Nesttun-Osbanen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Nesttun-Osbanen | |
 |
|
|---|---|
| Old Osbanen station at Osøyro | |
| Info | |
| Type | Railway |
| System | Norwegian railway |
| Status | Abandoned |
| Start station | Nesttun |
| End station | Osøyro |
| No. of stations | 13 |
| Operation | |
| Opened | July 1, 1894 |
| Closed | 1935 |
| Owner | A/S Nesttun-Osbanen |
| Operator(s) | A/S Nesttun-Osbanen |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 26.3 km |
| No. of tracks | 1 |
| Gauge | 750 mm |
| Electrified | No |
| Operating speed | 25 km/h |
Nesttun-Osbanen or Nesttun to Os Line is a disused narrow gauge railway between Nesttun in Bergen and Osøyro in Os in the county of Hordaland in south-western Norway. It opened in 1894. The line was designed to connect the community of Os to the main Bergen to Oslo line, Bergensbanen, at Nesttun. It continued in use until it became the first Norwegian railway to close in 1935.
The railway was constructed in 750 mm narrow gauge, the smallest gauge ever built in Norway. The curve radius was 50 meters, and the combination made it possible to avoid any tunnels, and no bridges longer than 8 meters. But this meant that all goods had to be transfered at Nesttun and that the railway only had a maximus permitted speed of 25 km/h. The railway was of vast importance for the Os community, as it allowed for day trips to Bergen. The rail trip took only two hours, and was considerably faster and cheaper than the steam ship.
Today, stretches of the railway survive and a project is underway to open part of the line as a museum railway. A small museum operates at the former station at Stend.
[edit] Stations
- Nesttun
- Skjold
- Rådal
- Stend
- Solbakken (from 1927)
- Fana
- Hamre
- Kismul
- Kalandseid
- Søfteland
- Ulven
- Kuven
- Osøyro
