Flekkefjord Station
Encyclopedia
Flekkefjord Station is a former railway station located in Flekkefjord
, Norway
. It served as the terminus of the gauge Flekkefjord Line
from 1904 to 1990. The station building was designed by Paul Armin Due
and was built in brick Art Nouveau
.
The station was important for transport along the coast until 1944, when the completion of the Sørland Line made Flekkefjord a branch station. At the same time, the line was converted to standard gauge
, the number of station tracks was reduced, and the station received an overhaul. The station building was demolished in 1970, but the station was still served until the line closed in 1990. The tracks and depot buildings still exist.
to Flekkefjord
, as an extension of the Jæren Line, that ran from Stavanger
to Egersund. The Norwegian Parliament voted in favor of the line in 1894, and construction started two years later. While initial plans were to open the line in 1902, the station and line did not open until 1 November 1904. The line was built as a Cape gauge
line, and the first rolling stock was reallocated from the Voss Line
.
Initially, there were four trains daily in each direction, reduced to three on holidays. The most important train was the one that coordinated with the west-bound steam ship; the train would wait up to 45 minutes if the ship was delayed. This become the dominant route for people to get from Stavanger to cities along the South Coast, as well as to Oslo. In addition to passengers, major cargo shipments included seasonal shipments of herring
, as well as lumber from the surrounding areas. Coal for the trains was imported by steam ship to Flekkefjord.
With the arrival of the Kragerø Line to Kragerø in 1927, and the Sørland Line to Arendal in 1935, buses were used between Flekkefjord and the terminus cities, allowing land connection between Stavanger and Oslo via Flekkefjord. At the same time, diesel multiple unit
s were introduced on the "lightning trains", cutting travel time to Stavanger by 50 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes.
The Flekkefjord Line was planned as part of the Sørland Line, that would make Flekkefjord a station on the line between Oslo, Kristiansand
and Stavanger. Instead, the route of the Sørland Line was chosen to traverse an inner route, and the Flekkefjord Line became a 17.1 km (10.6 mi) branch line of the Sørland Line in 1944. As part of the construction, the Flekkefjord Line was converted in 1940–41 to standard gauge
. The first standard gauge train, a NSB Class 18, operated on 8 August 1941. The large traffic during the reconstruction period caused so much damage to the wharf that it had to be taken out of service. The speed on the line was also reduced to 40 kilometres per hour (24.9 mph), as the gauge conversion was done without changing the right-of-way profile. Dual gauge
was kept until 1 March 1944. At the same time the four tracks at the station were reduced to three. The cargo building was also moved three metres. In June 1945, twelve people were employed at the station.
With the introduction of standard gauge, Flekkefjord went from being an important hub for transport along the south coast, to merely being a branch station. However, the number of daily trains to Sira
and Moi
had increased to twelve, operated with Class 86
and Class 87
multiple units. The Class 87 was used until 1956, when Class 86 came into service. In 1966, Class 87 was reintroduced. Important cargo customers at the time were Draco (who made boats) and Halvorsens Kjelfabrikk (who made boilers). From 1981, the Class 89 came into use, remaining until the station was closed in 1990.
As the only proper station on the line, Flekkefjord was built in brick in Art Nouveau
. The two-story 338 m² (3,638.2 sq ft) building which was designed by Paul Armin Due
had a ground floor with a ticket office, four offices and three waiting rooms. The second story was an apartment for the station master. Due chose to design the building symmetrically around the waiting room. It had arched widows and doors, curved corners and two round towers. This gave both a tight and soft form in organic interaction. It has been considered one of Due's best works of Art Nouveau. Beside the station there was a 196 m² (2,109.7 sq ft) single story restaurant building. In addition to a large main building, the station had a freight building, a wharf, a locomotive and wagon depot, and a loading area. There were four tracks past the station, in addition to two track to the cargo area. The cargo building had room for three wagons. The locomotive depot had places for six steam locomotives.
