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Tinnoset Line

Length:	Starts:	Ends:	Status:
49 km	Tinnoset Station	Hjuksebø Station	Abandoned

The Tinnoset Line was built in order to transport fertiliser from Norsk Hydro's plant in Rjukan to the port in Skien. The line became a part of the Bratsberg Line in 1917, but closed in 1991 when Norsk Hydro established a new plant at Herøya in Porsgrunn.

D/F Rjukanfos at Tinnoset. Photo: Anders Beer Wilse/Norsk Folkemuseum

Sam Eyde and Kristian Birkeland founded _Norsk Hydro-Elektrisk Kvælstofaktieselskab_ in 1905 which builded a fertiliser plant in Rjukan based on the nitrogen fixation process. This method, also referred to as the Birkeland–Eyde Process, required a large amounts of energy, and the Vemork Power Plant was built. An efficient transport network was needed in order to transport the fertilisers to the coast and further out to the markeds. The Parliament approved the construction of a transport network between Rjukan and Notodden, consisting of two railway lines, which were connected by a train ferry on Lake Tinn. These two lines were the Rjukan Line between Mæl and Rjukan, and the Tinnoset Line between Tinnoset and Notodden. The fertilisers were further transported from Notodden to Skien on barges through several locks on the Telemark Canal. On 18 February 1909, the first freight train ran from Notodden to Tinnoset, but the official opening was on 9 August. Both lines were electrified on 11 July 1911 and became the first electrified normal-gauged railway lines in Norway.

Inefficient transport network
Hydro wanted to improve the inefficient transport network between Notodden and Skien. On 25 July 1913, the Parliament approved a railway line between Nordagutu and Eikonrød near Skien. A line between Notodden and Hjuksebø was already approved on 9 July 1908 in order to connect the Rjukan Line to the main railway network. Hydro gave financial support for the construction of the part between Nordagutu and Eikonrød, today known as the Bratsberg Line. The company _Tinnoset—Porsgrund Line_ was founded by which the Norwegian state owned 55 percent and Hydro the rest. Then it became possible to transport the fertilisers by rail all the way from Rjukan to Skien. On 17 December 1917, the Bratsberg Line was officially opened and was extended to Tinnoset, replacing the name _Tinnoset Line_. The 54-kilometre long barge transport system between Skien and Notodden terminated. From 1 July 1955, the Bratsberg Line was fully transferred to the state. Since 2008, the Tinnoset Line is known as the railway line between Tinnoset and Hjuksebø according to the Norwegian National Rail Administration (Bane Nor).

Haber Process
Since 1929, the German Haber Process was used for the production of ammonia and fertiliser. This new method caused a significant increase in the production where Hydro needed new tank wagons and a new train ferry. In 1934 Hydro started to produce heavy water in the hydrogen plant at Vemork, located west of Rjukan. The heavy water, as well as the ammonia, were transported by tank wagons on the train ferries across Lake Tinn. In 1942 it was known that plutonium could be produced by using heavy water, something which concerned the Allies. Vemork and Rjukan were bombed by the Americans in 1943 and the train ferry _D/F Hydro_ sank after a sabotage action on the night of 19/20 February 1944.

Preserved
New plants were built near the coast and the production at Rjukan decreased. On 1 January 1991, the passenger traffic terminated on the Tinnoset Line. The freight trains continued until 5 July the same year when Hydro discontinued most of the production at Rjukan. On 17 June 2008, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage recommended that the Rjukan Line, Tinnoset Line and the train ferries should be placed on the UNESCO's Tentative List for nomination. The celebration of the 100th anniversary was arranged on 9 August 2009 where vintage trains were running from Notodden to Rjukan as well as the train ferry _D/F Storegut_ across the Lake Tinn. On 22 December 2011, the Directorate for Cultural Heritage approved the preservation of the Tinnoset Line. The application to UNESCO was sent on 30 January 2014, and on 5 July 2015 the two railway lines as well as the train ferries were placed on UNESCO's World Heritage Site. There is a plan to repair the overhead line which has almost been removed by metal theft the recent years.