The Ofoten Railway with Arctic Train

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Points of interest

#1

Narvik Station

We welcome you to Narvik Station. From here we will guide you through the spectacular trip on the Ofoten Railway. The station was opened to traffic in 1902 which was also the year that Narvik obtained city status. From the city you can experience the magic of the northern lights in wintertime and warm summer evenings with the midnight sun hanging over the horizon. The Ofoten railway extends from Narvik 38kms inwards to the Swedish border where it continues onwards to the rich ore fields of Kiruna. The locals like to talk of time in terms of before and after the building of the Ofoten railway. When the establishment of shipping facilities associated to the railway accelerated growth in the region. The line on the Norwegian side was actually marked out by military personnel. The line was seen as a geo-political challenge which was discussed by general staff on both sides of the border. Consequently, you will also become familiar with many strategic military installations along the way. The station buildings and the track were later modernised and when the track was electrified in 1923 the transformer station was set up right by the entrance to Narvik Station.

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#2

The invasion of the 9th April 1940

Narvik’s strategic position during the second world war was well known and therefore the city was one of the Germans’ first goals when Norway was invaded. Already on the morning of the 9th April 1940 Narvik was hit by an invasion fleet of 10 destroyers which sailed into the Ofotfjord. Two Norwegian marine vessels were sunk in Narvik harbour ingulfed in an inferno of flames and 2000 Austrian mountain troops came ashore under the command of General Dietl. The city quickly succumbed, and power was handed to the local military chief who was unfortunately on the side of the enemy. The Norwegian forces consisting of only 186 soldiers hastened to withdraw from the city on foot along the Ofoten line. The German general quickly gave orders to stop them, but it was too late, and an intense pursuit commenced. Two strategic defence teams from the Norwegian forces were put in place to defend the withdrawal and we are now approaching the place where the first act of war took place. The Norwegian soldiers bravely stood their ground and stopped the German powers in their pursuit after an intense battle on the evening of the 9th April.

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#3

The most northerly point

We are now passing the most northerly point of Europe’s mainline railway. The original memorial from the official opening of the line also used to be here, but it can now be found at Narvik station. We are also passing the beautiful and elegant Hålogaland bridge which is an impressive feat of engineering. It was opened in 2018 and with a length of 1553 metres is the second longest suspension bridge in Norway. The bridge crosses the fjord at the exact same spot where the Norwegian and Allied forces made the landing to free Narvik from the German occupiers. The opposite side of the fjord is the area through which the Norwegian and French armies marched to recapture Narvik on the 28th May 1940. They were supported by British ships and it was the first multi-national attack of the second world war. Lessons learnt from Narvik played an important role in the planning of similar operations which took place later in the war, including the D Day landings in France. The occupying power placed artillery from damaged ships on to railway wagons and hid them in many of the tunnels which we are now passing through.

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#4

The building of the Ofoten Railway

We are now travelling along the Ofoten railway line, the building of which is a story in itself. The iron rich ore fields in the north of Sweden were discovered as far back as the 1600s. The industrial revolution created a huge demand for iron from industries across Europe. The invention of the steam locomotive was the starting point of effective transportation of iron ore from Kiruna through to the harbour in Narvik and from there further onwards to the continent. The ice-free bay in Narvik made it a natural choice for the shipping industry. The building of the Ofoten line was actually done over two periods. The first period was called the English period when the route from Narvik harbour to Katterat was built. The English firstly christened Narvik ‘ Victoriahamn’ but it was changed in 1902 to Narvik. The company which started the construction went bankrupt in 1889 and work stood still for 9 years. The second period commenced in 1898 when Norway and Sweden joined together to build the railway as a state facility. Construction carried on right up to 1902 when the railway from Narvik to Kiruna was completed. The 15th November 1902 is a historic day, that was when the rails were proudly connected and the first train rolled down the line. The official inauguration of the railway was conducted by the King of the union, King Oscar II on the 14th July of the same year.

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#5

The Naval battles of the 9th to the 13th April 1940

We are now following the beautiful Rombakken which is an arm of the Ofotfjord. It winds its way in between steep mountains to the village of Rombaksbotn and has a very dramatic story to tell. Here the sea frothed as two crucial sea battles raged between British and German destroyers, the battle commenced on the 9th April 1940 and continued for 4 consecutive days. The battle halved the German destroyer fleet with fatal consequences for the German navy in the following years. The British also suffered huge losses with many vessels destroyed or damaged. The battle for Narvik continued right up until the 10th June when the allies withdrew after the Trondheim agreement, and when they redeployed troops to the continent as the fighting there intensified. There are 66 registered shipwrecks in the fjords around the Ofoten railway. These occurred over the 62 days that the fighting lasted, that equates to over a ship a day that met its terrible fate on the fjord bed. We highly recommend taking a trip to Rombaksbotn with Fjord Cruise Narvik. There you can get a feel for these dramatic events and at the same time experience the wreck of the German destroyer the Georg Thiele close up.

