Arendal Station
Encyclopedia
Arendal Station is the terminus railway station of the Arendal Line
, located in Arendal
, Norway
. The station opened on 23 November 1908 and is served by the Norwegian State Railways.
made six proposals for a route between Arendal and Solbergvann, each with a slightly different station location within Arendal.
The Strømsbu Line would give a station at Strømsbusletten, the Kittelsbukt Line would give a station at Kittelsbukt, the Barbu Line would give a station at Barbudalen, the Gaardal Line would give a station both at Strømsbubukten and Svinodden, the Langsæ Line would also give a station in Barbudalen, and the Holmesland and Lysgaard Line would give a station in the town center for passengers and port and freight station in Barbudalen and Koviken.
Because the town is surrounded by several hills, which made it difficult to find an ideal route for the Arendal–Treungen Line into town. The first proposal was to build the station outside the town limits, at Strømsbusletten. This was met by strong local opposition and local politicians quickly demanded that the terminus be located within the town borders. The municipal council hired Engineer Sam Eyde
to plan a suitable route into town. He proposed filling out Kittelsbukt, a small bay in the town center, which would place the station next to the town square. The alternative would require 161000 cubic metres (5,685,661.3 cu ft) of earthwork
and would be 313,000 Norwegian krone
(NOK) more expensive than the Stømsbusletten alternative.
A consensus was not reached for any alternative, and when Parliament on 8 June 1903 voted on the proposal, not decision was made. Arendal's member of parliament, Johan Frøstrup
, supported the Barbudalen alternative. He argued that this would make it easy to expand the line, give good transshipment to ships and be adventageous for future industry. After the parliamentarian rejection, the plans were sent back to the Ministry of Labour. In general, engineers and railway officials supported the Barbudalen alternative, while the town and surrounding area's population wanted Kittelsbukt. In 1904, the ministry supported the latter, but by then there was a majority in the Standing Committee on Railways for the Bardbudalen alternative.
In the mean time, Nikolai Prebensen
won the parliamentary election in 1903
largely on the grounds that he supported the Kittelsbukt alternative. At the same time, the municipality had agreed to pay NOK 420,000 in local grants for the lin, on condition that a station be built at Kittelsbukt. However, such a location would be NOK 238,000 more expensive than in Barbudalen.
In the proposal to parliament, the ministry presented five alternatives: the Barbu Line with stations in Barbudalen and a freight terminal in Barbubukta; the Strømsbu Line, with stations in Strømsbusletten and the port facilities on Svinodden; an alternative Strømsbu Line with stations in Kittelsbukt and Strømsbusletten with the port facilites at Svinodden; and two Kittelsbukt Line proposals with a station at Kittelsbukt and port facilities at Svinodden, one of which was Eyde's proposal.
Prebensen and Minister Hans Christian Albert Hansen
supported the Kittelsbukt alternative, while the railway authorities supported the Barbu alternative. The debate in Parliament took place on 13 May with the voting taking place the following day. First the Kittelsbukt alternative lost with 40 against 77 votes. Then a proposal was made whereby Arendal Municipality would have to cover half the extra cost of a station at Kittelsbukt—52 representatives upported this, 65 opposed it. Finally, the Barbu alternative was unanimously supported.
, who also designed the station Rise
, Blakstad
and Froland
. The station building at Arendal was equipped with a waiting room, ekspedisjonslokale and offices in the ground floor and a residential area for the station master in the upper floor. The station also received a freight house, an outhouse
with a workshop, vognremisse, a roundhouse
with roof form four locomotives, a coal shed, a roundtable and a water tower
. NSB also bought a residence for the district manager in 1919, but this was sold after the position was moved to Kristiansand
.
The roundhouse was taken into use in 1910 and the workshop in 1912. Following the expansion of the line to Treungen
in 1912, the fregith house was made 9 metres (29.5 ft) longer, another outhouse was built and the workshop expanded. Two additional tracks were also laid at the staiton. The original station building had an insufficient foundation, as a log raft had been used. By the late 1920s, the building had sunk 70 centimetres (27.6 in). In 1929 and 1930, the station building and the outhouse was demolished and rebuilt with a new foundation, this time using piles to create a deep foundation
. The new station building was designed by Gudmund Hoel
of NSB Arkitektselskap and used the old building's materials as far as possible, and had the same dimensions.