The restaurant was converted into housing in the 1950s, and in May 1970 the station building was demolished to make room for a new bus station. The cargo building was refurbished to serve as a station building for passengers and as offices. The wharf was sold by the municipality in 1987, and the last train to serve the station departed on 31 December 1990. Most of the line and infrastructure is however intact.
Flekkefjord
is a town and municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.The town of Flekkefjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The rural municipalities of Bakke, Gyland, Hidra, and Nes were merged with Flekkefjord on 1 January 1965.Flekkefjord is the westernmost town of the...
, 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...
. It served as the terminus of the gauge Flekkefjord Line
Flekkefjord Line
The Flekkefjord Line is a abandoned branch line to the Sørland Line. It ran between Sira and Flekkefjord in Vest-Agder, Norway. The only current activity on the line is tourist draisines. The station buildings along the line were designed by the architect Paul Armin Due—these have all been...
from 1904 to 1990. The station building was designed by Paul Armin Due
Paul 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...
and was built in brick Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
.
The station was important for transport along the coast until 1944, when the completion of the Sørland Line made Flekkefjord a branch station. At the same time, the line 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...
, the number of station tracks was reduced, and the station received an overhaul. The station building was demolished in 1970, but the station was still served until the line closed in 1990. The tracks and depot buildings still exist.
History
The Flekkefjord Line ran from EgersundEgersund
The town of Egersund was established as a municipality January 1, 1838 . It was merged with the surrounding municipality of Eigersund January 1, 1965....
to Flekkefjord
Flekkefjord
is a town and municipality in the county of Vest-Agder, Norway.The town of Flekkefjord was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838 . The rural municipalities of Bakke, Gyland, Hidra, and Nes were merged with Flekkefjord on 1 January 1965.Flekkefjord is the westernmost town of the...
, as an extension of the Jæren Line, that ran from Stavanger
Stavanger
Stavanger is a city and municipality in the county of Rogaland, Norway.Stavanger municipality has a population of 126,469. There are 197,852 people living in the Stavanger conurbation, making Stavanger the fourth largest city, but the third largest urban area, in Norway...
to Egersund. The Norwegian Parliament voted in favor of the line in 1894, and construction started two years later. While initial plans were to open the line in 1902, the station and line did not open until 1 November 1904. The line was built as a Cape gauge
Cape gauge
Cape gauge is a track gauge of between the inside of the rail heads and is classified as narrow gauge. It has installations of around .The gauge was first used by Norwegian engineer Carl Abraham Pihl and the first line was opened in 1862.- Nomenclature :...
line, and the first rolling stock was reallocated from the Voss Line
Voss Line
The Voss Line is a railway line from Bergen to Voss in Hordaland, Norway. The line was opened on 11 July 1883 and became part of the Bergen Line when the latter opened on 27 November 1909, making the Voss Line the first step from Bergen to Oslo. The Voss Line was built in narrow gauge, but...
.
Initially, there were four trains daily in each direction, reduced to three on holidays. The most important train was the one that coordinated with the west-bound steam ship; the train would wait up to 45 minutes if the ship was delayed. This become the dominant route for people to get from Stavanger to cities along the South Coast, as well as to Oslo. In addition to passengers, major cargo shipments included seasonal shipments of herring
Herring
Herring is an oily fish of the genus Clupea, found in the shallow, temperate waters of the North Pacific and the North Atlantic oceans, including the Baltic Sea. Three species of Clupea are recognized. The main taxa, the Atlantic herring and the Pacific herring may each be divided into subspecies...
, as well as lumber from the surrounding areas. Coal for the trains was imported by steam ship to Flekkefjord.
