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The Grimstad Line ( no, Grimstadbanen) was a long
railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
line between
Grimstad Grimstad () is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Some of the villages in Grimstad include Eide, Espenes, Fevik ...
and
Rise Rise or RISE may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional entities * '' Rise: The Vieneo Province'', an internet-based virtual world * Rise FM, a fictional radio station in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto 3'' * Rise Kujikawa, a vide ...
in
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
. The line was a branch of the
Arendal Line The Arendal Line ( no, Arendalsbanen) is a long railway line between Arendal and Simonstad in Norway. At Nelaug, north of Arendal, the line intersects with the Sørland Line. The southern section is electrified and provides a feeder passenger s ...
, which is in turn a branch of the
Sørland Line Sørland is a Seaside resort, fishing village and the administrative centre of Værøy Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the southern side of the island of Værøya. The village is the main population center of the isla ...
. Opened as the Grimstad–Froland Line on 14 September 1907, it was originally a
private railway A private railway is a railroad run by a private business entity (usually a corporation but not need be), as opposed to a railroad run by a public sector. Japan In Japan, , commonly simply ''private railway'', refers to a public transit railwa ...
. The line was
nationalized Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately-owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization usually refers to priv ...
and taken over by the
Norwegian State Railways Vygruppen, branded as Vy, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach se ...
in 1912. The railway was originally built with
narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller struc ...
, but was converted to standard gauge in 1936. Because of the cumbersome transfers, the line had few passenger and little freight. It was closed and demolished in 1961.


Route

Most of the demolished route is either highway or bicycle path. Very few buildings remain; the main exception being the station building at Rykene which is a private dwelling.