From 20 October 1935, the narrow gauge
track was converted to standard gauge
. From 9 November, Arendal Station became a temporary terminus for the Sørland Line, as the line was completed to Nelaug
and connected the Arendal Line. While terminus for the Sørland Line, Arendal experienced a larger increase in traffic, as all transport to the South Coast went through the town. On 21 June 1938, the Sørland Line between Nelaug and Grovane opened, and the Arendal Line became a branch.
The roundtable had a 15 metres (49.2 ft) radius and was equipped with an electric motor at the end of the 1940s. It later also received a wooden patio which covered the pit. The freight house was rebuilt in 1952 and the tracks around it relaid. However, it was destroyed in a fire on 10 April 1970, caused by a package of firecracker
s going off. The building was rebuilt and leased to Linjegods. After they started using a new building, the freight house was torn down in 1986.
The line took electric traction into use on 15 June 1995. From July 1997, NSB terminated the night train from Arendal because of lack of rolling stock. From 20 October, the service was terminated on the Arendal Line and the Bratsberg Line. NSB had a large shortage of motormen, and chose to close operations on the lines with least traffic to allocate sufficient personnel to areas with higher ridership. Traffic resumed on 24 June 2001. The line took electric traction into use on 15 June 1995.
Arendal Line
The Arendal Line is a long railway line between Arendal and Simonstad in Norway. At Nelaug, north of Arendal, the line intersects with the Sørland Line. The southern section is electrified and provides a feeder passenger service. The line originally ran north from Arendal to Treungen and the...
, located in Arendal
Arendal
is a town and municipality in the county of Aust-Agder, Norway. Arendal belongs to the traditional region of Sørlandet.The town of Arendal is the administrative center the municipality and also of Aust-Agder county...
, Norway
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
. The station opened on 23 November 1908 and is served by the Norwegian State Railways.
Planning
The decision to build the Arendal–Treungen Line was made by Parliament in 1894, although this did not include which route to follow. In 1902, the Norwegian State RailwaysNorwegian State Railways (1883–1996)
The Norwegian State Railways was a state-owned railway company that operated most of the railway network in Norway. The government agency was created in 1883 to oversee the construction and operation of all state-owned railways in Norway...
made six proposals for a route between Arendal and Solbergvann, each with a slightly different station location within Arendal.
The Strømsbu Line would give a station at Strømsbusletten, the Kittelsbukt Line would give a station at Kittelsbukt, the Barbu Line would give a station at Barbudalen, the Gaardal Line would give a station both at Strømsbubukten and Svinodden, the Langsæ Line would also give a station in Barbudalen, and the Holmesland and Lysgaard Line would give a station in the town center for passengers and port and freight station in Barbudalen and Koviken.
Because the town is surrounded by several hills, which made it difficult to find an ideal route for the Arendal–Treungen Line into town. The first proposal was to build the station outside the town limits, at Strømsbusletten. This was met by strong local opposition and local politicians quickly demanded that the terminus be located within the town borders. The municipal council hired Engineer Sam Eyde
Sam Eyde
Samuel Eyde was a Norwegian engineer and industrialist, the founder of Norsk Hydro and Elkem.-Biography:Sam Eyde was the son of a shipowner, and studied engineering in Berlin where he graduated in 1891. He started his career in Hamburg, working with the railways where he planned new lines, bridges...
to plan a suitable route into town. He proposed filling out Kittelsbukt, a small bay in the town center, which would place the station next to the town square. The alternative would require 161000 cubic metres (5,685,661.3 cu ft) of earthwork
Earthworks (archaeology)
In archaeology, earthwork is a general term to describe artificial changes in land level. Earthworks are often known colloquially as 'lumps and bumps'. Earthworks can themselves be archaeological features or they can show features beneath the surface...
and would be 313,000 Norwegian krone
Norwegian krone
The krone is the currency of Norway and its dependent territories. The plural form is kroner . It is subdivided into 100 øre. The ISO 4217 code is NOK, although the common local abbreviation is kr. The name translates into English as "crown"...
