Hjuksebø train disaster
Encyclopedia
The Hjuksebø train disaster was a rail accident on the railway Sørlandsbanen
on 15 November 1950 between the stations of Hjuksebø
and Holtsås
in the Sauherad
municipality in Telemark
, Norway
. With fourteen deaths resulting from the crash, this was Norway's worst railway accident in peacetime until the Tretten train disaster
in 1975. The accident was caused by runaway freight cars running into an express passenger train.
to Oslo
. It consisted of a three-car NSB BM66
electric multiple unit
, which NSB operated on the line as a "lyntog" ("lightning train"). In the control car
at the front of the train was driver Emil Grimsrud. It had left Kristiansand at 08:00, by the time the train left Nordagutu
at 10:45 it was eight minutes behind schedule.
Up at Hjuksebø station, at 10:40 passenger train no. 5443 had arrived after a trip on Bratsbergbanen
from Notodden
. It entered track 2 on the station. Already assembled at this track were seven freight cars, which were supposed to be attached to train no. 5444, on a trip back to Notodden. In order to ready this train, these freight cars would need to be shunted out of the way, so that the engine could make a turn-around for the return journey.
South of Hjuksebø, the line slopes downwards towards Holtsås station. The shunter made a desperate attempt to run and catch up with the runaway cars, hoping to jump on it and engage the emergency brake. The shunter was able at first to clamber onto one of the cars, but was blocked from getting to the front of the runaway cars where the crucial brake was located, so he was forced to jump off and try to run alongside it to reach the front. The breakaway cars were now speeding up and the shunter failed to make it. The engine which had pushed the cars followed, after the runaway, hooting a warning signal to warn trains ahead of the danger.
The station master at Hjuksebø realised the impending danger and called down to Holtsås hoping to stop the incoming passenger train no. 72. The call was too late, and the runaway freight cars and the train no. 72 collided at 10:50.
The leading freight car in the runaway was loaded with wooden logs for setting up telegraph poles, and this added to the damage. The cargo ripped open the front car of the express train where the train driver and 19 passengers were sitting. The driver and 11 passengers were killed instantly, and a further 2 died later from their injuries. The survivors in the front carriage had sustained serious injuries.
at Notodden were sent to the wreckage site with burners who could cut the trapped passengers away from the mangled train.
The two remaining cars in the wreckage were not seriously damaged, and a salvage train from Skien
hauled those cars back to Nordagutu. By 23:05 that night workers had managed to clear the line and open it for traffic again, while the line was closed trains were re-routed over Vestfoldbanen
.
At 12:06 a hospital train left Drammen towards the wreck site, but by the time it arrived at 13:30 the injured had already been sent to a hospital at Notodden.
There were demands that NSB
compensate the survivors of the Hjuksebø disaster victims, and the injured passengers. These demands were finally settled around the middle of the 1950s.
In monetary terms, the accident cost NSB about 910 000 Norwegian crowns
. The accident caused the Norwegian parliament to consider the introduction of train radios onboard Norwegian trains.
Sørlandsbanen
The Sørland Line is a railway line between Drammen via Kristiansand to Stavanger. The line is 545 km long between Oslo and Stavanger.-History:...
on 15 November 1950 between the stations of Hjuksebø
Hjuksebø
Hjuksebø is a village in Sauherad municipality, Norway. It is located between Notodden and Nordagutu, just south of Hjuksevelta.Hjuksebø used to have a train station on the Sørlandsbanen railway...
and Holtsås
Holtsås
Holtsås is a village in Sauherad municipality, Norway. It is located between Hjuksebø and Nordagutu.Holtsås used to have a train station on the Sørlandsbanen railway. The Hjuksebø train disaster occurred between Hjuksebø and Holtsås on 15 November 1950, and was Norway's worst railway accident in...
in the Sauherad
Sauherad
Sauherad is a municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Midt-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the village of Akkerhaugen...
municipality in Telemark
Telemark
is a county in Norway, bordering Vestfold, Buskerud, Hordaland, Rogaland and Aust-Agder. The county administration is in Skien. Until 1919 the county was known as Bratsberg amt.-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...
. With fourteen deaths resulting from the crash, this was Norway's worst railway accident in peacetime until the Tretten train disaster
Tretten train disaster
The Tretten train disaster occurred on 22 February 1975 when a northbound train from Oslo and a southbound express train from Trondheim collided head-on north of Tretten station. With 27 killed, including seven children under 16, and 25 injured, it was the worst train crash in Norwegian...
in 1975. The accident was caused by runaway freight cars running into an express passenger train.
Prelude to the disaster
The passenger train was no. 72, en route from KristiansandKristiansand
-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...
to 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...
. It consisted of a three-car NSB BM66
NSB BM66
NSB Class 66 was a three-car electric train used by the Norwegian State Railways for express trains on the Østfold Line to Halden and Gothenburg, and the Sørland Line to Kristiansand and Stavanger. The four multiple units were built by Skabo, with motors from Norsk Elektrisk & Brown Boveri, and...
electric multiple unit
Electric multiple unit
An electric multiple unit or EMU is a multiple unit train consisting of self-propelled carriages, using electricity as the motive power. An EMU requires no separate locomotive, as electric traction motors are incorporated within one or a number of the carriages...