History


Planning

Plans for a railway from Grimstad was first launched in 1874, when a railway committee was established by
Grimstad Municipality Grimstad () is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It belongs to the geographical region of Sørlandet. The administrative center of the municipality is the town of Grimstad. Some of the villages in Grimstad include Eide, Espenes, F ...
. The initial interest was for a long line to the southwestern end of the lake Rore to the town center. In 1881, the section was surveyed, which included a long branch to Naudenes. It was estimated to cost 200,000
Norwegian krone The krone (, abbreviation: kr (also NKr for distinction); code: NOK), plural ''kroner'', is currency of the Kingdom of Norway (including Svalbard). Traditionally known as the Norwegian crown in English. It is nominally subdivided into 100 ' ...
(NOK). In 1890, a gauge railway was proposed along the same route, which would have cost NOK 142,000. An application to the
Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...
for engineering assistance to plan the route was denied in 1892.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 11 In 1874,
Aust-Agder County Municipality Aust-Agder County Municipality ( no, Aust-Agder fylkeskommune) was the regional governing administration of the old Aust-Agder county in Norway. The county municipality was established on 1 January 1976 when the law was changed to allow elected c ...
(then Nedenes) established a railway committee as a response to the national ambitions of creating a Vestland Line (later named the Sørland Line) which would connect
Rogaland Rogaland () is a county in Western Norway, bordering the North Sea to the west and the counties of Vestland to the north, Vestfold og Telemark to the east and Agder to the east and southeast. In 2020, it had a population of 479,892. The admin ...
and
Agder Agder is a county (''fylke'') and traditional region in the southern part of Norway. The county was established on 1 January 2020, when the old Vest-Agder and Aust-Agder counties were merged. Since the early 1900s, the term Sørlandet ("sou ...
to
Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...
and
Eastern Norway Eastern Norway ( nb, Østlandet, nn, Austlandet) is the geographical region of the south-eastern part of Norway. It consists of the counties Vestfold og Telemark, Viken, Oslo and Innlandet. Eastern Norway is by far the most populous regio ...
. There was controversy regarding the choice of route; while many proposals existed, the two main was an inland route and a coastal route. Nedenes County Railway Committee supported an inner route, stating the large amount of lumber which was logged in the interior parts of the county, and which depreciated in value during
log driving Log driving is a means of moving logs (sawn tree trunks) from a forest to sawmills and pulp mills downstream using the current of a river. It was the main transportation method of the early logging industry in Europe and North America. His ...
—which could take up to three years.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 9 During the early 1880s, Norway fell into a
recession In economics, a recession is a business cycle contraction when there is a general decline in economic activity. Recessions generally occur when there is a widespread drop in spending (an adverse demand shock). This may be triggered by various ...
and railway construction halted. By 1884, planning of the Vestland Line had halted, and instead municipalities started planning lines which would connect the coastal towns to inland lakes. The hope was that if an inland line was later built, these would also act as branch lines, giving the towns railway connections to the capital. In Nordenes, it was proposed that both Arendal and Grimstad would have a branch line, which would connect somewhere north of towns, and continue northwards into the interior. In 1891, an agreement was reached between local politicians to build a line from the lake
Nisser Nisser is a lake in Nissedal, Norway. It is the 13th-largest lake in the nation by area with a surface area of , the 10th largest by volume at 7.19 km³, and the 13th deepest at . It is located in Nissedal and Kviteseid municipality in Ves ...
through
Åmli Åmli is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The main population centre and administrative center is the village of Åmli which lies along the river Nidelva. Other villages in Åmli in ...
and Moripen to
Messel Messel is a municipality in the district of Darmstadt-Dieburg in Hesse near Frankfurt am Main in Germany. The village is first mentioned, as ''Masilla'', in the Lorsch codex. Messel was the property of the lords of Groschlag from ca. 1400 to 1799 ...
, where the line would branch to Grimstad and Arendal. Originally the proposal had called for the branching to occur even closer to the coast, at
Rykene Rykene or Rygene is a village located along the river Nidelva in Agder county, Norway. The village is primarily located in Arendal municipality, but a small portion of the village lies across the river in the neighboring municipality of Grimstad. ...
. Representatives from Arendal wanted an even further away branching point, and proposed
Bøylestad Bøylestad is a village in Froland municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the river Nidelva about northeast of the village of Blakstad–Osedalen and about south of the village of Bøylefoss. The population of B ...
.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 10 In 1892, the
Ministry of Labour The Ministry of Labour ('' UK''), or Labor ('' US''), also known as the Department of Labour, or Labor, is a government department responsible for setting labour standards, labour dispute mechanisms, employment, workforce participation, training, a ...
proposed several lines in the area. One went from Grimstad via Arendal to Nisser via Nelaug, the other were the
Kragerø Line The Kragerø Line () was a long railway line between Neslandsvatn and Kragerø in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It was opened on 2 December 1927 as part of the Sørlandet Line. From 10 November 1935, the Sørlandet Line was extended from ...
and a line connecting to
Risør is a municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located on the Skagerrak coast in the traditional region of Sørlandet. The administrative centre of Risør municipality is the town of Risør. There are many villages in Risør such as Akland, ...
. It was followed up by a proposal for a line from
Kongsberg Kongsberg () is a historical mining town and Municipalities of Norway, municipality in Buskerud, Viken (county), Viken Counties of Norway, county, Norway. The city is located on the river Numedalslågen at the entrance to the valley of Numedal. K ...
—then terminus of the Sørland Line—to
Grovane Grovane is a village in Vennesla municipality in Agder county, Norway. The village is located along the shores of the river Otra, about north of the large village of Vennesla. Railway The Sørlandsbanen railway line runs through the villag ...
, which had a railway to Kristiansand. The proposed line would have branches to
Skien Skien () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county in Norway. In modern times it is regarded as part of the traditional region of Grenland, although historically it belonged to Grenmar/Skiensfjorden, while Grenland referred the ...
,
Kragerø Kragerø () is a town and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Grenland and the smaller Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø. The city of Kragerø ...
, Arendal, Åmli, Risør, Grimtad,
Tvedestrand is municipality in Agder county, Norway. It is located in the traditional district of Sørlandet. The administrative center is the town of Tvedestrand. There are many villages in the municipality including Dypvåg, Fiane, Gjeving, Gødder ...
and
Notodden Notodden () is a city and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Notodden. Notodden was separated from the munici ...
. In 1893, the proposal was rejected by the
Parliament of Norway The Storting ( no, Stortinget ) (lit. the Great Thing) is the supreme legislature of Norway, established in 1814 by the Constitution of Norway. It is located in Oslo. The unicameral parliament has 169 members and is elected every four years bas ...
, although the section from Arendal to Åmli was approved. Work on planning the Grimstad Line continued with proposals to extend the line further. Following the decision to build the Arendal–Åmli Line, plans were made for the Grimstad Line to connect to the other line at Messel. In a meeting for various local politicians on 20 May 1895, it was decided to create a committee which was given permission to apply for a
concession Concession may refer to: General * Concession (contract) (sometimes called a concession agreement), a contractual right to carry on a certain kind of business or activity in an area, such as to explore or develop its natural resources or to operat ...
to build a railway. Two days later, at a new meeting, the committee was given permission to extend the line to Blakstad Bridge. The line was estimated to cost NOK 800,000, of which the municipalities and counties would cover half the costs. An application to the ministry was sent following a new meeting on 31 May.Bjerke & TovÃ¥s (1989): 12 Parliament voted on 20 May 1899 to give a grant of 368,000 to the Grimstad Line if it received concession. Half was to be given as a loan without interest and installments, half as share capital in the limited company which would be established to build and operate the line. The proposal was passed with 71 against 36 votes, with the minority arguing that it would upset the balance in the compromise which had been made in 1894 for a series of railway lines throughout the country. The plans for the line were based on the
Lillesand–Flaksvand Line The Lillesand–Flaksvand Line ( no, Lillesand–Flaksvandbanen) or LFB was a railway between Flaksvand (now called Flaksvatn) and Lillesand in Agder, Norway. The private line was built with narrow gauge and was not connected to the national r ...
, resulting in a curve radius of . The rolling stock would be the same, with the Grimstad Line needing two locomotives, six carriages with a total 114 seats, four
boxcar A boxcar is the North American (AAR) term for a railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simplest freight car design, is considered one of the most versatile since it can carry most ...
s and thirty lumber cars.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 13 Rudolf Krum was hired as chief engineer, while the state appointed Jonas Lund as auditing engineer. Lund immediately proposed shortening the line with by letting the line between Spedalen and Grimstad run via Vikkilen instead of via Rore, but this was rejected by other involved parties. In January 1900, Krum launched four plans for the station in Grimstad, all which would involve it being located at the port. However, it was then proposed that the station itself be located on a cheaper lot and that a branch instead be built to the port. After much local debate, the municipal council on 20 June 1902 with 25 against 3 votes chose to locate it at Vestrebugt. The
roundhouse Roundhouse may refer to: Architecture and buildings Types * Roundhouse (dwelling), a kind of house with circular walls, prehistoric and modern, all over the world **Atlantic roundhouse, an Iron Age stone building found in the northern and wester ...
and coal shed were moved further away from the station area.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 19


