Dunderland Line

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Dunderland Line
Dunderland Iron Ore Company 1936a.jpeg
Overview
Native nameDunderlandsbanen
Type Railway
StatusAssimilated into the Nordland Line
Termini Storforshei
Gullsmedvik
Operation
Opened1904
Owner Dunderland Iron Ore Company
Operator(s)Dunderland Iron Ore Company
Character Iron ore freight
Technical
Line length23.7 km (14.7 mi)
Number of tracks Single
Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Electrification No

The Dunderland Line (Norwegian : Dunderlandsbanen) was a 23.7 km (14.7 mi) railway line between Gullsmedvik in the town of Mo i Rana and the village of Storforshei in Rana Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. Since 1942 the line has been part of the Nordland Line. The line was originally built and owned by Dunderland Iron Ore Company, which used it to freight iron ore from their mine at Storforshei to the port at Gullsmedvik.

Norwegian language North Germanic language spoken in Norway

Norwegian is a North Germanic language spoken mainly in Norway, where it is the official language. Along with Swedish and Danish, Norwegian forms a dialect continuum of more or less mutually intelligible local and regional varieties, and some Norwegian and Swedish dialects, in particular, are very close. These Scandinavian languages, together with Faroese and Icelandic as well as some extinct languages, constitute the North Germanic languages. Faroese and Icelandic are hardly mutually intelligible with Norwegian in their spoken form because continental Scandinavian has diverged from them. While the two Germanic languages with the greatest numbers of speakers, English and German, have close similarities with Norwegian, neither is mutually intelligible with it. Norwegian is a descendant of Old Norse, the common language of the Germanic peoples living in Scandinavia during the Viking Era.

Mo i Rana Town in Northern Norway, Norway

Mo i Rana is a town and the administrative centre of the municipality of Rana in Nordland county, Norway. It is located in the Helgeland region of Nordland, just south of the Arctic Circle. Some of the outlying areas of the town include the suburbs of Båsmoen and Ytteren in the north and Selfors in the east and Åga/Hauknes/Dalsgrenda in the south.

Storforshei Village in Northern Norway, Norway

Storforshei is a village in the Dunderland Valley in the municipality of Rana in Nordland county, Norway. The village is located along the river Ranelva, about 25 kilometres (16 mi) northeast of the town of Mo i Rana. The European route E06 and the Nordland Line both pass through the village. The village of Nevernes and the Nevernes Church both lie about 3 kilometres (1.9 mi) to the south.

Contents

The line was built to exploit iron ore which had been discovered by Nils Persson and later sold to Edison Ore-Milling Company. Construction of the line started in 1902, it was completed two years later and revenue services started in 1906. The mine had many operating difficulties, and operations fell to a halt several times for years. With the German occupation of Norway in 1940, the Wehrmacht and Organisation Todt started building the Nordland Line, with the Dunderland Line being upgraded and connected to the mainline on 15 May 1942. After the war, the Norwegian State Railways had to carry out extensive upgrades to the line for it to meet modern standards.

Iron ore ore rich in iron or the element Fe

Iron ores are rocks and minerals from which metallic iron can be economically extracted. The ores are usually rich in iron oxides and vary in colour from dark grey, bright yellow, or deep purple to rusty red. The iron is usually found in the form of magnetite (Fe
3O
4, 72.4% Fe), hematite (Fe
2O
3, 69.9% Fe), goethite (FeO(OH), 62.9% Fe), limonite (FeO(OH)·n(H2O), 55% Fe) or siderite (FeCO3, 48.2% Fe).

Nils Persson (industrialist) Swedish politician

Nils Persson was a Swedish consul, businessman, and politician from Helsingborg.

Edison Ore-Milling Company

The Edison Ore-Milling Company was a venture by Thomas Edison that began in 1881. Edison introduced some significant technological developments to the iron ore milling industry but the company ultimately proved to be unprofitable. Towards the end of the company's life Edison realised the potential application of his technologies to the cement industry, and formed the Edison Portland Cement Company in 1899.

Route

The Dunderland Line was a single track, standard gauge 23.7 km (14.7 mi) railway between Gullsmedvik and Storforshei. [1] It started at Mo i Rana Port at Gullsmedvik and ran up the Dunderland Valley until it reached Rena Mine at Storforshei, following the south shore of the river Ranaelva. After the assimilation with the Nordland Line, the sections to Gullsmedvik and Storfoshei became branch lines of the main line. [2]

Dunderland Valley valley in Rana, Norway

The Dunderland Valley is a valley in the municipality of Rana in Nordland county, Norway. It reaches from just below the eastern Saltfjellet plateau about 8 miles (13 km) south of the Arctic circle. The mountain Bolna is situated in the uppermost boundary of the valley which then proceeds to the southwest all the way down to the Ranfjorden. Some of the minor side valleys include Plurdalen, Røvassdalen, Bjøllådalen, Grønfjelldalen and Virvassdalen. The valley also includes several villages such as Krokstrand, Bjøllånes, Storvoll, Dunderland, Eiterå, Nevernes, Storforshei, Nevermoen and Røssvoll.

