Norra Södermanlands Järnväg

"Norra Södermanlands Järnväg"

The need for a railway through the northern section of Södermanland arose soon after "Västra stambanan" (The western trunk line) was completed through Södermanland in 1862 and the north - south "Oxelösund-Flen-Westmanlands Järnväg" (OFWJ) opened in 1877, not in the least from the old city of Strängnäs. During the 1890s some of the owners of the larger factory works took an active interest in the issue. and a group under the leadership of county governor Printzskölds proposed a normal gauge railway from Eskilstuna - Stålboga - Åkers Styckebruk- Södertälje with branch lines to Strängnäs and Mariefred. The concession for "Norra Södermanlands Järnväg (NrSlJ)" on this line was granted in 1891 and work began when a state loan was granted to one of the leading railway builders of the period, Carl Jehander, as the main contractor.

A different route for the line on the section from Åkers Styckebruk to Taxinge that were more beneficial in terms of operation was discussed but could not be built because of the prohibitive construction costs. This would have the main line routed through Mariefred which meant that the branch line from Läggesta did not have to be built. This was a advantage for the travellers, but especially for the railway company that had major difficulties with the terms demanded by the city council of Mariefred as a condition for signing for a large proportion of the shares in the railway company. The chosen solution was the scenic route the line follows today close to the water. The railway was completed and provisional traffic began in February 1895 between Södertälje and Strängnäs.

This traffic ceased as soon as May 25th for the final completion of the line. A special train was run in July for the Swedish King Oscar II and his guest the German Emperor Wilhelm II who visited the castle of Gripsholm to inspect the major restoration work at the castle. The inauguration of "Norra Södermanlands Järnväg" took place on September 30th 1895 in the presence of among others King Oscar II. The inaugural lunch was served in the waiting salon in Mariefred.

The main line after the extension from Eskilstuna to the port of "Mälarbaden" was 94,3 kilometers long, the branch lines to Åkers Styckebruk - Strängnäs with 14,9 kilometers, and Läggesta - Mariefred with 3,2 km. Direct wagons from Stockholm - Södertälje - Eskilstuna was introduced. The travel time from Eskilstuna to Södertälje was in 1901 3 hrs and 45 minutes, in 1911 3 hrs and 20 minutes and in 1928 it was brought down to 2 1/4 hrs. The longer time in 1901 included the time it took the train to go to Mariefred and reverse back to Läggesta which according to the timetable took 21 minutes. During this time the travellers on the mainline could enjoy a meal in the 1st or 3rd class dining rooms in the station building at Läggesta.

All wagons needed for the first years of operation was bought from the then newly started "Vagnfabriksaktiebolaget i Södertelge" (VABIS). During several decades low fare summer excursion trips were run from Stockholm to Mariefred and Strängnäs which were very popular, these trains could on sundays have up to 200 passengers. Economical difficulties towards the end of the 1920s prevented the railway company to pay its debts, among them two government loans. After a decision by parliament in 1931 "NrSlJ" was taken over by "SJ" and included in their network. The line was electrified in 1936. "NrSlJ" had as early as 1909 stationed a steam locomotive with wagons in Mariefred, which run a connecting traffic to the trains on the main line at Läggesta. This costly connecting train was replaced in 1929 by a dieselelectric rail until the line was taken over by "SJ"

SJ put older electric railcars into service on the line as long as the normal gauge traffic operated. After WW2 both passenger and freight dwindled on the railways as a consequence of the sharp rise in the use of the automobile. Many smaller railway lines was decommissioned and replaced by bus lines. This fate fell upon the branch line Läggesta - Mariefred when the last train was run on September 27th in 1964.

The whole line from Mariefred to the junction next to Läggesta including the station buildings and surrounding area was donated to the Museum Society "Östra Södermanlands Järnväg". This was confirmed by a decision in parliament on November 24th 1965. On the trunk line traffic ran as before. Traffic at the smaller stations and halts ceased successively. Taxinge-Näsby lost the passenger traffic in 1974 and Hedlandet 1975. When construction of "Svealandsbanan" (the new trunk line from Stockholm to Eskilstuna) started in 1993 traffic was scaled down in order to make way for the construction.

In January 1994 all passenger traffic ceased on the railway and was replaced by bus until the new "Svealandsbanan" was completed in 1997. From Södertälje to Ryssjöbrink most of the old track was removed. During this freight traffic was run to Åkers Styckebruk. Up until the summer of 1995 the freight trains was run from Eskilstuna. In the fall of 1995 Svealandsbanan was completed to Ryssjöbrink and a temporary connection to the old line was built which made it possible to run freight and work trains from Södertälje. Until 1996 freight trains ran on the line past Taxinge-Näsby and Läggesta on their way to Åkers Styckebruk.

When the Svealandsbanan were completed in its entirety the temporary connection at Ryssjöbrink was removed because it could not cope with the high speed trains, at the same time the road crossing was removed. The track from Ryssjöbrink to Taxinge-Näsby were also torn up and removed.

At Läggesta the new motor way crosses the old railway line with the road almost at the level of the old track. The old line Läggesta - Taxinge-Näsby then lost its normal gauge connection.