Drammen trolleybus
Encyclopedia
The Drammen trolleybus system was a system of trolleybus
es in Drammen
, Norway
, which operated between 15 December 1909 and 10 June 1967. The system stretched from the city center to Brakerøya, Merket and Vårveien and was operated by the companies Drammens Elektriske Bane
, A/S Trikken
and Drammen Kommunale Trikk
. The system was well suited for Drammen, since the city has a lot of hills and cheap electricity
.
. The first plans for public transport
in Drammen was proposed by Carl Christian Juell for a horsecar
system, but instead he started developing the Gothenburg tram
in Gothenburg
, Sweden
. In the 1890s Oslo
, Bergen
and Trondheim
got horsecar and later tram
systems, and in 1904 it was proposed that also Drammen get a similar system. But Engineer Hans Jensen had been to Düsseldorf
and seen the trolleybus system there, and in 1909 the company Drammens Elektriske Bane
got permission to build a trolleybus system. The company had an initial capital of NOK
140,000 and built the 7.7 km line Bragerøen-Torvet-Landfalløen and Torvet-Tangen.
Unlike almost all other existing trolleybus systems of the time, which were using Schiemann trolley and catenary system, the Drammen trolleybuses used the experimental Filovia system - two wires were located 15 cm apart (voltage: 550V); the vehicles used a single trolley pole
. Drammen was the last trolleybus systm in the world to use this type of current collection. The first four bus
es and the infrastructure were delivered by Max Schiemann & Co in Germany
. The initial system had a headway
of 30 minutes, but this was changed to 20 minutes in 1912. Within a few years the system had reached a ridership of more than one million passenger annually. During World War I
the company came into deep economic problems, and the ticket price was increased from 10 øre
to 15 øre and the municipality gave the company a 25% discount on electricity. Still, in 1916 the company went bankrupt. A new company, A/S Trikken
, was created to continue operations.
The system had since the start had a disadvantage in that only empty buses could cross the City Bridge that connected the two lines. But in 1936 a new bridge was constructed allowing buses to drive in a continual, triangular loop. After World War II
the system was again quite petty, and on 1 July 1947 the City Council created a municipal owned company, Drammen Kommunale Trikk
(lit: Drammen Municipal Tram), to operate the system. The routes that in the 1930 had been reduced to 12 minutes headway were then reduced to 10 minutes and in 1951 to 9 minutes. In 1960 the company also rebuilt the buses so that they only needed a driver and not a driver and conductor
and expanded the western route to Vårveien.
In 1960 the sale of car
s in Norway was deregulated
, resulting in an enormous fall in passenger numbers for the trolleybus system. On 7 January 1963 the route to Brakerøya was taken over by diesel buses. The rest of the system was closed on 10 July 1967. When the system closed, it was the second oldest operating trolleybus system in the world. The operating company was also responsible for the new diesel bus routes, and in 1981 it was merged to create Drammen og Omegn Busslinjer
, now part of Nettbuss
.
Trolleybus
A trolleybus is an electric bus that draws its electricity from overhead wires using spring-loaded trolley poles. Two wires and poles are required to complete the electrical circuit...
es in Drammen
Drammen
Drammen is a city in Buskerud County, Norway. The port and river city of Drammen is centrally located in the eastern and most populated part of Norway.-Location:...
, 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...
, which operated between 15 December 1909 and 10 June 1967. The system stretched from the city center to Brakerøya, Merket and Vårveien and was operated by the companies Drammens Elektriske Bane
Drammens Elektriske Bane
Drammens Elektriske Bane was a Norwegian company that operated the Drammen trolleybus between December 15, 1909 and April 30, 1916. The company was started by M. Magnus, Otto Aubert and Olaf Berger in 1908 and built the initial 7.7 km of trolleybus line in Drammen with a capital of NOK 140,000...
, A/S Trikken
A/S Trikken
A/S Trikken was a Norwegian company that operated the Drammen trolleybus between May 1, 1916 and July 1, 1947. The company was started by the electrical company Øverby & Larsen, that bought the remains of the bankrupt Drammens Elektriske Bane who had operate the trolleybuses since 1909...
and Drammen Kommunale Trikk
Drammen Kommunale Trikk
Drammen Kommunale Trikk was a Norwegian company that operated the Drammen trolleybus and bus system between July 1, 1947 and 1981, though the trolleybus system was closed in 1967. The company was started by the Drammen City Council when the licence of the former operator of the trolleybuses, A/S...
. The system was well suited for Drammen, since the city has a lot of hills and cheap electricity
Electricity
Electricity is a general term encompassing a variety of phenomena resulting from the presence and flow of electric charge. These include many easily recognizable phenomena, such as lightning, static electricity, and the flow of electrical current in an electrical wire...
.
History
When the system opened in 1909 it was the first trolleybus system in ScandinaviaScandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
. The first plans for public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
in Drammen was proposed by Carl Christian Juell for a horsecar
Horsecar
A horsecar or horse-drawn tram is an animal-powered streetcar or tram.These early forms of public transport developed out of industrial haulage routes that had long been in existence, and from the omnibus routes that first ran on public streets in the 1820s, using the newly improved iron or steel...
system, but instead he started developing the Gothenburg tram
Gothenburg tram
The Gothenburg tram network is part of the public transport system organised by Göteborgs Spårvägar AB, controlled by Västtrafik in the Swedish city of Gothenburg...
in Gothenburg
Gothenburg
Gothenburg is the second-largest city in Sweden and the fifth-largest in the Nordic countries. Situated on the west coast of Sweden, the city proper has a population of 519,399, with 549,839 in the urban area and total of 937,015 inhabitants in the metropolitan area...