Construction

There were four bids for the tender to build the line; Ingeniørfirmaet Strøm & Hornemann was the cheapest and was awarded the contract in June 1903. They started work in 1903, despite that a concession was not granted until 29 August 1904, with a duration of 30 years, on condition that the line be completed by 1907. A last-minute change to the route was also made to allow access from Rykene. Instead of being laid through Lammedalen and across Nidelva at Kroken to Lindtveit, it was laid south of Temsevannet and through Strubro. This made the line longer. The line was to be built with the same gauge as the Arendal Line; although it was eventually decided to be built in narrow gauge, this was not known at the time. Therefore, the Grimstad was built so that the tracks could be laid either with narrow or standard gauge. The minimum curve radius was increased to , the maximum gradient 2.5 percent and with tracks weighing 15 kilograms per meter (22 lb/ft). The maximum permitted axle load was . The line's six bridges were built by Vulcan and Moss Mekaniske Verksted. Strøm & Hornemann built all the stations, except Grimstad, which was built by Heinecke, while Rise was built by the
Norwegian State Railways Vygruppen, branded as Vy, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach se ...
. The locomotives were delivered on 11 May 1906.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 21 A telephone line was built along the line.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 23 Construction and purchase of
rolling stock The term rolling stock in the rail transport industry refers to railway vehicles, including both powered and unpowered vehicles: for example, locomotives, freight and passenger cars (or coaches), and non-revenue cars. Passenger vehicles can ...
cost NOK 736,000, 38,500 over budge. The costs were divided evenly between the municipalities and the state. The line was finished on 23 June 1907, when the first train, with the municipal council and their wives, ran from Grimstad to Rise. The line was officially opened on 14 September. Ordinary operations started on 16 September.