The line starts at Gullsmedvik, which is currently located 500.85 km (311.21 mi) from Oslo Central Station. It crosses the river of Tverråga after 0.74 km (0.46 mi) and had a bridge over Plura. After NSB rebuilt the line it received a series of tunnels. Starting at 8.75 km (5.44 mi), the line runs through three tunnels in rapid succession: the 174 m (571 ft) Trolldalen Tunnel, the 616 m (2,021 ft) Reinfossen Tunnel and the 125 m (410 ft) Kalvhaugen Tunnel. [3] At 15.65 km (9.72 mi) the line passes through the 1,760 m (5,770 ft) Illhullia Tunnel. It passes through two last tunnels, the 156 m (512 ft) Gomea Tunnel at 18.9 km (11.7 mi) and the 198 m (650 ft) Smånesli Tunnel before reaching the mine at Storforshei. [4]

Oslo Central Station railway station in Oslo, Norway

Oslo Central Station is the main railway station in Oslo, and the largest railway station within the entire Norwegian railway system. It is the terminus of Drammen Line, Gardermoen Line, Gjøvik Line, Hoved Line and Østfold Line. It serves express, regional and local rail services by four companies. The railway station is operated by Bane NOR while its real estate subsidiary, Bane NOR Eiendom owns the station, and was opened in 1980.

Tverråga river in Rana, Norway

Tverråga is a river in the municipality of Rana in Nordland county, Norway. The river flows from lake Tverrvatnet north until it joins the river Ranelva. The river absorbs seven other rivers during its course, the last one by Hamaren near the village of Gruben.

History

Construction

Mining in Rana has taken place since it was established at Ormlia in 1799. [5] Ole Tobias Olsen discovered iron ore on his farm of Nord-Dunderland, for which he registered a mining claim in 1879. [6] Since 1872, Olsen had been working on promoting the construction of the Nordland Line northwards from Trondheim. [7] In 1891, he petitioned the government to look at his claim as a source of national wealth and requested that the Nordland Line be built via the Dunderland Valley to allow shipment of the ore to the coastal port of Mo. He received a grant to carry out technical investigations for a railway. [6]

Ole Tobias Olsen Norwegian teacher and minister

Ole Tobias Olsen was a Norwegian teacher and minister. He is best known as the father of the Nordland Line between Trondheim and Bodø in Nordland county, Norway.

A Swedish investor took initiative to build a line up the Dunderland Valley as a private railway. Olsen was opposed to this and instead wanted a state railway. As a member of Nordland County Council, he gained the council's support to ask Parliament to finance a state-owned 47 km (29 mi) railway from Mo up the Dunderland Valley. The council alternatively asked for a private railway which the state had unlimited rights to redeem. The line was presumed built in such a way that would make up part of the Nordland Line when it reached Rana. [6]

Private railways of Norway

Private railways in Norway consist of industrial and public railways. Industrial railways were used to transport ore or other industrial products to ports, although they have, particularly to begin with, also operated passenger and cargo services. The other nine private railways have been public and operated as mixed passenger and freight services. Of these, four were later taken over by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB). Only five non-industrial railways were never nationalized, although all have been closed. There were the Nesttun–Os, Holmestrand–Vittingfoss, Lillesand–Flaksvand, Tønsberg–Eidsfoss and the Lier lines. No industrial railways remain in operation, although one former private railway, the Trunk Line, Norway's first railway, is still in use.

Norwegian State Railways (1883–1996) state-owned railways of Norway (1883–1996)

The Norwegian State Railways was a state-owned railway company that operated most of the railway network in Norway. The government agency/directorate was created in 1883 to oversee the construction and operation of all state-owned railways in Norway. On 1 December 1996, it was demerged to create the infrastructure operator Norwegian National Rail Administration, the train operator Norwegian State Railways and the Norwegian Railway Inspectorate. The name was taken by the train operator, although the infrastructure operator remained a government agency and is the legal successor.

Nordland County Municipality County in Norway

Nordland County Municipality is the regional governing administration of Nordland county in Norway. The main responsibilities of the county municipality includes the running of 16 upper secondary schools, with 9,500 pupils. It administers the county roads, public transport, dental care, culture, and cultural heritage.

