Trafikförvaltningen Östergötlands smalspåriga järnvägar

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The Trafikförvaltningen Östergötlands smalspåriga järnvägar (TÖJ or T. Ö. J.) was the result of the merger of the administrations of the Swedish narrow-gauge railways in the regions Östergötland and Norra Småland .

Preliminary examination

This amalgamation was first discussed in a commission under District Administrator Swedelius in 1910. In the investigation, the routes have been Fågelsta - Vadstena - Ödeshög , Linköping -Fågelsta, Linköping- Ringstorp , Norsholm - Bersbo , Västervik - Åtvidaberg -Bersbo, Hultsfred -Västervik, Norrköping - Finspång - Pålsboda - Örebro , Norrköping- Söderköping - Valdemarsvik and Norrköping- Arkösund included.

The investigation showed that there would be advantages for all companies involved if a single administration combined traffic and shared vehicles. In addition, the costs for purchasing, stock keeping and workshops would be reduced. Nevertheless, no consensus was reached and the proposal was rejected.

The idea was not forgotten and was taken up again a few years later by the administration of Norra Östergötlands Järnvägsaktiebolag (NÖJ). This time the proposal was to merge the lines belonging to Mellersta Östergötlands järnvägar MÖJ with those of the NÖJ. Difficulties arose on the section between Norsholm and Ringstorp, which had a different owner. Continuous trains could only have operated over this route. As an alternative, the idea of ​​building a direct, narrow-gauge connection between Norsholm and Linköping with a stretch between Södra stambanan and Lake Roxen and a connection to the MÖJ in Linköping came up in 1916 . The proposal was not implemented.

In 1922 the subject of the amalgamation of NÖJ and MÖJ was taken up again. Should a merger take place, permission would have to be obtained from Norsholm – Västervik – Hultsfreds Järnvägar (NVHJ) to use the Norsholm – Ringstorp route and an agreement made with Statens Järnvägar on local freight charges. A request to the Royal Construction Office in 1925 was unsuccessful. A study of the economic benefits was carried out, but it did not produce any direct results. A short time later, the situation changed.

Foundation of the TÖJ

In September 1927, the NÖJ board received a letter from Vikbolandsbanan (VB) - officially Norrköping Söderköping Vikbolandets Järnväg (NSVJ), which suggested that the investigation into whether and to what extent the cooperation between the two companies could be beneficial to continue. The question aroused great interest at the NÖJ and so the company's two traffic directors, Lindgren and Carlsson, were commissioned to take on this task.

At the board meeting of the NÖJ on April 27, 1929 the result of this investigation was presented, which became the most important basis for the cooperation of the two companies:

  1. Joint traffic management
  2. Sharing equipment and personnel,
  3. Each company keeps its own turnover and bears its own costs.

These criteria were approved by the boards of the two railway companies. It was decided to submit these to the general meetings and to propose that they be passed. In addition, it was decided to continue the investigations so that a final proposal could be made at the 1930 annual general meeting and cooperation could begin on January 1, 1931.

In the meantime the wish arose that the MÖJ should be included in the joint administration. The traffic directors of the three companies, Councilor Reventberg from the city of Norrköping and Major Lindgren, proposed at the NÖJ meeting on September 13, 1929 that the NÖJ should take over the majority of shares in the MÖJ from the Östergötlands Enskilda Bank, which was willing to sell.

It was reported to the Board of Directors on October 15, 1929 that 3,900 preferred shares of MÖJ could be acquired by the bank. The board gave the mandate to complete the purchase, but this did not happen. Instead, NÖJ leased the MÖJ. When the TÖJ was formed, the MÖJ was part of the new company based on this agreement.

The draft of an agreement on cooperation between the three railway companies was completed and adopted in autumn 1929. To this end, an extraordinary general meeting was held at the NÖJ on November 18, 1929. The goal of the cooperation was set in writing: The merging of the three railways under a joint management, called Trafikförvaltningen Östergötlands Smalspåriga Järnvägar (T. Ö. J.) , should enable more efficient traffic on the routes, reduce costs and better use of staff enable.

