FLÅMSBANA - NORWAY´S FABULOUS FLAAM LINE

By

Frank Bunce

If a train in Britain consistently took, almost an hour to cover a distance of twelve miles, it would not be long before the service was discontinued and the line closed on the grounds of economy, And yet, in Norway, such a railway exists and continues to flourish in spite of the fact that this is country where, pre-war, every yard of railway track cost as much as 67 to construcht. The railway is known as the Flåm Line and is a branch of the famous Oslo-Bergen Railway which connects Myrdal, in Central Norway, with Flaam, a tiny village situated on an arm of the Sogne Fjord just twelve miles away.

Everything abouth the Flaam Line is contrary to accepted principles. Normally, a train in any country of the world takes less time to travel down a mountain valley from top to bottom than it does from bottom to top. The Flaam Line, however, is different. In travelling down from 2,800 feet at Myrdal to Flaam, at sea level, the journey takes 53 minutes, whereas the trip up the valley in the other direction is covered in only 45 minutes. This immense difference in height over so short a distance and where a maximum gradient of 1 in 18 is reached, is unique in the history of railway engineering. Incidentally, each carriage is fitted with no fewer than five independent brakes, all geared to halt the entire train in an emergensy.

Punch, The Flaam Line - 1957

Not unnaturally, the railway follows the course of the Flaam River for much of its course and, in doing so, crosses it at three points where the line swings from one side of the valley to the other. There are no bridges enabling trains to cross the river and the fording wich takes place at Blomheller and Kjosfossen, for instance, occurs actually inside the mountains. Here, the river has fashioned its own bed and runs beneath the point where the railway crosses it. Similarly, at Hoga, engeneers have constructed a tunnel in the mountainside so that the Flaam River passes under the line on this section also.

Engelsk negativ, ca 1960  -  El 8 2064 på Myrdal

The longes of the Flamm Line´s twenty tunnels occurs at Nali and is over three-quarters of a mile in length. When travelling south up the valley, the train emerges from Nali Tunnel to give an unprecedented view of the track ahead, perched precariously upon three ledges - one above the other. To the right, passengers see a fantastic road with 21 hairpin bends threading a tortuous path up the side of the mountain known as Myrdalsberget. This roadway, incidentally, was built towards the end of the last century and was designed to carry supplies and materials to assist in the construction of the Bergen Railway. At this point there are, within a distance of less than one mile, five railway tracks, and the fact that one line appears to run above the other is due to the constuction of a series of figure-eights built inside the mountain.

There are two fantastic waterfalls in the Flaamsdal - the brakneck Rjoandefoss Falls-wich thunder 400 feet down the side of the Vibmesnosi Mountain, near Lunden - and the Kjosfoss Falls on the eastside of  the track, just before entering the Bakli Tunnel. Here the train, which is already travelling slowly in order to give passengers a better view of the passing scenery, halts for several minutes on a narrow stretch of track about 100 yards long spanning the mid-way point of the roaring falls.

Vatnahalsen hpl. ca. 1960 - Foto, Turist foto/Dias

At Blomheller, nearing the figure-eight circuits already mentioned, thr Trollaskred, or Troll´s Avalanche, is a very real danger in Winter. Great falls of snow thunder down towards the railway track and are only halted by the many wooden protective snow -screens in their path. Wooden snow-tunnels, too, as in case of the Bergen Railway, are a fascinating feature of this line, for where these occur, they cover the permanent way completely, isolating them from any possibility of snow-blockage. And to reach a railway station 2,000 feet above sea level which is entirely enclosed and as dark as London Underground is an experience which many tourist never forget.

When the train emerges from the Bakli Tunnel, and the village of Vaatnahalsen is reached , its only a mile or so to Myrdal and its connection with the Bergen Railway. But for every dismounting passenger, the spell of the Flaam Line has already been cast, and the air is full of superlative descriptions of the wonders they have so recently seen.

Flaam - ca. 1960

Only one word can be said to sum it all up, and that, in the modern idiom, is - 

FABULOUS.

* 

From The Bergen Line 

Winter Time in Norway means that the railways must have ready their snow fighting equipment. In addition to having huge rotary snowploughs at work, each individual locomotive is equipped with a small plough fitted on to its buffer beam. Our cover picture this month, by J. Allan Cash, depicts the scene at Finse Station on a winter day, two locomotives with snowploughs being visible. This station is situated on the line between Bergen and Oslo and is the highest station in Norway. It is an alighting place for winter sportsmen, and snow remains in the mountain region until July!

ASGAARDSREIEN - Et sagn fra Aurland i Sogn

I disse mørke juletider skal vi dvele litt ved sagnet om Åsgårdsreien, eller Juleskreien som den og heter. Sagnet blir illustrert med noen vers fra Johan Sebastian Welhawen (1807-1873) sitt mektige dikt med samme navn -Asgaardsreien.

Lydt gjennem Luften i Natten farer

et Tog paa skummende sorte Heste.

I Stormgang drage de vilde Skarer.

de have kun Skyer til Fodefæste.

Det gaaer over Dal, over Vang og Hei,

gjennem Mulm og Veir; de endse det ei.

