The company itself did not own horses, but rented them in the surrounding towns. There were two 3rd class passenger cars and three open freight cars.
Edsänge – Bollnäs boat route
The shipping route led across Lake Varpen, which is part of the Ljusnan. Like the other parts of the communication trail, the line was opened to traffic on September 9, 1861. The steamship VARPEN and a barge were procured for transport. The pier in Bollnäs was called Broddlegret .
The VARPEN ran from 1 June 1863 with passengers from Bollnäs to Landa (Edsänge) at 8.15 a.m. and from Landa (Edsänge) to Bollnäs at 11.15 a.m. Ticket sales began half an hour before departure and ended five minutes before departure.
The cost of building the entire route between Söderhamn and Bollnäs amounted to 1,114,650 kroner . The engineer JA Söderlind, responsible for railway construction, was the first operations manager from 1861 to 1872.
Communication trail Söderhamn – Kilafors
With the construction of the Stambanan genom Norrland , Bollnäs Kilafors was connected to the Swedish rail network. A two-kilometer branch line was built from Kilafors station to a station directly on Lake Bergviken. This station was named Kilafors nedre . With the commissioning of this connecting line on June 6, 1879, the name was changed to Söderhamn – Kilafors communication ledges . On the evening of June 6th, operations on the Bergvik – Landa shipping line, the Landa – Edsänge horse-drawn tram and the Edsänge – Bollnäs shipping line were closed. From that day on, the ships operated on the route between Kilafors nedre and Bergvik.
Adjustment and remodeling
The company recognized early on that the railway line had to be connected to the Stambanan genom Norrland in order to reach the rest of Sweden by rail. A suitable connection was found near Kilafors. It was assumed that the state railway would have the same gauge of 1217 mm. However, the state had decided to build the state railways north of Storvik in the same gauge as the other state lines in standard gauge with 1435 mm.
Therefore, in 1882, the general meeting of Söderhamns Järnvägsaktiebolag decided to convert the existing line to standard gauge and extend it to Kilafors. In 1883 the Swedish Reichstag decided to take over the route between Söderhamn and Bergviken on November 1, 1885 for the price of 400,000 kroner and to provide funds for the renovation. The plans for the extension of the line to Kilafors and the renovation included a new construction of the station in Söderhamn and the continuation of the line to the port of Stugsund.
On November 15, 1885, the last train ran on the old Söderhamnsbanan . On July 2, 1886, the line Kilafors – Söderhamn – Stugsund, owned by the Swedish State Railways , was opened.
Landa Museum Railway
The Landabanan museum railway with a gauge of 600 mm, founded in 1989, now exists near Landa . The newly built line uses a section of the former horse-drawn railway.
literature
- History över Sveriges småbanor, Riksarkivet,
- Statens Järnvägars 50-års historik,
- Svenska Järnvägsföreningens 50-år (1926)