Based on the redeemable private alternative, Olsen applied in 1896 for concession to build the railway. The application was supported by the municipal council, and the application emphasized that the line would be built with Norwegian capital, Norwegian management and by Norwegian workers. The county council also recommended the concession, although they asked that it be operated as a state railway. However, the concession was rejected by the state. [6]

During the 1880s, Swedish industrialist Nils Persson and his engineer Alfred Hasselbom found large deposits of ore in the Dunderland Valley. Persson secured the mining claims at and also bought land to build a railway and land to build a plant at port at Gullsmedvik. He sold the rights and land for £199,000 to Edison Ore-Milling Company, who established the subsidiary Dunderland Iron Ore Company in 1902 to build and operate the mines and facilities. [8]

Based on the mining laws, DIOC built a railway line to connect the mine to the port facilities, [9] with construction starting in 1902. The largest challenge was a cutting which had to be built through a 40 m (130 ft) tall ridge of a hill. Two thousand people were involved in construction. The railway was completed in 1904, easing shipments from the mine. [8] It was officially handed over from the construction company on 1 November 1904. [10] Revenue service started in 1906. [8]

However, the separation method was not efficient: By 1908 only 87,500 tonnes (86,100 long tons; 96,500 short tons) had been exported, compared to the budgeted 750,000 tonnes (740,000 long tons; 830,000 short tons). DIOC therefore closed operations, including the railway. The company was refinanced in 1913, allowing operations to resume. But the need for new separation technology to start operations delayed the opening because of the First World War. In 1919, lack of coal and the 1920–22 recession also caused a delay, but after that production again started. Production halted again in 1931, but resumed in 1937. British investors bought DIOC in 1938, but because of the ore's high phosphorus content, only German mills were interested in purchasing the ore. After Germany declared war on the United Kingdom on 3 September 1939, production was halted. [11]

Assimilation

With the German occupation of Norway during the Second World War, construction of the Nordland Line, which by then had reached Mosjøen, became subordinate to the Wehrmacht. It contracted the work to Organisation Todt, which subcontracted German and Austrian construction companies, largely using prisoners of war as work force. [9] The Nordland Line opened between Mosjøen and Mo i Rana on 28 February 1942. [12] Originally Wehrmacht had instructed that Storforshei would be the terminus of the Nordland Line, but in January 1942 they ordered that the line should continue northwards. [13]

The Dunderland Line was under-dimensioned for NSB's standards, so the entire line needed to be upgraded. Major projects included replacing wooden bridges with either steel bridges or embankments, and covering the open culverts. Sections which were rebuilt included those past Tverrånes, Avakåsa, Plura, Illhullia and Gomea. [14] The old line was highly susceptible to landslides, forcing NSB to rebuild parts of the line with tunnels. There were originally 45 curves with a radius of under 300 m (980 ft) which had to be rebuilt. [15]

NSB started operations on the Dunderland Line on 15 May 1942. [10] The section of the Dunderland Line from Guldsmedvik to Tverånes and from Bjørnhei to Storforshei was not included in the Nordland Line, becoming two spurs. On 12 April 1943, traffic opened on the section between Mo i Rana to Nevernes, consisting of 3 km (1.9 mi) from Mo to Tverånes, the Dunderland Line from Tverånes to Bjørnhei and the 4.4 km (2.7 mi) section from Bjørnhei to Nevernes. At the time, the line had a maximum permitted axle load of 12 tonnes (12 long tons; 13 short tons), and a maximum permitted speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) from Mo to Bjørnhei and 20 km/h (12 mph) to Nevernes. [16]

The Dunderland Line was bought by the state for 2.5 million Norwegian krone in 1947. The construction work on the Nordland Line was of poor quality, resulting in low operating speeds. NSB was therefore forced to redo large parts of the German work after the war. By 1959, NSB had used NOK 45.7 million to upgrade the section from Mo to Storforshei. [14]

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Timeline of railway electrification in Norway

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History of rail transport in Norway

The history of rail transport in Norway had begun by 1805.

Nevernes Village in Northern Norway, Norway

Nevernes is a village in the municipality of Rana in Nordland county, Norway. The rural village is located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northeast of the town of Mo i Rana. The village is located in the Dunderland Valley along the river Ranelva, about 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) southeast of the village of Storforshei. European route E06 and the Nordland Line both pass through the village. Nevernes Church is located in this village.

References

  1. ↑ Bjerke: 92
  2. ↑ Bjerke: 101
  3. ↑ Bjerke: 100
  4. ↑ Bjerke: 102
  5. ↑ Ryssdal: 3
  6. 1 2 3 4 Svanberg: 136
  7. ↑ Svanberg: 131
  8. 1 2 3 Ryssdal: 4
  9. 1 2 Svanberg: 359
  10. 1 2 Bjerke: 93
  11. ↑ Ryssdal: 5
  12. ↑ Ellingsve: 28
  13. ↑ Ellingsve: 32
  14. 1 2 Ellingsve: 37
  15. ↑ Bjerke: 104
  16. ↑ Ellingsve: 39

Bibliography

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