Holmestrand–Vittingfoss Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 24 km | Holmestrand privatbanestasjon Station | Hvittingfoss Station | Abandoned |
The Holmestrand–Vittingfoss Line was a 24-kilometre long private narrow-gauged railway line between Holmestrand and Hvittingfoss. The line opened in 1902 and branched off the Vestfold Line in Holmestrand. It shared the same tracks as the Tønsberg–Eidsfoss Line between Hillestad and Hof. The passenger service was terminated in 1931 and the line was abolished in 1938.
Holmestrand Private Station. Photo: null
Challenging terrain
The Holmestrand—Vittingfoss Line was first considered as a so-called tertiary railway with 750 millimeter gauge track due to the hilly landscape in Holmestrand and Hvittingfoss. But an 1067 millimeter gauge track with a gradient of 2.5 percent was later decided. To manage the steep elevation from Holmestrand, the train had to back off from the terminus to the freight station "Reversen" and continue forward up the mountainside and through the 342-metre long Gausen Tunnel. The last part east of the terminus at Hvittingfoss was also very steep. Thus the line was constructed with a large curve southward before it reached Hvittingfoss Station. The six-kilometre long part between Hillestad and Hof was shared with the Tønsberg—Eidsfoss Line. Hence the line was only 24 kilometres long.
Low ridership
Although the line was built to transport timber from the sawmill "Vittingfoss Brug", it had some passenger traffic as well. In 1918, 90,910 passengers travelled with the Holmestrand—Vittingfoss Line, but from 1923 the ridership declined. Two years later, a bus route opened between Svarstad and Kongsberg. This outcompeted the railway line, which had a travel time of 90 minutes. The buses were much faster and the road was also seven kilometres shorter. As a result, the passenger transport terminated on 27 September 1931. In 1934 the Holmestrand—Vittingfoss Line and the Tønsberg—Eidsfoss Line merged into the new company A/S Vestfold Privatbaner. On 1 June 1938 both lines were closed and abolished.
Preservation
In 1999 the association Vestfold Privatbaners Museum was founded to preserve history and cultural monuments of the Holmestrand—Vittingfoss Line and the Tønsberg—Eidsfoss Line. 150 metres of track was reconstructed along the old route at Reidvintunet and a copy of Ramnes Station was built. The previous draisine shed of Svinevoll Station was placed at Reidvintunet as well.
Remains today
The station building at the terminus in Holmestrand is demolished, but the locomotive shed at Gausen Halt is today a car repair shop. The southern entrance of Gausen Tunnel is blocked by fence, but open from the other side along a trail near the park Bassengparken. The part between Island and Hillestad is today a rail trail, passing the railway museum at Reidvintunet. The platform of Hillestad Halt is also preserved as well as a railway bridge at Sundbyfoss. At Langmo, east of Hvittingfoss, is it possible to follow the route as a forest road southward passed an information board about the railway line. The station building at Hvittingfoss burned down in 2013, but the railway bridge of the spur to the sawmill is preserved.