Thamshavn Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 km | Thamshavn Station | Løkken Station | Heritage railway |
The Thamshavn Line was a 25-kilometre long railway line between Thamshavn and Løkken Verk. It was mainly constructed to transport pyrites from the mines at Løkken Verk to the port at Thamshavn and became one of the first electric railways in Norway. The line was closed in 1973, but reopened in 1983 as a heritage railway.
Photos
Movie
Motor wagon at Orkanger Station. Photo: Anders Beer Wilse/Norsk Folkemuseum
Mining activities
After working as an architect in France for several years, Christian Thams returned home to Norway in 1890 in order to take over the family business after his father. He improved the efficiency of the old mining activity at Løkken Verk with his company _Orkla Grube-Aktiebolag_ he founded in 1904. In order to transport iron ore to the port at Thamshavn, he constructed the Thamshavn Line. The railway line opened for passenger and freight trains between Svorkmo and Thamshavn on 10 July 1908 and was further extended to Løkken Verk on 15 August 1910.
Sabotage
The Germans became interested in the Thamshavn Line during the World War II due to the copper and pyrite production at Løkken Verk. They converted the line to a standard-gauged railway by using a dual gauge track consisting of three rails, although it was never used and later removed. The Germans engagement concerned the Allies who later destroyed the locomotives and a transformer station during the years 1942—1944.
Closed down
During the 1960s, the passenger traffic on the Thamshavn Line was outcompeted by bus services. When the mining activity also was reduced, the regular person and freight train services terminated on 30 April 1963. The iron ore transport continued until 29 May 1974 when the mining production was reorganised. On 10 July 1983, the line reopened as a heritage railway between Løkken Verk and Svorkmo. The heritage railway was later extended to Bårdshaug and became 22 kilometres long. In 1993, the remaining track between Thamshavn and Orkanger was abolished. On 19 December 2013, the Thamshavn Line with all its station buildings were preserved by the Directorate for Cultural Heritage.