Route network, expansion and regulations

The route network of the TÖJ with the lines belonging to the MÖJ had a total length of 124.7 km, that of the NÖJ was 132.3 km, VB brought 101.1 km and the city of Norrköping the parts of the route Norrköpings östra – Södra Hamnen and leased to VB the Slakthusspåret ( German  slaughterhouse railway ) with 2.1 km into the company. In addition, there was the Norsholm – Ringstorp line, which was owned by the NVHJ and partly used by the NÖJ, with a length of 13.3 km. The total of the routes managed by the TÖJ was 373.5 km. Later the Skänninge – Bränninge line was added with a length of 27.2 km, so that the route network expanded to 400.7 km.

The main features of the company were as follows: “A committee will be formed for the conduct of traffic, in which all companies are represented; the chairman of the transport committee is always elected for one year. The administration is based in Norrköping. Personnel, buildings, ports and quarries are included in the administration, as well as all vehicles and inventory. The agreement contains a list of vehicles and equipment under common management and a list of materials in the buildings. Each company rates its own items in its books according to the current tariff. The company in question pays for the purchase of new locomotives, passenger or freight cars, extensions and improvements on the recommendation of the Transport Committee. The workshop in Finspång is operated jointly as far as possible and the costs of maintaining rail vehicles and systems are shared between the companies involved in proportion to the sum of the wages actually paid and the actual costs. If locomotives, multiple units, passenger coaches or equipment are used by someone other than the owner company, a special agreement is made on compensation for the use of this device. The special agreement applies to the shared use of freight wagons. A proposal for a common tariff for the railways associated with the TÖJ is to be examined by the Royal Railway Authority ”.

The agreement came into force on July 1, 1930 and was valid until July 1, 1941. Two years before the expiry of the contract, it had to be terminated, otherwise it was extended for a further ten years.

An agreement also had to be made with the SJ, as the cooperation with the TÖJ on the Mjölby – Hästholmen (MHJ) railway line changed. This was signed on March 11, 1930. This agreement essentially stipulated that if goods traffic between two railway stations belonging to NÖJ, MÖJ and VB was to be transported over lines with different gauge in accordance with the government regulations of June 27, 1929, this freight was to be transported over the narrow-gauge Norsholm – Ringstorp line was promoted. However, that provision did not apply to traffic between Norrköping, Kimstad and Norsholm on the one hand and Linköping, Motala, Fågelsta and Hästholmen on the other, including between Örebro Södra and Linköping. In this case, the narrow-gauge line should only serve as an alternative route between Norrköpings östra and Linköping, Motala, Fågelsta and Hästholmen.

The TÖJ paid a fee of 15,000 crowns to the SJ for the diversion of the freight trains . The MHJ should pay an annual fee of 2,800 kroner for the same reason. The agreement with the NVHJ for the Norsholm-Ringstorp route was DKK 15,000. Finally there was an agreement with the VSBJ in liquidation , from which the TÖJ took over the traffic from the VSBJ. After that, the TÖJ had to take over all maintenance work and the resulting traffic revenue could be withheld.

The first meeting of the Transport Committee took place on April 24, 1930 in Finspång. Governor Trolle was elected as chairman of the committee, the deputy chairman was Colonel Ekelund, managing director Major Lindgren and traffic manager for the entire traffic Carlsson. The supervision of the companies MÖ J and VB was taken over by railway engineer Laurell (railway engineer of the NÖJ), who also held the office of mechanical engineer for the entire administration.

Reconstruction of the NÖJ

Until the end of the 1920s, a good economic situation ensured that the Swedish railways were busy. The operating results for the NÖJ collapsed from 1930 onwards due to the beginning global economic crisis, as the timber transports were greatly reduced. The competition from road traffic also made itself felt. Losses continued to be recorded in the following annual accounts, which also affected the companies MÖJ and VB involved in the TÖJ. At the end of 1932, the NÖJ's debts were over 2.6 million kroner. In the following years various rescheduling was carried out in order to keep the NÖJ solvent.

Merging of the workshops

The principles for the centralization and rationalization of the TÖJ's workshops were already met on October 23, 1929 with the joint agreement of the NÖJ, MÖJ and VB on cooperation in rail operations. Maintenance work should be carried out in the workshops of the individual companies, only repairs to locomotives and bogies of VB vehicles should be carried out in the NÖJ workshop in Finspång.