, which NSB operated on the line as a "lyntog" ("lightning train"). In the control car
Control car (rail)
A control car is a generic term for a non-powered railroad vehicle that can control operation of a train from the end opposite to the position of the locomotive...
at the front of the train was driver Emil Grimsrud. It had left Kristiansand at 08:00, by the time the train left Nordagutu
Nordagutu
Nordagutu is a village in the municipality of Sauherad, Norway. Its population is 367.Nordagutu train station is a part of Bratsbergbanen, and it serves as a junction between Vestfoldbanen and Sørlandsbanen....
at 10:45 it was eight minutes behind schedule.
Up at Hjuksebø station, at 10:40 passenger train no. 5443 had arrived after a trip on Bratsbergbanen
Bratsbergbanen
The Bratsberg Line is a railway line between Eidanger and Notodden in Telemark, Norway. It opened in 1917, connecting the Tinnos Line, the Sørland Line and the Vestfold Line; allowing Norsk Hydro to transport fertilizer from their plant at Rjukan to the port in Skien...
from Notodden
Notodden
is a town and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Notodden....
. It entered track 2 on the station. Already assembled at this track were seven freight cars, which were supposed to be attached to train no. 5444, on a trip back to Notodden. In order to ready this train, these freight cars would need to be shunted out of the way, so that the engine could make a turn-around for the return journey.
Breakaway from Hjuksebø
Normally, the operation of preparing the freight train would wait until the passenger express train from Kristiansand had passed through Hjuksebø, but on this day the shunter at the station was informed that the express was a few minutes delayed. With this extra time, he decided that there was sufficient time to execute the turn-around operation now. The engine of train 5443 was detached from its carriages and pushed the freight cars ahead of it southwards with the intention of pulling them back in on track 3, ready for the return journey. Unfortunately, the four freight cars at the front were not attached to the rest of the train.South of Hjuksebø, the line slopes downwards towards Holtsås station. The shunter made a desperate attempt to run and catch up with the runaway cars, hoping to jump on it and engage the emergency brake. The shunter was able at first to clamber onto one of the cars, but was blocked from getting to the front of the runaway cars where the crucial brake was located, so he was forced to jump off and try to run alongside it to reach the front. The breakaway cars were now speeding up and the shunter failed to make it. The engine which had pushed the cars followed, after the runaway, hooting a warning signal to warn trains ahead of the danger.
The station master at Hjuksebø realised the impending danger and called down to Holtsås hoping to stop the incoming passenger train no. 72. The call was too late, and the runaway freight cars and the train no. 72 collided at 10:50.
Collision
The runaway cars had travelled for almost three kilometres before they ploughed into the incoming express, and the speed was probably around 60 km/h. The express train was moving at 70–75 km/h, in spite of its emergency brake being pulled in the seconds before the collision.The leading freight car in the runaway was loaded with wooden logs for setting up telegraph poles, and this added to the damage. The cargo ripped open the front car of the express train where the train driver and 19 passengers were sitting. The driver and 11 passengers were killed instantly, and a further 2 died later from their injuries. The survivors in the front carriage had sustained serious injuries.
Salvage operation
Men from Norsk HydroNorsk Hydro
Norsk Hydro ASA is a Norwegian aluminium and renewable energy company, headquartered in Oslo. Hydro is the fourth largest integrated aluminium company worldwide. It has operations in some 40 countries around the world and is active on all continents. The Norwegian state holds a 43.8 percent...
at Notodden were sent to the wreckage site with burners who could cut the trapped passengers away from the mangled train.
The two remaining cars in the wreckage were not seriously damaged, and a salvage train from Skien
Skien
' is a city and municipality in Telemark county, Norway. It is part of the traditional region of Grenland. The administrative centre of the municipality is the city of Skien. Skien is also the administrative centre of Telemark county....
hauled those cars back to Nordagutu. By 23:05 that night workers had managed to clear the line and open it for traffic again, while the line was closed trains were re-routed over Vestfoldbanen
Vestfoldbanen
The Vestfold Line is a Norwegian railway line which runs from Drammen, through a number of towns in Vestfold and ending in the town of Skien in Telemark. At Skien, the line continues as the Bratsberg Line to Notodden...
.
At 12:06 a hospital train left Drammen towards the wreck site, but by the time it arrived at 13:30 the injured had already been sent to a hospital at Notodden.
Aftermath
The shunter who had overseen the ill-fated operation at Hjuksebø was sorrow-stricken and on sick leave after the accident. He was eventually moved to a new station where he was not put in charge of any operations with a serious safety hazard. Although there were calls for disciplinary action against the shunter, the investigation revealed that other people involved were also at fault, as well as the prevailing routines followed at Hjuksebø station at the time. No charges or sanctions were levied against those involved.There were demands that NSB
NSB
-Education:*National Spelling Bee, the Scripps National Spelling Bee, a competition in the US*National Science Bowl, a high school academic competition*Northampton School for Boys, a British Secondary School*North Sydney Boys High School, an Australian high school...
compensate the survivors of the Hjuksebø disaster victims, and the injured passengers. These demands were finally settled around the middle of the 1950s.
In monetary terms, the accident cost NSB about 910 000 Norwegian crowns
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"...
. The accident caused the Norwegian parliament to consider the introduction of train radios onboard Norwegian trains.