Falkenberg railway
Encyclopedia
Falkenberg Railway was an 891 mm gauge narrow gauge railway line between Falkenberg
and Limmared
in Sweden
. It was inaugurated 28 September 1894 and was in use until 1959/1961.
. The plan did however come to nothing. It would take until the construction of Halland Central Railway in 1886 for any further plans to develop.
The traffic commander, Albert Simonsson did put forward a plan for a 30 kilometer long railway between Falkenberg and a village close to Gällared in 1890. A proposal of a 600 mm railway, which would cost 823,000 Swedish Kronor
was prepared by Fredrik Arvidsson Posse.
A company was formed at a meeting 16 April 1891 in Ljungby Inn, stocks would be issued for a total value of between 400,000 and 800,000 Swedish Kronor. A founding general meeting was held 2 June 1892. The company's name was to be Falkenbergs Järnvägs AB (Falkenberg's Railway Inc.) and county governor Carl Nordenfalk was to be chair.
Concession
for the stretch between Falkenberg and Fridhemsberg was granted 8 July 1892. An earlier application had be rejected in 1891, while an application by rivalling company for a stretch between Varberg
to Månsarp had also been granted. The concession was conditioned on some technical changes. Hence, the gauge
had to be changed to three foot (891 mm). The work on the railway begun 23 December 1892.
Once the track to Fridhemsberg had been finished a new appl ication was filed. The new application was for a stretch between Fridhemsberg and Älvsered
. It was granted in 17 May 1895. The men behind the proposed Varberg-Månsarp route opposed the new application, but it was still granted as they had not been able to secure enough capital to build the railway. However, a number of restrictions were put in place, in the Varberg-Månsarp route was to be built.
Over the following years more and more applications would be filed and concessions granted. Concession to Mjöback
was granted July 18, 1896, to Holsljunga
13 January 1899 and to Limmared
27 April 1900. Further plans to extend the railway to Ulricehamn
and Jönköping
did however never materialise.
The railway begun to face diffulties in the 1930s. The abbreviation, FJ, was popularly read as fattig järnväg (En.
poor railway). The railway nationalised in two steps (April 1939 and July 1940) in order to secure its operation. The war
years meant a minor renaissance
for the railway. That did however not change the long term prospect for the railway and it was closed in two steps (1 November 1959 and 1 May 1961). The rail was removed shortly afterwards.
The railway did mainly transport timber, usually destined for Falkenberg harbour and exportation. As long as this trade was substantial the railway remained successful, annually transporting over 50,000 tons of goods. A major blow came in 1921 when export of wood outlawed. Concurrently less and less logging took place and passengers began travelling by cars and buses instead of by train.
World War II
was a short relief as shortage of fuel and replacements forced people away from road traffic. After the war the subsiding use of the railway continued until it was closed.
Falkenberg
Falkenberg is a locality and the seat of Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 18,972 inhabitants in 2005.The town has a population of 19,000 and is located at the mouth of the river Ätran. The name consists of the Swedish words for falcon and mountain...
and Limmared
Limmared
Limmared is a locality situated in Tranemo Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 1,445 inhabitants in 2005....
in Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It was inaugurated 28 September 1894 and was in use until 1959/1961.
History
The first plan to build a railway in the area dates back to 1869 and concerned a railway between Falkenberg and FegenFegen (locality)
Fegen is a locality situated in Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 183 inhabitants in 2005..-References:...
. The plan did however come to nothing. It would take until the construction of Halland Central Railway in 1886 for any further plans to develop.
The traffic commander, Albert Simonsson did put forward a plan for a 30 kilometer long railway between Falkenberg and a village close to Gällared in 1890. A proposal of a 600 mm railway, which would cost 823,000 Swedish Kronor
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
was prepared by Fredrik Arvidsson Posse.
A company was formed at a meeting 16 April 1891 in Ljungby Inn, stocks would be issued for a total value of between 400,000 and 800,000 Swedish Kronor. A founding general meeting was held 2 June 1892. The company's name was to be Falkenbergs Järnvägs AB (Falkenberg's Railway Inc.) and county governor Carl Nordenfalk was to be chair.