With the arrival of the Kragerø Line to Kragerø in 1927, and the Sørland Line to Arendal in 1935, buses were used between Flekkefjord and the terminus cities, allowing land connection between Stavanger and Oslo via Flekkefjord. At the same time, diesel multiple unit
Diesel multiple unit
A diesel multiple unit or DMU is a multiple unit train consisting of multiple carriages powered by one or more on-board diesel engines. They may also be referred to as a railcar or railmotor, depending on country.-Design:...
s were introduced on the "lightning trains", cutting travel time to Stavanger by 50 minutes to 3 hours 15 minutes.
The Flekkefjord Line was planned as part of the Sørland Line, that would make Flekkefjord a station on the line between Oslo, 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...
and Stavanger. Instead, the route of the Sørland Line was chosen to traverse an inner route, and the Flekkefjord Line became a 17.1 km (10.6 mi) branch line of the Sørland Line in 1944. As part of the construction, the Flekkefjord Line was converted in 1940–41 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...
. The first standard gauge train, a NSB Class 18, operated on 8 August 1941. The large traffic during the reconstruction period caused so much damage to the wharf that it had to be taken out of service. The speed on the line was also reduced to 40 kilometres per hour (24.9 mph), as the gauge conversion was done without changing the right-of-way profile. Dual gauge
Dual gauge
A dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway has railway track that allows trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally, a dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail...
was kept until 1 March 1944. At the same time the four tracks at the station were reduced to three. The cargo building was also moved three metres. In June 1945, twelve people were employed at the station.
With the introduction of standard gauge, Flekkefjord went from being an important hub for transport along the south coast, to merely being a branch station. However, the number of daily trains to Sira
Sira Station
Sira Station is a railway station located at the village of Sira in Flekkefjord, Norway on the railway Sørlandsbanen. The station is served by regional trains operated by Norges Statsbaner to Stavanger and Kristiansand.-History:...
and Moi
Moi Station
Moi Station is a railway station located at the village of Moi in Lund, Norway on the railway Sørlandsbanen. The station is served by regional trains operated by Norges Statsbaner to Stavanger and Kristiansand.-History:...
had increased to twelve, operated with Class 86
NSB BM86
NSB Class 86 is a class of diesel-hydraulic multiple units built by Strømmens Værksted for the Norwegian State Railways . Thirty-eight motor cars and thirty-one trailers were built between 1937 and 1954, split between six subtypes designated a through f. Class 91 was a further delivery of ten...
and Class 87
NSB BM87
NSB Class 87 is a class of 25 diesel-hydraulic railcars built by Strømmens Værksted for the Norwegian State Railways. Seventeen a-series units were delivered in 1941 and equipped with Deutz prime mover. Eight b-series units were delivered in 1952 and equipped with Scania Vabis prime movers. The...
multiple units. The Class 87 was used until 1956, when Class 86 came into service. In 1966, Class 87 was reintroduced. Important cargo customers at the time were Draco (who made boats) and Halvorsens Kjelfabrikk (who made boilers). From 1981, the Class 89 came into use, remaining until the station was closed in 1990.
Facilities
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
. The two-story 338 m² (3,638.2 sq ft) building which was designed by Paul Armin Due
Paul 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...
had a ground floor with a ticket office, four offices and three waiting rooms. The second story was an apartment for the station master. Due chose to design the building symmetrically around the waiting room. It had arched widows and doors, curved corners and two round towers. This gave both a tight and soft form in organic interaction. It has been considered one of Due's best works of Art Nouveau. Beside the station there was a 196 m² (2,109.7 sq ft) single story restaurant building. In addition to a large main building, the station had a freight building, a wharf, a locomotive and wagon depot, and a loading area. There were four tracks past the station, in addition to two track to the cargo area. The cargo building had room for three wagons. The locomotive depot had places for six steam locomotives.
The restaurant was converted into housing in the 1950s, and in May 1970 the station building was demolished to make room for a new bus station. The cargo building was refurbished to serve as a station building for passengers and as offices. The wharf was sold by the municipality in 1987, and the last train to serve the station departed on 31 December 1990. Most of the line and infrastructure is however intact.