Vandreren kaster sig ræd paa Veien.

Hør hvilket Gny - det er Asgaardsreien!

Maleri av Peter Nicolai Arbo (1872)

Thor, den stærke, med løftet Hammer,

staaer høit i sin Karm, er forrest i Laget;

han slaaer paa Skjoldet, og røde Flammer

belyse det natlige Tog ved Slaget.

Da klinge Lurer, da er der en Støi

af Bjælder og ringlende Ridetøi,

da hyler Sværmen og Folket lytter

med stigende Angst i de dirrende Hytter.

Asgaardsreien

Illustreret Nyhedsblad, Nr. 46 – 14de August 1852: 

”I Bergen stift former sagnet om Arsgaardsreien sig annerledes. Den heder i Sogn ligeledes Juleskreia; men i Spidsen rider Nøkken paa sin sorte Hest; efter ham kommer gamle Lendsmannen paa Dalsøren, en stor fæl Mand med Bjørneskindshue paa, bekjendt af sine slette Gjerninger i Livet, og af alt det Spøgeri, der huserede, medens han laa Liig og blev begravet. Han stødte til Færden ved en stor Asp ved Præstegaardsødegaarden, hvor han havde været med og flytte Skjæller. I den Aspen have flere Karle seet, at det har brændt, som om den stod i Lys Lue; men Ilden var ikke som vor Ild, den var mørkere og rødere."

Asgaardsreien i Fylking rider

ved Høst og Vinter i barske Nætter,

men helst den færdes ved Juletider;

da holder den Fest hos Trolde og Jetter,

da stryger den lavt over Eng og Sti

og farer den larmende Bygd forbi -

da vogt dig Bonde, hold Skik og Orden;

thi Asgaardsreien er snart ved Gaarden!

"I Urland søger man efter følgende Sagn, som Hr. Ivar Aasen velvillig har meddeelt, at fri sig for dette Offer paa en Maade jeg ikke før har hørt omtale. ”Naar Juleskreien er ude, seer det for Menneskenes Øine ud, som det var tomme Tønder de ride paa."

Naar Øllet virker i Bjælkestuen

og vækker de hedenske Juleskikke,

og Ilden kaster sit Skin fra Gruen

paa svingede Knive og vilde Blikke,

da gaaer der et Gys gjennem Tumlen tidt;

da høres de natlige Skarers Ridt,

da knager Væggen, da dandser Kruset;

Thi Asgaardsreien slaaer Kreds om Huset.

"De fare omkring Juleaften efter Afdagsleite, rider gjennem Gaardene, gaae ned i Kjældrene og smage paa Juleøllet. Derfor pleie Folk sætte en Vasbøtte eller en Tjærebøtte foran Øltønden, og da tør Juleskreien ikke røre den."

"I Urland var der en Mand, som reiste over Fjorden om Juleaften, for at faae sig Lidt til Julen. Da han var færdig til at fare hjem igjen, gik han ned til Baaden med Madstellet, han havde faaet, og satte det i Baaden. Men det var galt, at han slap det, førend han selv var kommen udi, for saalænge En har Mad i Haanden, er han uræd for Juleskreien. Men med det samme han lagde Madvarerne fra sig, kom Juleskreien og tog ham med, og siden reiste de ind igjennem Gaardene og var inde i alle Kjældere, for at see efter om der var Øl. Naar der stod en en Vandbøtte foran Tønden, spyttede de og sagde ”Tvi!” og gik, menvar der en Tjærebøtte, slog de Døren igjen og vilde ikke gaae ind engang; men der hvor der ikke var noget Sligt, der drak de saa fælt, at Manden syntes de maatte rævne. Saaledes fore de frem til de kom til en Gaard, hvor Veien gik langsmed Staburtrappen; der kom Konen du af Staburet med Mad, og med detsamme hun saa Manden, kjendte hun ham. ”Er det Du?” sagde hun og nævnte ham ved Navn, og saa greb hun ham i Luggen og holdt Maden frem over Hovedet paa ham; da maatte Juleskreien slippe ham."

Nu sidder han bøiet og høit bedaget,

og kan sin Æt omkring Arnen samle,

nu sidder han ofte med Sagn i Laget

og korter Tiden for Unge og Gamle.

Saa var det seneste Julekveld,

da Ungdommen raabte: "Fortæl, fortæl!"

Da flammed hans Blik, da saae han tilbage,

da maned han frem sine Bryllupsdage.

Gode råd:

Det var i Justedalen Skik at have Staal paa Laaven, i Fjøset og Bøkken, for at Skreien ikke skulde stjæle og trolde i dem. Det var desuden Skik at frie sig fra dens Besøg ved at sætte  Tjærekors paa Døre og Fæhuse. Saadanne Kors ere vel endnu at se hist og her, men nu siger Folket, at de ere ude af Troen.

I Justedalen rider Færden ikke alene paa Heste og Kjøer, men nogle nytte Sadle og Tønder og hvad det kan være.

Kilde: Erik Henning Edvardsen; "Gammelt nytt i våre tidligste ukeblader"
Norsk Folkeminnelag / Aschehoug 1997