Namsos Line
The Namsos Line is a railway line between the village of Medjå and the town of Namsos in Trøndelag county, Norway. The line branches off from the Nordland Line at Grong Station and runs through Grong Municipality, Overhalla Municipality, and Namsos Municipality. The line largely follows the river Namsen. The section from Grong to Skogmo is maintained, although not used for ordinary traffic. The section from Skogmo to Namsos is closed, but the infrastructure remains.
Planning of the line started in the 1870s and it was originally thought as part of the Nordland Line. This resulted in a debate of whether the Nordland Line should run from Steinkjer via Beitstad and Namsos to Grong or via Snåsa to Grong, with a branch to Namsos. The latter was selected as it gave the shortest route for the Nordland Line, but gave a longer distance southwards from Namsos and went through a less densely populated area. The line was passed by Parliament in 1913, although construction did not start until 1921. In 1927, construction was halted, but resumed the following year, although the line was built with substandard permanent way. In November 1933 traffic started, and Namsos became the northernmost port in Norway with railway connection to southern Norway, until 1940 when the Nordland Line reached Mosjøen. Passenger traffic was terminated in 1977, and the line has been closed for ordinary traffic since 2002.
Route
The Namsos Line branches from the Nordland Line at Grong and runs to Namsos. Prior to 1981, the line had a different terminus in Namsos and was long. The curve radius is and the maximum gradient is 1.25 percent. The line has five tunnels, with a combined length of. The line is standard gauge, non-electrified, lacks centralized traffic control, automatic train control, and train radio. The railway line is owned and maintained by the Norwegian National Rail Administration. The section from Grong to Skogmo, Overhalla, remains open and maintained, but is not used for ordinary traffic. The section from Skogmo to Namsos remains, but is not maintained.After Grong Station, which is located from Trondheim Central Station and above mean sea level, the line runs over Tømmeråsfoss on the Sanddøla Bridge and then over the Røttesdal Vidaduct. The line then runs past Dun Station, before Sjemsvoll Station and Jørem Station. Next the line reaches Øyheim Station, which has a passing loop. The line then passes into Overhalla and continues to Øysletta Station, before crossing to the north shore Namsen on the Bertnem Bridge.
It passes Heknbakk Station before Skogmo, where there is an industrial spur. This is the end of the part of the line which remains open to traffic. The line then reaches Skogmo Station, which has a passing loop. It then crosses Namsen on the Bjøra Bridge and reaches Himo Station. The line then reaches Overhalla Station, which has a passing loop and serves the municipal center of Ranemsletta.
The line continues on a bridge over Reina before reaching Barlia Station, Øysvoll Station, Myrmo Station and Halvardsmo Station. An industrial spur then branches off before the main line reaches Skage Station, which has a passing loop. The line crosses a bridge over Myrelven before passing through the Bergeng Tunnel and the Brudalsøy Tunnel.
Next the line reaches Grytøya Station before running through the Vika Tunnel. It continues past Kvatninga Station and then over Moeosen on a bridge. Next it reaches Meosen Station, Høyknes Station and Angelskjæret Station. The line then runs through the Hønhaugen I Tunnel and the Hønhaugen II Tunnel. Originally the line went to the old Namsos Station, but since 1981, the line has been shortened to terminate at the new Namsos Station.
Architecture
Because the line was built during the Great Depression and NSB was experiencing an operating loss for the first time in its history, minimal investments were made in stations and their facilities. The main architects were Gerhard Fischer and Bjarne F. Baastad, who both worked for the in-house NSB Arkitektkontor. The line's architecture is designed in Neoclassisism, and is, along with the Ålgård Line, the only line which employed this style consistently. Neoclassical architecture on other lines were only used for individual buildings.Namsos Station was built in brick and also featured motive power depot. Overhalla Station was built in half-timbering. Both stations had hip roofs, and were the only stations to receive water towers, cargo expeditions and station master's residences. After complaints, also Skogmo, Skage and Øysletta Stations received cargo expeditions some years after the opening of the line. Most of the buildings were demolished after the line was closed for passenger traffic. Two buildings have been preserved by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage. Fischer's wooden station building at Skage was preserved as a typical representation of the line's narrow and long buildings in Neoclassisism, and is also similar to the small stations built on the Numedal Line. Baastad's natural stone locomotive depot in Namsos has been preserved as the only remaining part of the original station environment in Namsos.
