Setesdal Line

Setesdal Line
Norwegian: Setesdalsbanen
Veteran train on the Setesdal Line, 23 July 2003. The train is driving onto the .
Terminus	Grovane Røyknes
Commercial operations
Built by	Norwegian State Railways
Original gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Original electrification	None
Preserved operations
Owned by	Setesdal Line
Operated by	Setesdal Line
Stations	Kristiansand Station - Byglandsfjord Station (original) Grovane Station - Røyknes Station (heritage)
Length	78 km (48 mi) (original) 8 km (5 mi) (heritage)
Preserved gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Commercial history
Opened	26 November 1895
Closed	1 September 1962
Website
setesdalsbanen.no

The Setesdal Line (Norwegian: Setesdalsbanen) was a railway between Kristiansand and Byglandsfjord in southern Norway, 78 km (48 mi) long. It was built with a narrow gauge of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in), and opened to Hægeland 26 November 1895, and to Byglandsfjord 27 November 1896. Stations along the line included Mosby, Vennesla, Grovene (Grovane), Iveland and Hægeland.

Today, only the stretch between Grovane and Røyknes of the original line is preserved as a heritage railway.

History[]

When the standard gauged Sørlandet Line was opened to Kristiansand in 1938, Grovane became the new terminal station for the Setesdal Line, with connection to the Sørlandet Line.

The Setesdal Line was suspended from 1 September 1962, and the track was lifted between Byglandsfjord and Beihølen. The 6 km (3.7 mi) line between Beihølen and Grovane was, however, preserved by local enthusiasts. The was already established in 1964.

Today, the Setesdal Line is a railway museum with steam trains serving the 8 km (5.0 mi) line between Grovane and Røyknes. Four steam locomotives from 1894-1902 are preserved, along with a number of passenger and freight cars.

The preserved locomotives[]

Narrow gauge steam locomotives[]

NSB Class XXI number 1

• Class XXI number 1, built at Dübs and Company in 1894.
• Class XXI number 2, built at Dübs and Company in 1894.
• Class XXI number 5, built at Thunes Mekaniske Værksted in 1901.
• Class XXII number 6, built at Thunes Mekaniske Værksted in 1902.

Narrow gauge diesel locomotives[]

• number 227, built in 1950. Bought from the SJ in 1976.
• number 307, built in 1952. Bought from the SJ in 1981.

Narrow gauge railcars[]

• number 2672, built in 1932 at Strømmens Værksted. 56 passengers.
• Cmdo Sulitelma, built in 1957 at Strømmens Værksted. 56 passengers. Transferred to the Setesdal Line after the closure of Sulitjelma Line.

Standard gauge diesel locomotives[]

These locomotives are only used for shunting at areas with dual gauge track.

• number 39, built in 1936.
• number 44, built in 1936.

Heritage railway stations and stops[]

Grovane Station

Røyknes Station

The following stations and stops exist at the current railway museum:

Setesdal Line 1896 - 1938[]

Connection with steamboat on Lake Byglandsfjorden from Byglandsfjord Station. The railway line was closed in 1962, but parts of the railroad have been preserved. It is a current narrow-gauge heritage railroad between Røyknes and Grovane and the current standard gauged track from Grovane Station to Kristiansand Station is a part of the current Sørlandet Line. Several of the station buildings along the former railroad are still preserved. Rail passengers had to change trains at Grovane Station from 1938 to 1962 due to different track widths, narrow-gauge to normal gauge.

Route[]