, 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....
. In the 1890s Oslo
Oslo
Oslo is a municipality, as well as the capital and most populous city in Norway. As a municipality , it was established on 1 January 1838. Founded around 1048 by King Harald III of Norway, the city was largely destroyed by fire in 1624. The city was moved under the reign of Denmark–Norway's King...
, Bergen
Bergen
Bergen is the second largest city in Norway with a population of as of , . Bergen is the administrative centre of Hordaland county. Greater Bergen or Bergen Metropolitan Area as defined by Statistics Norway, has a population of as of , ....
and Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
got horsecar and later tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
systems, and in 1904 it was proposed that also Drammen get a similar system. But Engineer Hans Jensen had been to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
and seen the trolleybus system there, and in 1909 the company Drammens Elektriske Bane
Drammens Elektriske Bane
Drammens Elektriske Bane was a Norwegian company that operated the Drammen trolleybus between December 15, 1909 and April 30, 1916. The company was started by M. Magnus, Otto Aubert and Olaf Berger in 1908 and built the initial 7.7 km of trolleybus line in Drammen with a capital of NOK 140,000...
got permission to build a trolleybus system. The company had an initial capital of NOK
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"...
140,000 and built the 7.7 km line Bragerøen-Torvet-Landfalløen and Torvet-Tangen.
Unlike almost all other existing trolleybus systems of the time, which were using Schiemann trolley and catenary system, the Drammen trolleybuses used the experimental Filovia system - two wires were located 15 cm apart (voltage: 550V); the vehicles used a single trolley pole
Trolley pole
A trolley pole is a tapered cylindrical pole of wood or metal, used to transfer electricity from a "live" overhead wire to the control and propulsion equipment of a tram or trolley bus. The use of overhead wire in a system of current collection is reputed to be the 1880 invention of Frank J....
. Drammen was the last trolleybus systm in the world to use this type of current collection. The first four bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
es and the infrastructure were delivered by Max Schiemann & Co in Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The initial system had a headway
Headway
Headway is a measurement of the distance/time between vehicles in a transit system. The precise definition varies depending on the application, but it is most commonly measured as the distance from the tip of one vehicle to the tip of the next one behind it, expressed as the time it will take for...
of 30 minutes, but this was changed to 20 minutes in 1912. Within a few years the system had reached a ridership of more than one million passenger annually. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
the company came into deep economic problems, and the ticket price was increased from 10 øre
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"...
to 15 øre and the municipality gave the company a 25% discount on electricity. Still, in 1916 the company went bankrupt. A new company, A/S Trikken
A/S Trikken
A/S Trikken was a Norwegian company that operated the Drammen trolleybus between May 1, 1916 and July 1, 1947. The company was started by the electrical company Øverby & Larsen, that bought the remains of the bankrupt Drammens Elektriske Bane who had operate the trolleybuses since 1909...
, was created to continue operations.
The system had since the start had a disadvantage in that only empty buses could cross the City Bridge that connected the two lines. But in 1936 a new bridge was constructed allowing buses to drive in a continual, triangular loop. After 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...
the system was again quite petty, and on 1 July 1947 the City Council created a municipal owned company, Drammen Kommunale Trikk
Drammen Kommunale Trikk
Drammen Kommunale Trikk was a Norwegian company that operated the Drammen trolleybus and bus system between July 1, 1947 and 1981, though the trolleybus system was closed in 1967. The company was started by the Drammen City Council when the licence of the former operator of the trolleybuses, A/S...
(lit: Drammen Municipal Tram), to operate the system. The routes that in the 1930 had been reduced to 12 minutes headway were then reduced to 10 minutes and in 1951 to 9 minutes. In 1960 the company also rebuilt the buses so that they only needed a driver and not a driver and conductor
Conductor (transportation)
A conductor is a member of a railway train's crew that is responsible for operational and safety duties that do not involve the actual operation of the train. The title of conductor is most associated with railway operations in North America, but the role of conductor is common to railways...
and expanded the western route to Vårveien.
In 1960 the sale of car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s in Norway was deregulated
Deregulation
Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces.Deregulation is the removal or...
, resulting in an enormous fall in passenger numbers for the trolleybus system. On 7 January 1963 the route to Brakerøya was taken over by diesel buses. The rest of the system was closed on 10 July 1967. When the system closed, it was the second oldest operating trolleybus system in the world. The operating company was also responsible for the new diesel bus routes, and in 1981 it was merged to create Drammen og Omegn Busslinjer
Drammen og Omegn Busslinjer
Drammen og Omegn Busslinjer was a Norwegian bus company operating in Greater Drammen until 1999 when it was sold to Nettbuss because of financial difficulties and renamed Nettbuss Drammen. The company was owned by the municipalities of Drammen, Lier and Nedre Eiker in addition to the county of...
, now part of Nettbuss
Nettbuss
Nettbuss AS is the largest bus company in Norway owned by the Norwegian State Railways . It was until 2000 known as NSB Biltrafikk. The company has 14 operating subsidiaries throughout Norway and in Denmark and Sweden....
.