In the above-mentioned arrangement it had already been agreed that the NÖJ workshop in Finspång, which had the greatest resources , should take on further tasks for all companies as far as possible. In this context, it was decided on April 24, 1930 to expand and modernize the workshop in Finspång with an estimated cost of 40,000 crowns. The work included the extension of three repair stands to 10 by 20 meters as well as the expansion of an existing railcar hall by a usable area of ​​800 square meters. A new forge, a new joinery, a large paint shop and a separate room for the machine tools were created here. In addition, there was now more space for revision of the vehicles, a room for welding work and new sanitary facilities. By enlarging the locomotive workshop and the machine tools that were moved there, more space was created in the new hall for locomotive and wagon inspections. At the same time, two washrooms, a social room and an office for the foreman in the workshop were set up for the employees.

Before the merger, the companies had their own workshops:

  • NÖJ
    • Finspång: a foreman and 30 workers
  • VB
    • Norrköping: one foreman and 10 workers
  • MÖJ
    • Linköping: a machine shop with a foreman and 10 workers and an electrical workshop with a senior fitter and five workers (one of them in Borensberg)
    • Vadstena: a foreman and eight workers
  • VSBJ
    • Skänninge: a foreman and three workers

Thus there were a total of six workshops with six foremen and 66 workers.

On October 1, 1930, the workshops in Vadstena and Skänninge were completely closed and the operation of the machine workshop in Linköping was restricted. In addition, a restructuring of human resources, combined with layoffs, was carried out. This resulted in the following new state:

  • Main workshop in Finspång: one foreman and 28 workers:
    • All important repair work for all routes, such as locomotive overhauls, fire pit repairs, wheel tire repairs, conversion of passenger cars and painting work was carried out here. The latter tasks were carried out by a master painter who was not employed by the railroad. In addition, all other repair work including the general inspections of the NÖJ vehicles (locomotives, passenger and freight cars) were carried out.
  • Workshop in Norrköping: one foreman and nine workers:
    • Repair of VB diesel railcars, passenger and freight cars, minor repairs of steam locomotives and, to a certain extent, repairs of our own cars.
  • Mechanical workshop in Linköping: one foreman and eleven workers:
    • Essentially the same work on its own locomotives, railcars as well as passenger and freight cars as in Norrköping.
  • Electrical workshop in Linköping: a senior fitter and four workers:
    • Maintenance and repair work for electric locomotives.

This made it possible to cover the area of ​​technical maintenance with four foremen and 52 workers. It was assumed that further rationalization was possible.

In May 1934, when MÖJ was restructured and a new company was formed, the mechanical engineer of TÖJ made a proposal for a central repair shop in Finspång. However, this was not possible due to the space available in Finspång, so that at least two workshops were still necessary. All repairs and inspections of steam locomotives, diesel multiple units and passenger coaches were to remain in Finspång, and the rebuilding, repairs and overhauls of freight wagons were to be concentrated in the workshop in Norrköping. The MÖJ electric locomotives, which frequently failed and had to be constantly repaired, could not be moved to Finspång, so the electrical workshop in Linköping should remain unchanged. However, the mechanical workshop there should be closed. To do this, the staff in Finspång would have to be strengthened by two specialists. In Norrköping, the number of staff was to remain the same, although some changes were necessary in the professional groups represented. A reduction by one worker was planned in the Linköping electrical workshop, and only three of the seven workplaces remained in the mechanical workshop there. The reduction should take place through retirement. In addition, an additional repair stand for diesel railcars was to be built in Finspång and additional machines were to be procured.

Engineer Nordenhem from Svenska Järnvägarnas Arbetsgivareförening ( German  Swedish Railway Employers' Association ) was interviewed, and he submitted his report on July 20, 1934. He essentially agreed to the proposal and added that the Finspång workshop should be enlarged even more and further modern machines such as electrical welding equipment and compressors should be procured. The electrical workshop in Linköping could thus be run with a foreman and five other workers and the mechanical workshop closed. A total of three foremen and 44 men would be sufficient for the entire workshop operation.

Around the same time, the idea of ​​a merger between TÖJ and NVHJ came up, for which the transport manager Hj. Von Porat der Varberg – Borås – Herrljunga Järnväg carried out a study of the advantages and savings in machine service that could be gained through such a merger. In his report in July 1934 he mentioned, among other things, independent of a merger, a further centralization of the TÖJ workshop system. Porat wanted to close the mechanical workshop in Linköping and, after the improvement in electrical traction at MÖJ, relocate the electrical workshop to Finspång.