Concession
Concession (contract)
A concession is a business operated under a contract or license associated with a degree of exclusivity in business within a certain geographical area. For example, sports arenas or public parks may have concession stands. Many department stores contain numerous concessions operated by other...
for the stretch between Falkenberg and Fridhemsberg was granted 8 July 1892. An earlier application had be rejected in 1891, while an application by rivalling company for a stretch between Varberg
Varberg
Varberg is a locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden with 26,041 inhabitants in 2005.Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their 'typical west coast' sandy beaches. In Varberg the coast changes from wide sandy beaches to rocky terrain that continues north into...
to Månsarp had also been granted. The concession was conditioned on some technical changes. Hence, the gauge
Rail gauge
Track gauge or rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the heads of the two load bearing rails that make up a single railway line. Sixty percent of the world's railways use a standard gauge of . Wider gauges are called broad gauge; smaller gauges, narrow gauge. Break-of-gauge refers...
had to be changed to three foot (891 mm). The work on the railway begun 23 December 1892.
Once the track to Fridhemsberg had been finished a new appl ication was filed. The new application was for a stretch between Fridhemsberg and Älvsered
Älvsered
Älvsered is a locality situated in Falkenberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 475 inhabitants in 2005....
. It was granted in 17 May 1895. The men behind the proposed Varberg-Månsarp route opposed the new application, but it was still granted as they had not been able to secure enough capital to build the railway. However, a number of restrictions were put in place, in the Varberg-Månsarp route was to be built.
Over the following years more and more applications would be filed and concessions granted. Concession to Mjöback
Mjöbäck
Mjöbäck is a locality situated in Svenljunga Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 294 inhabitants in 2005....
was granted July 18, 1896, to Holsljunga
Holsljunga
Holsljunga is a locality situated in Svenljunga Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 258 inhabitants in 2005....
13 January 1899 and to Limmared
Limmared
Limmared is a locality situated in Tranemo Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden with 1,445 inhabitants in 2005....
27 April 1900. Further plans to extend the railway to Ulricehamn
Ulricehamn
Ulricehamn is a locality and the seat of Ulricehamn Municipality, Västra Götaland County, Sweden, with 9,250 inhabitants in 2005.-History:Ulricehamn, originally known as Bogesund has been populated at least since the Middle Ages. The town has had city privileges since at least the 15th century...
and Jönköping
Jönköping
-Notable people:*Lillian Asplund, RMS Titanic survivor*John Bauer, illustrator, painter*Amy Diamond, singer*Agnetha Fältskog, ABBA*Carl Henrik Fredriksson, editor-in-chief and co-founder of Eurozine*Anders Gustafsson, kayaker, Olympian...
did however never materialise.
The railway begun to face diffulties in the 1930s. The abbreviation, FJ, was popularly read as fattig järnväg (En.
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
poor railway). The railway nationalised in two steps (April 1939 and July 1940) in order to secure its operation. The war
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
years meant a minor renaissance
Renaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
for the railway. That did however not change the long term prospect for the railway and it was closed in two steps (1 November 1959 and 1 May 1961). The rail was removed shortly afterwards.
Traffic
Originally the route was served by mixed sets, i.e. goods and passengers used the same trains. This could substantially increases the travel time as the time needed to load and unload goods substantially exceeded the time needed for passengers to get on and off the train. After a few years separate sets began to be used.The railway did mainly transport timber, usually destined for Falkenberg harbour and exportation. As long as this trade was substantial the railway remained successful, annually transporting over 50,000 tons of goods. A major blow came in 1921 when export of wood outlawed. Concurrently less and less logging took place and passengers began travelling by cars and buses instead of by train.
World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
was a short relief as shortage of fuel and replacements forced people away from road traffic. After the war the subsiding use of the railway continued until it was closed.
Sources
- Falkenbergs Järnväg's inverkan på Svartrå socken - Rapport från en studiecirkel 1995 i Studieförbundet Vuxenskolans regi
- Historisk om Svenska Järnvägar: Falkenbergs järnväg