Setesdal Line
| Length: | Starts: | Ends: | Status: |
|---|---|---|---|
| 58 km | Grovane Station | Byglandsfjord Station | Heritage railway |
The Setesdal Line was a 78.33-kilometre long narrow-gauged railway line which ran between Kristiansand and Byglandsfjord. After the line was closed in 1962, eight kilometres of the part between Grovane and Røyknes has been reopened as a heritage railway.
Photos
Movie
Train on the Setesdal Line. Photo: Postmuseet
The Decision
A railway committee led by the Sverdrup government considered a low-cost line between Kristiansand and Kile. This was approved by Parliament on 8 July 1890. The line should be constructed with an 1,067 millimetre gauge track. On 18 July 1902 the Parliament allocated NOK 570,000 to start the construction work of the line, which should be founded by district grants from the municipalities.
The Construction
The construction work started at Mosby on 10 January 1893. From June 1894, the route between Hornnes and Byglandsfjord was built. On 11 November the first train ran on the Setesdal Line from Kristiansand to Mosby. Hunsfos Fabrikker started to use the line for freight transport on 11 November 1895 between Mosby and Vennesla. From 26 November trains were running all the way up to Hægeland.
The Opening
The Setesdal Line was opened on 25 November 1896. The first train departed at 8:15 in the morning from Kristiansand and retuned at 6:30 in the evening from Byglandsfjord. After two days with test traffic, the first ordinary train ran on 27 November.
Increased Traffic and Surplus
The traffic was steadily increasing after the opening until the peak year of 1920. Around 400,000 passengers and 130,000 tons of goods were transported in 1919/20. During this period, the railway line was run in surplus every year. On 15 March 1920 the track between Røyknes and Iveland was raised several metres due to the construction of a hydro-electric power plant at Nomeland.
Recession
In 1921 a bus route opened between Kristiansand and Vennesla via Mosby. Next year another bus route opened between Kristiansand and Kvarstein. The passenger transport on the Setesdal Line was soon outcompeted by the new bus services. Although the ridership increased when new halts opened and petrol-powered motor couches were put into service, the line was still run in deficit. The ridership decreased significantly after the Sørlandet Line was extended to Kristiansand in 1938. This line took over all the passenger traffic between Kristiansand and Grovane. The passenger transport north of Grovane was too low and there was little industry along the upper part of the line.
The Closing
The Setesdal Line now faced two choices. It could either close or be converted to standard gauge. When the construction of Iveland Power Plant started in 1942, five kilometres of track were raised due to higher water levels. It was then considered to construct the new path with standard gauge, but the Ministry of Transport decided not to keep the old track gauge. The new route opened on 6 December 1951. The gauge track was further debated, and it was suggested to extend the line to either Ustaoset or Haugastøl on the Bergen Line. Instead, the Parliament decided on 13 January 1960 to close the Setesdal Line from 1 September 1962.
Heritage Railway
From 3 September until the summer of 1963, the line was demolished between Byglandsfjord and Beihølen. Many of the couches were burned, but some of the material was sold to the Sulitjelma Line. Enthusiasts of the Danish Railway Club suggested to preserve 4—5 kilometres of track north of Grovane Station. In 1963 the Setesdal Line Hobby Club was funded, and next year the first heritage train ran. In September 1974 the club was renamed to "Foreningen Setesdalsbanen", which goal was to run the line as a heritage railway. After the Sulitjelma Line was closed in 1972, some of the previous sold material was transferred back. On 1978 the association also took over a passenger couch of the Thamshavn Line. In 1996 the line was extended to Beihøldalen and to Røyknes on 5 September 2004. The heritage railway was now eight kilometres long.
Visible Remains
North of Røyknes, the station buildings at Iveland, Hægeland, Hornnes and Byglandsfjord are preserved. Most of the tunnels between Røyknes and Iveland are now part of Highway 57. Between Iveland and Byglandsfjord, 50 kilometres of the route have been converted to a rail trail.
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