(NOK) more expensive than the Stømsbusletten alternative.
A consensus was not reached for any alternative, and when Parliament on 8 June 1903 voted on the proposal, not decision was made. Arendal's member of parliament, Johan Frøstrup
Johan Frøstrup
Johan Henrik Kintzell Frøstrup was a Norwegian judge and politician for the Conservative PartyHe was born in Barbu. He was mayor of Arendal from 1896 to 1900, and then sat as a representative for the constituency Arendal og Grimstad in the Parliament of Norway from 1900 to 1903. In 1902, he was...
, supported the Barbudalen alternative. He argued that this would make it easy to expand the line, give good transshipment to ships and be adventageous for future industry. After the parliamentarian rejection, the plans were sent back to the Ministry of Labour. In general, engineers and railway officials supported the Barbudalen alternative, while the town and surrounding area's population wanted Kittelsbukt. In 1904, the ministry supported the latter, but by then there was a majority in the Standing Committee on Railways for the Bardbudalen alternative.
In the mean time, Nikolai Prebensen
Nikolai Prebensen
Nikolai Christian Grove Prebensen was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party.He was born in Risør as a son of Jacob Wetlesen Prebensen and Wencke Kristiane Grove. He finished his secondary education in 1868 and took the cand.jur. degree in 1873...
won the parliamentary election in 1903
Norwegian parliamentary election, 1903
-Results:...
largely on the grounds that he supported the Kittelsbukt alternative. At the same time, the municipality had agreed to pay NOK 420,000 in local grants for the lin, on condition that a station be built at Kittelsbukt. However, such a location would be NOK 238,000 more expensive than in Barbudalen.
In the proposal to parliament, the ministry presented five alternatives: the Barbu Line with stations in Barbudalen and a freight terminal in Barbubukta; the Strømsbu Line, with stations in Strømsbusletten and the port facilities on Svinodden; an alternative Strømsbu Line with stations in Kittelsbukt and Strømsbusletten with the port facilites at Svinodden; and two Kittelsbukt Line proposals with a station at Kittelsbukt and port facilities at Svinodden, one of which was Eyde's proposal.
Prebensen and Minister Hans Christian Albert Hansen
Hans Christian Albert Hansen
Hans Christian Albert Hansen was a Norwegian politician for the Conservative Party. He was Minister of Labour from 1903 to 1905....
supported the Kittelsbukt alternative, while the railway authorities supported the Barbu alternative. The debate in Parliament took place on 13 May with the voting taking place the following day. First the Kittelsbukt alternative lost with 40 against 77 votes. Then a proposal was made whereby Arendal Municipality would have to cover half the extra cost of a station at Kittelsbukt—52 representatives upported this, 65 opposed it. Finally, the Barbu alternative was unanimously supported.
Construction
The station building and most of the auxiliary buildings were designed in jugendstil by Paul Armin DuePaul Armin Due
Paul Armin Due was a Norwegian architect Paul Franz Wilhelm Armin Due was the son the renowned architect Paul Due. He graduated from Leibniz University Hannover in 1896 and spent two years working in Germany before returning to Norway to work for his father's architecture firm...
, who also designed the station Rise
Rise Station
Rise Station is a railway station at Rise in Arendal, Norway. Located on the Arendal Line, it is served by the Norwegian State Railways. The station opened as the terminus of the Grimstad Line in 1907; the following year it became a transfer station to the Arendal Line. It then received a station...
, Blakstad
Blakstad Station
Blakstad Station is a railway station in Osedalen, Norway. Located on Arendalsbanen it is served by Norges Statsbaner.The station was opened in 1989, and replaced the Old Blakstad Station one kilometer further south, Blakstad Bridge Station 300 meters south and Hurv Station 700 meters...
and Froland
Froland Station
Froland Station is a railway station in Froland, Norway. Located on Arendalsbanen it is served by Norges Statsbaner. The station was opened in 1908 as part of Arendal - Åmlibanen.-External links:*...