Nationalization

When the line opened, there was no funding for operations, so the members of the committee guaranteed funds for their own risk. In June 1908, the company Aksjeselskapet Grimstad–Frolandsbanen was incorporated, with two board members appointed by Grimstad Municipal Council and two by the general assembly. Sigurd Berg was hired as general manager. To begin with, the line had two or three daily trains per direction.Bjerke & Tovås (1989): 37 Travel time from Grimstad to Rise was one hour and three to seven minutes. In 1910, it was necessary to replace some of the
ties TIES may refer to: * TIES, Teacher Institute for Evolutionary Science * TIES, The Interactive Encyclopedia System * TIES, Time Independent Escape Sequence * Theoretical Issues in Ergonomics Science * The International Ecotourism Society The In ...
, as the original ones had too low quality. The railway saw significantly less transport than estimated. There was very little lumber transport from Messel, in part because a
timber slide A timber slide is a device for moving timber past rapids and waterfalls. Their use in Canada was widespread in the 18th and 19th century timber trade. At this time, cut timber would be floated down rivers in large timber rafts from logging camp ...
had been built at Rykene in 1902. The factory at Rykene also chose to build an
aerial tramway An aerial tramway, sky tram, cable car, ropeway, aerial tram, telepherique, or seilbahn is a type of aerial lift which uses one or two stationary ropes for support while a third moving rope provides propulsion. With this form of lift, the grip ...
to transport its
wood pulp Pulp is a lignocellulosic fibrous material prepared by chemically or mechanically separating cellulose fibers from wood, fiber crops, waste paper, or rags. Mixed with water and other chemical or plant-based additives, pulp is the major raw ma ...
instead of sending it via the railway. Passenger traffic was limited on the inner parts of the line; particularly the detour via Rorevann was a disadvantage, as people from Fjære were from the center via the road, but by rail. From 1 July 1910 to 31 June 1911, the line transport 40,077 people, of which 152 traveled on second class and the rest in third class. The line carried of general cargo and of dispatch goods. It had income of NOK 22,531, but operating costs of NOK 32,000. In February 1910, the company's board ask the County Governor to apply for the state to take over the line. The standing committee agreed that the lien should be nationalized, and initially gave a grant of NOK 17,500 to operate the line for 15 months, in addition to refunding NOK 60,000 to Grimstad Municipality. An extraordinary general assembly was held on 30 November 1911 where the company was decided dissolved and the assets transferred to the state. This occurred on 22 and 23 January 1912, and from 24 January, the line was integrated with NSB and became subordinate Arendal District. After being nationalized, NSB stationed a
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
operator at Rykene, and increased the number of ties to increase the axle load to NSB's standard of . In 1924, the second-class carriages were removed, as too few people were willing to pay the 50% premium. In 1927, Cmb 13
diesel multiple unit A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple-unit train powered by on-board diesel engines. A DMU requires no separate locomotive, as the engines are incorporated into one or more of the carriages. Diesel-powered single-unit railcars are als ...
s were taken into use, this increasing the number of halts. The stations Roresand, Spedalen and Lia were unmanned in 1928. In 1927, the Sørland Line was extended to
Neslandsvatn Neslandsvatn is a village in Drangedal Municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. The village is located along the small lake Neslandsvatnet, about to the southeast of the village of Prestestranda. The village of Henseid is located ab ...
and received a temporary terminus at
Kragerø Kragerø () is a town and municipality in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Grenland and the smaller Vestmar. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Kragerø. The city of Kragerø ...
via the
Kragerø Line The Kragerø Line () was a long railway line between Neslandsvatn and Kragerø in Vestfold og Telemark county, Norway. It was opened on 2 December 1927 as part of the Sørlandet Line. From 10 November 1935, the Sørlandet Line was extended from ...
. The next stage of the line was the extension from Neslandsvatn to Nelaug, where it would connect to the Arendal Line and use it to reach the coast. In preparation for the arrival, NSB had in 1923 proposed to convert the Treungen and Grimstad Lines to standard gauge. This was denied, but again proposed in 1928. The cost was estimated at NOK 2.7 million. NSB also stated that an alternative was to close the line north of Nelaug and the Grimstad Line. In 1931, a new proposal was made, and finally a decision was made to rebuild the line from Arendal to Nelaug with
dual gauge In railway engineering, " gauge" is the transverse distance between the inner surfaces of the heads of two rails, which for the vast majority of railway lines is the number of rails in place. However, it is sometimes necessary for track to ...
. By 1934, the proposal was changed so that the Grimstad Line was to be closed, the section from Arendal to Nelaug has standard gauge, and the northern part have narrow gauge. The closing of the Grimstad Line was met with massive local opposition. The affected municipalities all issued statements opposing the closing and Grimstad stated they the NOK 90,000 in local funding for the Sørland Line would not be given. They also stated that if the line was closed, a series of improvements to the local road network would have to be made. On 21 June 1934, parliament voted to keep the Grimstad Line. The Arendal Line was converted to standard gauge in 1935, and became the end of the Sørland Line from 9 November. This caused a
break-of-gauge With railways, a break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot ...
at Rise, causing
transshipment Transshipment, trans-shipment or transhipment is the shipment of goods or containers to an intermediate destination, then to another destination. One possible reason for transshipment is to change the means of transport during the journey (e. ...
of all passengers and freight. Work to convert the Grimstad Line started on 24 September 1935, with an average 22 people working with the project. The right-of-way had to be changed at the northern section before the bridge across Nidelva, giving the line a curve radius. The roundhouse at Grimstad was also moved. During ten hours on 8 November 1936, the 24
switch In electrical engineering, a switch is an electrical component that can disconnect or connect the conducting path in an electrical circuit, interrupting the electric current or diverting it from one conductor to another. The most common type ...
es were replaced, and the following day operations resumed, with standard gauge trains. To being with, a steam locomotive was stationed at Grimstad, but in 1938 it was replaced with a multiple unit.Bjerke & TovÃ¥s (1989): 69 The line was transferred from Arendal District to Kristiansand District when the Sørland Line was opened to Kristiansand from 21 June 1938. In 1939, the Grimstad Line had an operating loss of NOK 90,000, and NSB made an inspection to consider closing the line. However, the road from Rise to Grimstad was in so poor condition that driving a bus on it would not be feasible.Bjerke & TovÃ¥s (1989): 89 Class 9 locomotives were introduced on so-called "small trains", where the
fireman A firefighter is a first responder and rescuer extensively trained in firefighting, primarily to extinguish hazardous fires that threaten life, property, and the environment as well as to rescue people and in some cases or jurisdictions also a ...
also acted as
conductor Conductor or conduction may refer to: Music * Conductor (music), a person who leads a musical ensemble, such as an orchestra. * ''Conductor'' (album), an album by indie rock band The Comas * Conduction, a type of structured free improvisation ...
. The class was also used on freight trains between Arendal and Grimstad. It would then back from Arendal to Rise, run forward to Grimstad, back from Grimtad to Rise and then run forward to Arendal. In 1947, the line received ''Kristine Valdresdatter'', a multiple unit previously used on the
Valdres Line , logo = , logo_width = , logo_alt = , image = Valdresbanen-Etna-Stasjon.jpg , image_name = , image_width = , image_alt = , caption = Now closed E ...
. It had only 45 seats, compared to the previous 52 in Cmb 13. ''Kristine Valdresdatter'' was retired in 1955 and replaced with Class 87.