In the board meeting at the NÖJ on August 10, 1934 it was decided to carry out the proposed rationalization with a view to the expansion of the workshop in Finspång and the procurement of further devices. The estimated cost was 23,000 crowns. The work was completed in 1935 and the workshop was given an additional 200 square meters of floor space.

In Linköping, however, the mechanical workshop was closed. This provided space to enlarge the electrical workshop. The work was carried out in the summer of 1936 and completed on October 1, 1936. The electrical department thus had a revision pit, a new electrical workshop with a forge and a battery charging room. In addition, a social room and corresponding sanitary facilities for the staff as well as a storage room for spare parts were expanded and a new heating system with low-pressure steam was installed for all rooms.

This completed the centralization and rationalization of the TÖJ machine service. While six workshops with six foremen and 66 workers were previously necessary, after July 1, 1936, three workshops with three foremen and 42 workers were sufficient for the more efficient maintenance of the vehicles. When the TÖJ traffic numbers increased significantly after 1936 and more rail buses were procured, the number of employees in the workshops had to be increased.

Further cooperation

The traffic administration consisted of three companies. With the majority of shares, NÖJ could completely control MÖJ, while VB was independent. VB also owned a large number of shares in NÖJ. Within the NÖJ and MÖJ, the city of Nörrköping had a lot of influence thanks to its large shares.

The following vehicles were available at the end of 1948: 27 steam locomotives , seven diesel locomotives , five electric locomotives , three railcars, 21 rail buses, 22 rail bus trailers, 51 passenger cars, 254 closed and 801 open freight cars. Passenger traffic was almost entirely carried out by rail buses. Their top speed was 75 kilometers per hour. The trains reached average speeds between 35 and 60 km / h.

Automobile passenger and freight traffic was already very important. TÖJ operated on a total of 315 km and Norra Tjusts Trafikaktiebolag on 300 km of traffic with road vehicles. There were 37 buses and 26 trucks available for this.

nationalization

With a parliamentary decision, the general nationalization of the railways , it was determined in 1939 that the state should buy private railways and integrate them into the organization of the state railways. It was planned to buy the TÖJ in the mid-1940s , but World War II intervened. Since nobody wanted to take the risk due to financial difficulties, the purchase decision was postponed. Traffic increased after the war. It wasn't long before road traffic increased competition. At the turn of 1949/50, negotiations about the sale to the state were resumed. This ended on March 2, 1950 with the signing of the preliminary contract for the sale of the narrow-gauge railways in Östergötland.

For Norra Östergötlands järnvägar and Mellersta Östergötlands järnvägar , which were owned by NÖJ, the state paid 1,319,400 kroner and a further 26,000 kroner in liquidation costs. The shareholders of the city of Norrköping received 945,000 crowns for their preference shares. It was the same amount the city had once paid plus a five percent dividend. The shareholders who held ordinary shares in Norra Östergötlands järnvägar , which had a market value of 50 kroner, were paid 55 kroner per share.

For Vikbolandsbanan the state paid 1,928,400 kroner and liquidation costs of 21,000 kroner, which means 74 kroner per share. For the 941 shares in Norra Tjusts trafik AB , which belonged to the city of Norrköping and various municipalities in Östergötland, the state paid 380 kroner per share.

The takeover by Statens Järnvägar was scheduled for July 1, 1950. After the agreement was approved by Parliament, the railway companies decided at two successive general meetings to sell the railways.

After the takeover, the lines were part of Statens Järnvägar 's "VIII distriktet - Norrköping", which was separated from "I distriktet - Stockholm" on May 1, 1950, primarily for the takeover of the narrow-gauge lines .

literature

  • John Ekelund; G. Gyllenswärd; Eric Johnsson: Norra Östergötlands Järnvägar och Mellersta Östergötlands Järnvägar under åren 1924–1944 . Norrkoping 1944.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Rolf Sten: Norra Östergötlands Järnvägsaktiebolags reconstruction 1933–1934. In: historiskt.nu. Retrieved January 14, 2015 (Swedish).
  2. ↑ Sweden: historical and statistical handbook. By Porat. In: Project Runeberg . P. 604 , accessed on January 14, 2015 (English).
  3. ^ Anders Jansson: Statens Järnvägar med föregångare, 1928 års organization. In: historiskt.nu. Retrieved January 14, 2015 (Swedish).

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