Railway history

Railways for public use, standard gauge and narrow gauge

The first railway for public use was opened 1825 between Stockton and Darlington in the United Kingdom. In Sweden the first public railways opened in march 1856 between Nora and Ervalla in Närke county. The same year, two parts of the state owned main lines were completed. Malmö – Lund and Gothenburg – Jonsered, heading north and east respectively, towards the capital Stockholm. The state owned lines and larger private railways were built with standard gauge (1435 millimeters between the rails), but smaller private railways were often built using narrow gauge, due to it being cheaper. The smallest track gauge that was used for passenger trains is the same gauge as ÖSlJ, 600 millimeters between the rails.

A golden era for seven Swedish 600 mm railways

The three first 600 mm-railways for public use in Sweden were opened around 1890. At these times, the citizens in the countryside rarely traveled outside their parish. Transport by horse and cart in muddy tracks was the standard. In comparison, even the small and simple railways that were built in the beginning were extremely fast and efficient. Freight and people could easily reach the nearest cities. Self-sufficiency in local communities was gradually replaced by a market economy. The railway became a driving force in the modernisation of society.

The small 600 mm-gauge railways also developed. Originally french locomotives and carriages were replaced by Swedish designs more adapted to northern conditions. The technology on the locomotives grew more advanced. The small and economic size however brought several limitations. The speed 20 km/h wasn’t so fast after a few years of technical advancement, and a significant number of staff were needed for operations. The railways usually struggled economically.

Road traffic showed to be more flexible and economical, the road network was expanded and during the 1920s the 600 mm-railways faced increasing competition from road traffic and stopped being economically viable. Some railways invested in railcars as they were more efficient at transporting people than locomotive-drawn carriages. There was however no solution for the low speeds and lack of flexibility. Most of Swedens 600 mm-railways fell into disuse due to competition from road vehicles in the years leading up to and during the second world war. Some railways however continued operating for a few years after the war, the last one lasted until 1955.

Seven railways with freight and passenger transport, between 1891 and the second world war

Four of the Swedish 600 mm railways were built for the sole purpose of freight transport. Glassware of Kosta, matchsticks from Anneberg, lumber from Stafsjö, and paper from Munkedal. Any passenger coaches were used primarily by the industry’s employees and the local population.

The Helsingborg railway transported bath guests to the beaches at Ramlösa.

The Jönköping – Gripenberg railway and the Nättraby railway proved useful in multiple ways connecting countryside and towns, to the benefit och both the community and merchants. The Munkedal railway was the shortest, only stretching 5 kilometers. The Nättraby railway was the longest, with its impressive 49 kilometers.

Despite a common track gauge, the seven railways were very different. A common factor was however that they strongly contributed to their local society’s rapid transformation between the 1890s and the 1930s. The Kosta railway was the first to open, opening in 1891. The Munkedal railway was the sole survivor after the second world war, and was broadened to standard gauge in 1955. For a little over 20 years, between 1909 and 1931, all seven railways were in operation simultaneously.

By comparison, the heritage railway Östra Södermanlands Järnväg (Eastern Södermanland Railway), ÖSlJ, has existed continuously for more than sixty years. At ÖSlJ, we show rolling stock from all of the aforementioned seven railways, in rare circumstances as a historically correct train set from a certain railway. Our train sets commonly mix both passenger coaches along with freight carriages, but we don’t transport any goods. The freight carriages are only used in order to show how a typical train set at one of the seven railways could look like.