History
Planning
Proposals for a railway to Namsos were first launched by Ole Tobias Olsen in 1872, who wanted a railway built from Trondheim to Nordland. In 1875, Nord-Trøndelag County Council established a committee to look into building a railway from Stjørdal to Namsos. A similar committee was established for a continuation through Nordland by Nordland County Council. At the time, the Meråker Line was under planning between Trondheim and Hell in Stjørdal, which opened in 1881. The Royal Railway Commission of 1875 mentioned a railway to Namsos in its report, but did not recommend that it be prioritized at the time. By the 1880s, Norway fell into recession and railway investments plummeted.The original proposal called for a line directly from Steinkjer via Beitstad to Namsos and from there onwards to Nordland. In 1877, Grong Municipal Council considered for the first time the possibility of instead building the Nordland Line from Steinkjer via Snåsa to Grong and instead building a branch from Grong to Namsos. In 1884, Nord-Trøndelag County Council appointed a new committee to plan a railway from Stjørdal via Namsos to Vefsn. Building a railway to Namdalen was seen as important to ease export both of lumber, farm produce and seafood. The railway was also regarded as having a strategic importance for the postal service and the military, as transport times northwards would decrease significantly and be less affected by severe weather, which particularly during winter could hinder efficient steam ship transport.
In 1890, the county council supported that the first part of the Nordland Line, the Hell–Sunnan Line, which terminated at the outflow of the lake of Snåsavatnet, as there was consensus of route to that point. A public debate start about whether the Beitstad Line or Snåsa Line should be chosen, with all involved municipal councils being asked for their opinion ahead of the committee's 1889 report. The most vocal proponent of the Beitstad Line was Hans Konrad Foosnæs from Namdalseid, while Svend Matthiesen from Grong was the most vocal proponent of the Snåsa Line. In an 1892 report, a line from Trondheim via Beitstad to Namsos was estimated to be long and would take 6 hours and 40 minutes. In comparison, the steam ships at the time used 16 hours.
During the 1890s, public meets were held throughout the area to rally support for public spending on the railway and for support for the most advantageous route for the local area. The Beitstad Line would run through areas with a population three to four times that of the Snåsa Line. All previous railway lines were built following the route which gave the most people a service, as this gave the best economic impact and would create more revenue for the railway, making it more profitable. Namsos was also the gateway to Nærøy Municipality and Vikna Municipality. On the other hand, the Snåsa Line would be shorter. It was further argued that Beitstad did not need a railway as it was connected to the Trondheimsfjord and that a branch line to Namsos would be built anyway. All municipalities in Namdalen, except Grong, supported the Beitstad Line, while municipalities from Steinkjer and south supported the Snåsa Line.
In 1899, the cost of a line from Sunnan via Namsos to Grong would cost NOK 11.68 million and would be long. Conversely, a line from Sunnan via Snåsa to Grong would cost NOK 6.59 million and would be long. In addition, the branch from Grong to Namsos was estimated at 4.28 million and would be long. Thus the Snåsa Line would be shorter and 824,000 Norwegian krone cheaper. Both routes were based on municipal grants of NOK 500,000. In 1899, a county railway committee published its recommendation, with the majority of three members recommending the Snåsa Line, while the minority of two members recommended the Beitstad Line. In 1900, Trondheim Municipal Council promised to grant NOK 75,000 towards the Nordland Line on condition that it run via Snåsa.
Nord-Trøndelag County Council voted over the issue on 13 June 1900, with 18 votes for the Snåsa Line and 12 for the Beitstad Line. The same year, Nordland County Council voted in favor of the Snåsa Line. In Nordland there was unanimous support for the Snåsa Line, as they wanted the Nordland Line to be as short as possible. The Hell–Sunnan Line was completed to Sunnan and officially opened on 14 November 1905. From 25 July 1908, Stenkjær og Namsos Automobilselskap started a bus service from Steinkjer to Rødhammeren, with a ferry service onwards to Namsos.
From 1905, the government started work on financing several large railway projects, including the Dovre Line, the Rauma Line, the Sørlandet Line and the Nordland Line. On 10 June 1908, Parliament unanimously passed these lines in the Railway Plan of 1908, which included the section from Sunnan via Snåsa to Grong, albeit without a branch to Namsos. The county stated that they would not grant any district funding to the line unless a branch to Namsos was also passed. This was a high-stake game, as Parliament could as a counter-measure decide to not built the line to Grong.
In 1912, the Ministry of Labour recommended that Parliament pass the Namsos Line on the north shore of Namsen and that Parliament demand 15 percent district grants from the county and the affected municipalities. The level of the district grants were subject to public debate, as they would affect the municipal finances for a long period. The same year, an additional proposal was made by the Norwegian Directorate of Mining, who wanted a railway from Namsos via Grong to Tunnsjøen, where pyrite mining was planned. The formal decision to build the line was taken by Parliament on 2 June 1913, although the route was not formalized by Parliament until 13 December 1923.