Norway before the railway
When the planning started to build a national railway network in Norway, the country was in a political union with Sweden. At the beginning of the 19th century lumber products was Norway's most important export commodity. The capacity, however, of transportation of timber from the vast forests and sawmills of East Norway to the timber yards in Christiania (now Oslo) was insufficient and freight costs were too high. It was a slow and laborious business travelling by road. Goods such as grain and flour were then transported back from the port cities to inland Norway and elsewhere around the country. The need for a more efficient means to transport people was another important factor spurring the construction of a national network of railway lines.

It was more expensive and more difficult to build and operate railways in Norway than in most other countries. About three-quarters of the track in Norway is built with a gradient and over half is curved. This gives an indication of how the landscape has influenced the railway network and about the work involved in building such a system in mountainous terrain. On the other hand, the spectacular nature of the countryside has meant that many lines have become tourist attractions in their own right.

The Norwegian Trunk Railway
The first steam ships started sailing on Lake Mjøsa in 1840. With the introduction of the Norwegian Trunk Railway in 1854, people could travel between Christiania (Oslo) and Lillehammer on a more modern means of transportation.

The Norwegian Trunk Railway from Christiania to Eidsvoll, was the first line built in Norway. The 68 kilometer stretch was opened on 1 September 1854. It was built by an English/Norwegian company and had been under construction since 1851. The project was led by English "navvies." The choice of track, gauge, ticket system, etc. was based on English standards. The railway began operating with seven engines supplied by Robert Stephenson & Co.

(Photo: Steam locomotiv No. 1 from the Norwegian Trunk Railway. The engine driver is William Graham, jmf 005227).

Passengers with 4th class tickets travelled in carriages that had neither roofs nor seats. Nevertheless, in the first year 94.700 of a total 128.000 travelled standing in open air to/from Eidsvoll. A 4th class ticket cost NOK 1,33 or the equivalent of a day's pay for a construction worker. 1st class travel cost NOK 6,00, which included a foot warmer and upholstered seats.

Other railway lines
Following the opening of the Norwegian Trunk Railway there was a great rush to develop new lines; the Hamar-Grundset Line (the first state railway) and the Kongsvinger Line in 1862 and the Trondhjem-Støren Line in 1864. The Randsfjord Line from Drammen to Randsfjorden openend in 1868. The first "inter-city" connection was the Drammen Line, which opened in 1870. The stretch Christiania-Drammen opened in 1872 and the Jær Line from Stavanger to Egersund opened in 1878. The Østfold Line to Halden opened in 1879, the Vestfold Line in 1881 and the railway line between Bergen and Voss in 1883.

A continuous rail link between Christiania and Trondheim was established in 1880 with break of gauge at Hamar. The line to Trondheim over the Dovre mountains was completed in 1921 after a stage by stage development along Gudbrandsdalen. Other milestones included the completion of the Bergen Line in 1909, the South Coast Main Line to Kristiansand in 1938. It was not until 1944 that one could travel by train all the way from Oslo to Stavanger. The Northern Main Line was the last railway line to open in Norway, the last stretch from Fauske to Bodø not opening until 1962. The most recent railway construction project in Norway was the Gardermoen Line, which opened in 1998 (travelling between downtown Oslo and the Oslo International Airport Gardermoen).

(Photo: From the opening og the Northern Main line at Bodø station, June 7th 1962. Gunnar Engegård, jmf 016374).

In the middle of the 19th century, Norway was a country poor in capital and expertise, but rich in people with a good business sense and a willingness to work hard. The national railway lines were organised as separate public companies, with investment capital coming from both private and government sources. The ”Norwegian system” meant that the government assumed responsibility for running the railway lines, but that the railway lines had separate management boards, separate identities and the railway employees on the different lines even wore different uniforms. The government decided to develop a national railway plan in 1874. The plan was completed and presented the following year, and ushered in a new phase in railway development in Norway, one in which there was a stronger control from Stortinget (Norwegian parliament). As of 1883, all the national railway lines were organised under one and the same administrative authority.

The Norwegian railway network was at its longest, 4298 km, in 1964. As a result of the subsequent re-routing and closing of some railway lines, this figure was later reduced.

Track width
The Norwegian railway engineer Carl Abraham Pihl introduced the 3'6" (1067 mm) narrow gauge, that cost less to build and was cheaper to run than the English 4'8 ½" standard gauge (1435 mm). The Jær Line, Setesdal Line, Drammen Line and Røros Line were among those built as narrow gauge lines. "International" lines such as Kongsvinger Line, Meråker Line and Smaalen Line were built standard gauge. As the railway system gradually expanded the different gauges became a problem. At Hamar, for instance, passengers had to change trains for their onward journey on the Røros Line. However, a resolution in 1898 to build the Bergen Line in standard gauge was the death blow to the narrow gauge lines. All lines were subsequently converted to standard gauge. Today’s normal track width (standard gauge) in Norway is 1435 millimetres. The year 1944 was when the last narrow gauge railway line was closed down.

(Photo: Carl Abraham Phil (1825-1897). Gustav Borgen, jmf 016553).

Tourists
Tourism was common in Norway before the introduction of the railroad, but it was the railway lines that truly opened up the country to tourism. The three major tourist railway lines are the Rauma Line, the Bergen Line and the Flåm Line.

The Rauma Line
The Rauma Line was completed in 1924, taking passengers from Dombås on the Dovre Line and down the Romsdalen valley to Åndalsnes. The line is one of the most attractive railways in Norway. During the hour-long journey you can travel from winter in the mountains to spring and summer in Romsdalen. One of the greatest attractions on the Rauma Line is the spinal tunnel at Verma. To negotiate the gradient at the narrowest part of the valley the railway completely reverses through the Stavem tunnel which makes a complete circle to gain height. At Verma station is the beautiful stone-arched Kylling Bridge.

(Photo: The Kylling Bridge. Yngvar Hansen, jmf 041682).

The Bergen Line
The railway line taking passengers and goods from the east to the west of the country, from Christiania (Oslo) to Bergen, was the most ambitious railway construction project ever undertaken in Norway. It was a significant challenge to build a railway line across the Norwegian high mountain landscape dividing the two cities. With talented engineers and a tough construction crew, not to mention a budget equal to an entire national budget, the track opened in 1909. About 20 % of the distance crosses through high mountain landscape. The Bergen Line had 178 tunnels, Gravhalsen being the longest tunnel at 5,311 metres. The highest point along the line is Finse (1,222 metres above sea level).

(Photo: Navvies working in the Gravhalsen tunnel 1898-1902, jmf 005136).

The Flåm Line
Another famous tourist attraction is the Flåm Line, which was completed in 1941. This branch of the Bergen Line takes off at Myrdal station at 866 metres above sea level, and follows the narrow valley down to Aurlandsfjorden, a side-arm of Sognefjorden. Over 20 winding kilometres and through 21 tunnels, the train descends from mountain at Myrdal station to Flåm at 2 metres above sea-level. It takes just 50 minutes. With its sharp incline (1:18), the Flåm Line is perhaps even more spectacular than the Rauma Line.