RAILROADS IN NORWAY

The Steam Period, 1854 to 1960

The first Norwegian railway was officially opened in 1854. Like all early railways, it was
heavily influenced by Robert Stephenson and his 1829 creation, The Rocket. The first rail
and rail vehicles were introduced long before The Rocket, but his engine, when it came, was
far ahead of the competition. It was essentially the first modern steam engine, and as such
started the railroad revolution. The first Norwegian engines were built by Stephensons company, though from a later and improved design. The first US engine, John Bull, which operated in New Jersey from 1831, was likewise from Stephensons company.

The first Norwegian railroad company was a private undertaking, financed and staffed to a
great degree from England. The name was Norsk Hoved Jernbane, NHJ. (literally Norwegian Trunk Railroad) It remained in private hands for many years, but most of the following
lines were built and operated by the State. The first of many was established in 1857, and in
1883 the various state lines were combined into Norges Stats Baner, NSB. (Norwegian State
Railroads) NHJ was eventually absorbed into NSB in 1926, but the original line is still called
Hovedbanen.
Type 14. Baldwin engine. Delivered 1879

Hovedbanen ran from Kristiania (Oslo) to Eidsvold, reflecting an effort to take the timber
transport away from the river Glomma. It was built in what is termed Standard gauge, which
means the rails are 1,435 mm apart. Most European and American railroads use the same
gauge. After Hovedbanen was finished, some of the subsequent lines were, for financial reasons, built with narrower gauges. Narrow gauge allows for cheaper construction of both
track and equipment. Probably a good idea in a resource poor country, but it created many
problems for the Norwegian railroad network later on. Incidentally 1,435 mm is the same
width the Roman Empire had standardized for their chariots.

Most of the early rolling stock came from England, but soon after the opening Norwegian
industry started manufacturing coaches, freight cars and related equipment, reflecting what
happened in most countries, including the US. At this time Norway was a poor agricultural
society, and the only export articles of any significance were Timber and Fish. What industry existed tended to support these groups. Geographically Norwegian industry was concentrated in the south east, i.e. in Oslo and vicinity, with minor centers in Trondheim and Bergen. The first Norwegian built steam engine came from the Trondheim factory Fabriken
ved Nidelven in 1861. It was not very successful, and remained the only engine delivered
from that company. It took another 30 years before locomotive building restarted in Norway,
and at that time Norwegian industry had a competence and technology on par with other
countries. From 1894 Norwegian built engines became mainstream, and the two major Norwegian manufacturers were situated in Oslo (Thune Mekaniske Verksted) and Hamar.
(Hamar Jernstperi) Their combined production was 322 engines, most of which were good
reliable designs. The most famous Norwegian steam engine was Type 49, known as Dovregubben. (The Dovre Giant) The first of these technologically advanced 150 ton engines
entered service in 1938 and they had very high power to weight ratios. Unfortunately they
were not very reliable and were withdrawn in 1957. The reliability problem was partly
caused by the outbreak of the war and insufficient time to test out the design. I worked at
Thune in the early 1980s, and some of the older employees were still complaining about the
fate of the Dovregubben engines. The Norwegian Railroad Museum in Hamar has a Dovregubbe in its collection.
Type 49 Dovregubben. Thune Photo 1938

A high percentage of the 875 steam engines used in Norway were from local companies, but
foreign manufacturers, English, Swiss, Swedish, Belgian, German, French, US and Italian
were also represented. Living in Philadelphia it is an interesting fact that the only non European supplier was Baldwin Locomotive Works. The first of 66 engines were delivered in
1879, the last in 1919. Baldwin was for many years the worlds largest steam engine manufacturer, and Baldwin engines were preferred by NSB when short delivery times were important. They were not ideal for the Norwegian network and weather conditions, and were
quite controversial among Norwegian engineers and maintenance personnel. One problem
was that most of the engines Baldwin delivered were heavier than the factory said they were.

This may not have been important on the heavy rails used in the USA, but for NSB it created
problems. The first batch of engines could not even be used for their original purpose. Another difference from European manufacturers was that Baldwin mass produced engines
with standardized parts. This allowed short delivery times and good prices, but also inferior
engineering tolerances. Consequently they used more coal than comparable European engines. Still, few foreign manufacturers delivered as many engines to Norway as Baldwin.
Type 34. Baldwin engine. Delivered 1917

Dovregubben in many ways marked the swan song of Norwegian designed steam engines.
Today we view steam trains pretty much the same way we look at the dinosaurs, i.e. ancient
and unsophisticated. However, in the 19th century steam trains were the pinnacle of technology. It is easy to forget that before the advent of steam engines, nothing moved man across
the surface of the earth faster than a horse!
The railway was instrumental in transforming Norway from farming to an industrial society.
However, in the 1930s, the Railways lost its image as the bringer of technology and progress, and the airplane took that place in the public imagination. After 1945 NSB went
through a major transition phase, and it was all about diesel and electric locomotives.
Though more sophisticated, they had none of the charm and romance that followed steam.
Besides, the diesel and electric engines were mainly license built and/or customized foreign
designs. Today even that is history and most engines are imported.
In the 21st century the railroads may no longer be viewed with fascination, but their importance is undiminished. Railroad companies carry more freight than ever, and in most industrialized countries, though not in the US, high speed passenger train lines are opened on a
regular basis. Manufacturing of trains and engines is increasingly global, with a handful of
manufacturers offering standardized types that are modified according to the customers
wishes. Norwegian equipment tend to have adjustments necessary to deal with adverse
weather and snow conditions, and the visible modifications often take the form of alternate
windscreen shapes and different cooling/heating fans.

Norwegian Steam Engines

Above, Type 30, A Thune engine. Below, old newspaper photo of Type 63, nicknamed the
Big German. No less than 74 of these engines remained in Norway after the war.

Above. Type 2, a Stephenson engine now in the Norwegian Railroad Museum in Hamar.
Below is a Type 21, constructed by Thune Maskiner. Three Type 21 engines were the last
steam engines used by NSB.

Today the Norwegian rail network is modern, fast and comfortable. Only one high speed
line is operational, the Gardemoen Airport Oslo line. Many of my readers are no doubt
familiar with that train. The next time you are a passenger, reflect on the fact that to a large
extent it follows the same path Hovedbanen took 160 years ago.
MODEL RAILROADS
Being a model railroader at heart, I have to mention what is available to those of us who are
still young. The most popular model railroad size is called H0, and is in 1/87 scale. The major German model railroad manufacturers have always dominated the Norwegian market,
and some Norwegian models can be found in their line-up. However, if you want to get
some unique Norwegian models, i.e. engines that have only been used in Norway, the premier company to go to is Norsk Modell Jernbane. NMJ is located outside Oslo, and specializes in HO scale. They have without doubt the best collection of Norwegian steam engines
available, most of them in brass, They are fantastic, but expect to pay well over $1,000 for
each for these highly collectable and historic models. Go to: www.shop.nmj.no
READING
There are a number of Norwegian books about the Norwegian Railroads. In English the
selection is narrower, but I can recommend the following books:
Damplokomotiver i Norge (Steam Engines in Norway) by Thor Bjerke. An excellent book
detailing all Norwegian steam engines, but only a 3 page English summary at the end.
However, many of the pictures are self explanatory.

Norwegian Railways, From Stephenson to High Speed by Roy Owen. A first class book
that covers the history of railroading in Norway from 1854 to 1996 Great maps and illustrations, but it could have benefited from more and better photographs.

NMJ Model. H0 Scale