The Setesdal Line 1896 - 1938

	78,33 km	Byglandsfjord Station (1896)
	78,20 km	Byglandsfjord dampsag side track
		Agder kjøpelag side track
	77,36 km	Vassenden bridge (1920, 4,5 m)
	76,90 km	Vassenden (1930)
	75,76 km	Standarfossen side track
	75,52 km	Reguleringsdammen
	74,06 km	Side track for Germans during WWII
	73,91 km	Syrtveit
	73,90 km	Syrtveit (1896)
	71,35 km	Follestø (1933)
	70,32 km	Stenbekken bridge (1923, 4 m)
	68,71 km	Flatebygd (1914)
	68,22 km	Odåen bridge (1896, 4 m)
	67,93 km	Side track
	66,93 km	Evje (1896)
	66,36 km	A/S Evje Raffineringsverk side track
	65,66 km	Fosvik gravel pit
	65,00 km	Evjemoen (1928)
	65,00 km	Evjemoen miliary side track
	63,70 km	Bjoråveien (1930)
	62,94 km	Hornnes bridge (1896, 137,5 m)
	62,59 km	Hornnes (1896)
	61,71 km	Voile bridge (1896, 17 m)
	59,90 km	Hestvåg (1930)
	59,57 km	Hestvåg side track
	57,59 km	Hanås (1928)
	56,59 km	Hanåsbekken bridge (1896, 4 m)
	56,21 km	Moisund saw mill
	56,10 km	Moibekken bridge (1896, 4 m)
	55,82 km	Moisund (1896)
	54,20 km	Slettefett (1932)
	53,10 km	Hornekilen bridge (1895, 20 m)
	52,22 km	Hornesund (1896)
	50,95 km	Errekilen bridge (1895, 18,8 m)
	49,37 km	Hornskilen bridge (1929, 9,2 m)
	49,35 km	Eldsneset (1928)
	47,88 km	Horsnkilen downfall (1895, 5 m)
	47,23 km	Kiledalen (1928)
	45,82 km	Kiledalsbekken bridge (1918, 6,3 m)
	43,97 km	Hægeland (1895)
	43,97 km	Kile gravel pit
	43,26 km	Hægeland bridge (1911, 19 m)
	40,70 km	Øvre Gåseflå (1930)
		Bridge (1895, 2,5 m)
	39,11 km	Gåseflå (1895)
	38,96 km	Gåseflå tunnel II (1895, 9,2 m)
	38,91 km	Gåseflå tunnel I (1895, 25,4 m)
	38,70 km	Nedre Gåseflå
	37,00 km	Slemdal tunnel (1895, 86,4 m)
	36,81 km	Homevassevja tunnel (1895, 83,6 m)
	34,50 km	Iveland (1895)
	32,83 km	Beinestvedt
	32,76 km	Beinestvedtkilen bridge (1920, 5 m)
	32,60 km	Beinestvedt tunnel (1920, 25 m)
	29,90 km	(1920, 207 m)
	29,78 km	Nomeland (1928)
	29,78 km	Nomeland nye
	29,12 km	Røyknes tunnel II (1920, 40 m)
	28,93 km	Røyknes tunnel I (1920, 80 m)
	28,58 km	Nomeland sideline
	28,52 km	Langåen bridge (1911, 8 m)
	28,38 km	Røyknes (1895)
	26,89 km	Otterdals sideline
	24,90 km	Løyning tunnel (1895, 123 m)
	23,32 km	Kringsjå 1930
	23,10 km	Paulen
	22,27 km	Paulen bridge (1895, 50,1 m)
	20,56 km	Rugåna bridge (1911, 9,17 m)
	20,41 km	Grovane (1895)
	20,10 km	Grovane saw mill
	20,10 km	Grovene gravel pit
	19,52 km	Bridge over Egelandsaa stream (1895, 2,5 m)
	19,52 km	Egelandsaa
	19,46 km	Underpass (1895, 2,5 m)
	19,35 km	Veråsveien (1934)
	18,10 km	Vennesla (1909)
	17,07 km	Graslia (1926)
	14,08 km	Hunsfoss tunnel II (1895, 35 m)
	13,89 km	Hunsfoss tunnel I (1895, 12 m)
	16,50 km	downfall (1895, 3,8 m)
	16,40 km	Hunsfoss (1927)
	16,10 km	Tjovemoen (1927)
	15,92 km	Hunsfos Fabrikker
	15,58 km	Vigeland Brug
	15,42 km	Vikeland (1895)
	14,84 km	Goli (1927)
	14,58 km	Lunden (1927)
	14,28 km	Nyland (1927)
	14,08 km	Ås tunnel (1895, 70 m)
	13,89 km	Nederste ��bel tunnel (1895, 120 m)
	13,07 km	Kvarstein sideline
	13,07 km	Kvarstein (1898)
	12,71 km	Kvarstein gravel pit sideline
	12,54 km	Ravnåsveien (1927)
	11,92 km	Kvarstein tunnel (1895, 30,1 m)
	11,68 km	Kvarstein bridge (1895, 191,6 m)
	11,32 km	Kvarstein Grinn (1927)
	11,00 km	Øvre Mosby (1937)
	10,75 km	Røistad (1927)
	10,37 km	Høllen (1927)
	10,17 km	Bridge over Høyebekken stream (1895, 9 m)
	9,97 km	(1895)
	9,88 km	Underpass (1895, 3,8 m)
	9,37 km	Mosby tunnel II (1895, 45 m)
	9,18 km	Mosby tunnel I (1895, 80 m)
	9,17 km	Sagbekken bridge (1895, 9,1 m)
	9,02 km	Aukland (1913)
	8,06 km	Underpass (1895, 2,5 m)
	7,40 km	Solsletta (1927)
	7,28 km	Bridge over Storebekk stream (1895, 3 m)
	7,11 km	Strai (1895)
		Kvernvollen
	5,60 km	Strai Cementstøberi (1927)
	4,82 km	Langemyr (1927)
	4,01 km	Dalane (1903)
	3,91 km	Bridge over stream II (1895, 2 m)
	3,48 km	Bridge over stream I (1895, 3 m)
	2,20 km	Krossen (1936)
	1,60 km	Solvang (1927)
	1,60 km	Klappane gravel pit
	1,21 km	Møllespor side track
	1,07 km	Natmansbekken bridge II (1895, 9,2 m)
	1,04 km	Grimsbroen (1936)
	0,44 km	Natmansbekken bridge I (1895, 5,7 m)
	0,00 km	Kristiansand Station (1895)

See also[]

• Lars Lysgaard
• Narrow gauge railways in Norway

References[]

External links[]

• Official site (in Norwegian)
• Vest-Ager Museum, Setesdal Line (Optional languages)
• photos from the Setesdal Line
• Google map location

Coordinates: 58°17′37″N 7°58′51″E / 58.2936°N 7.9808°E / 58.2936; 7.9808