. The station building at Arendal was equipped with a waiting room, ekspedisjonslokale and offices in the ground floor and a residential area for the station master in the upper floor. The station also received a freight house, an outhouse
Outhouse
An outhouse is a small structure separate from a main building which often contained a simple toilet and may possibly also be used for housing animals and storage.- Terminology :...
with a workshop, vognremisse, a roundhouse
Roundhouse
A roundhouse is a building used by railroads for servicing locomotives. Roundhouses are large, circular or semicircular structures that were traditionally located surrounding or adjacent to turntables...
with roof form four locomotives, a coal shed, a roundtable and a water tower
Water tower
A water tower or elevated water tower is a large elevated drinking water storage container constructed to hold a water supply at a height sufficient to pressurize a water distribution system....
. NSB also bought a residence for the district manager in 1919, but this was sold after the position was moved to Kristiansand
Kristiansand
-History:As indicated by archeological findings in the city, the Kristiansand area has been settled at least since 400 AD. A royal farm is known to have been situated on Oddernes as early as 800, and the first church was built around 1040...
.
The roundhouse was taken into use in 1910 and the workshop in 1912. Following the expansion of the line to Treungen
Treungen
Treungen is a village in, and the administrative centre of Nissedal municipality, Telemark county in Norway.Located just east of the village Tveitsund, it is a part of the urban area of the same name, which has a population of 361 as of 1 January 2009...
in 1912, the fregith house was made 9 metres (29.5 ft) longer, another outhouse was built and the workshop expanded. Two additional tracks were also laid at the staiton. The original station building had an insufficient foundation, as a log raft had been used. By the late 1920s, the building had sunk 70 centimetres (27.6 in). In 1929 and 1930, the station building and the outhouse was demolished and rebuilt with a new foundation, this time using piles to create a deep foundation
Deep foundation
A deep foundation is a type of foundation distinguished from shallow foundations by the depth they are embedded into the ground. There are many reasons a geotechnical engineer would recommend a deep foundation over a shallow foundation, but some of the common reasons are very large design loads, a...
. The new station building was designed by Gudmund Hoel
Gudmund Hoel
Gudmund Hoel was a Norwegian architect. He is regarded as the second-most influential railway architect in Norway, after Paul Due....
of NSB Arkitektselskap and used the old building's materials as far as possible, and had the same dimensions.
From 20 October 1935, the narrow gauge
Narrow gauge
A narrow gauge railway is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of between and .- Overview :...
track was converted to standard gauge
Standard gauge
The standard gauge is a widely-used track gauge . Approximately 60% of the world's existing railway lines are built to this gauge...
. From 9 November, Arendal Station became a temporary terminus for the Sørland Line, as the line was completed to Nelaug
Nelaug
Nelaug is a village in the southern part of the municipality of Åmli in Aust-Agder county, Norway. The population was 161. The village lies east of the Nelaug lake, which is regulated by a hydroelectric power plant...
and connected the Arendal Line. While terminus for the Sørland Line, Arendal experienced a larger increase in traffic, as all transport to the South Coast went through the town. On 21 June 1938, the Sørland Line between Nelaug and Grovane opened, and the Arendal Line became a branch.
The roundtable had a 15 metres (49.2 ft) radius and was equipped with an electric motor at the end of the 1940s. It later also received a wooden patio which covered the pit. The freight house was rebuilt in 1952 and the tracks around it relaid. However, it was destroyed in a fire on 10 April 1970, caused by a package of firecracker
Firecracker
A firecracker is a small explosive device primarily designed to produce a large amount of noise, especially in the form of a loud bang; any visual effect is incidental to this goal. They have fuses, and are wrapped in a heavy paper casing to contain the explosive compound...
s going off. The building was rebuilt and leased to Linjegods. After they started using a new building, the freight house was torn down in 1986.
The line took electric traction into use on 15 June 1995. From July 1997, NSB terminated the night train from Arendal because of lack of rolling stock. From 20 October, the service was terminated on the Arendal Line and the Bratsberg Line. NSB had a large shortage of motormen, and chose to close operations on the lines with least traffic to allocate sufficient personnel to areas with higher ridership. Traffic resumed on 24 June 2001. The line took electric traction into use on 15 June 1995.