Closing

By 1955, the amount of dispatch good and freight had been halved since 1930, to , respectively. The number of passengers was also down, to 40,000 per year. In 1957, NSB's costs of operating the line was NOK 750,000 per year, while income was NOK 90,000. In a letter dated 28 May, NSB proposed closing the line from 1 October 1958, and received support from the Ministry of Transport and Communications. However, Grimstad would need new and better roads should it lose the railway line, particularly the road from Grimstad to Blakstad. Because it took time to organize a new such road, the date of closing the line was delayed. Nic. Jørgensen proposed having private operation of the line; he wanted to put railway wheels on two ordinary buses and run them on the line. This was rejected by the ministry. The last train ran on 31 August 1961, and because of large traffic, a larger Class 86 was used instead of a Class 87 train. The passenger service was replaced by bus; the service from Grimstad to Rykene was extended to Rise, where there was transfer with the train. Demolish of the line started on 19 September and lasted until 21 November, when all but the last from Rise Station had been removed.Bjerke & TovÃ¥s (1989): 92 Rise Station received a new overpass, thus removing the level crossing. Part of the new road from Grimstad to Rise and Blakstad was placed on the railway's right-of-way. The Grimstad area received NOK 6.75 million worth of compensation roads.Bjerke & TovÃ¥s (1989): 95


See also

*
Narrow gauge railways in Norway In Norway, a number of main lines were in the 19th century built with narrow gauge, , to save cost in a sparsely populated mountainous country. This included Norway's first own long-distance line, the Røros Line, connecting Oslo and Trondheim, ...


References

;Bibliography * * ;Notes {{Coord, 58.4649, 8.7696, region:NO-42, format=dms, display=title Railway lines in Norway Railway lines in Agder Railway lines opened in 1907 1907 establishments in Norway Grimstad Closed railway lines in Norway Private railway lines in Norway 3 ft 6 in gauge railways in Norway Standard gauge railways in Norway