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#6

Straumsnes

We are now passing the unused station of Straumsnes. Alternatively, it has been upgraded so that it can be used as a passing place for the long trains that run along the Ofoten line. At the outbreak of the war many civilians were evacuated here and to the other side of the fjord. During the first days of the war, this unfortunately resulted in them still being in the line of fire, especially whilst the sea battles were raging. Later both German and Allied planes were a threat to them. Right outside the station and around 30 metres out to sea lies 20 metres of the bow section of the British destroyer HMS Eskimo. She was hit by a torpedo as she tried to come towards the headland at the Rombak bridge whilst hunting 4 German destroyers who ran aground in the innermost part of the fjord on the 13th April 1940. After having lost part of her bow HMS Eskimo amazingly managed to sail all the way back to England under her own engine power, she was later rebuilt and was once again ready for battle.

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#7

Rombaken fjord

If you now turn your gaze towards the fjord, you will notice that it is quite narrow. Nevertheless, it is deep and has a depth of around 110 metres. The German destroyers could therefore enter without a problem but with no possibility to turn around, they were easily trapped if the Allies came. The fjord is home to four whole German shipwrecks which were visible to train passengers right up until 1951 when the bow parts were removed. Across the fjord you can see the Rombak bridge, a suspension bridge which crosses the Rombaken fjord. The bridge is 765 metres long and has a sailing clearance height of 41 metres. It was opened in 1964 and replaced the ferry crossing between Narvik and Øyjord. There has been a bridge there since 1927 and it was part of the European Route E6 right up until the opening of the Hålogaland bridge when the road was rerouted.

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#8

Georg Thiele

You can now see the bow part of the German destroyer ‘Georg Thieles’ also known simply as GT. It is visible just inside the powerplant. GT was run aground by her own crew on the 13th April 1940 when they were forced into the fjord by British vessels. She is the same ship that managed to get a torpedo hit on the English destroyer HMS Eskimo resulting in her losing part of her bow. The ship’s stern was 119 metres long and is located at a depth of 64 metres. GT had a crew of 320 men, which was also true of the other German destroyers in her class. These vessels were built between 1935 and 1939 and were very modern for their time. They could achieve a top speed of over 38 knots. The wreck was almost empty of oil, but not completely. And a few drops of polluting oil are still dripping into the fjord, now and then passing boats notice the distinctive smell of crude oil. Despite this, environmentalists can relax as the leak poses no environmental threat.

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#9

Rombak Station

The train is now chugging past Rombak station, which was previously called Sildvik station named after the area. Rombak station had its crossing tracks extended in 2015 so that long ore trains can pass here. There is a water tower in the station area that was designed by the famous railway architect Paul Armin Due. This water tower is the only one remaining from the steam locomotive period of the Ofoten line and it is now protected. The water tank holds 30 tonnes and is placed 4.5 metres above the rail height. Underneath the tank is a furnace which is used to stop the water turning to ice in the winter. On the seaside you can see a long building the ‘Kanonskuret’. It was a part of the old defences around the Ofoten line. At one time there was a railway wagon stationed here with a powerful 75mm canon pointing to the East. It was in fact a part of the Norwegian defence against the Swedes before the dissolution of the Union.

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#10

Fortifications

We are now arriving in Sildvik. When Norway broke the Union with Sweden in 1905 there was a frosty relationship and an ongoing cold war. In 1907 the Norwegian armed forces built fortifications from here towards the Swedish border. An armoured train was also stationed here, but that was not unusual at that time. It consisted of a train set equipped with a 7.6 mm cannon placed on a wagon. The facility could be staffed by up to 250 men. During the second world war, soldiers from the German destroyer Georg Thiele came ashore and seized Norwegian uniforms and equipment including the armoured cannon. The fortification was in military service up until 1980, and the bunkers are still intact.

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#11

Rombaksbotn

Right here, you can probably find Norway’s shortest and strangest town history. For five years there was a bustling community here in Rombaksbotn made up of the construction workers who were building the Ofoten line. The town could be found at the bottom of the fjord below us, and yes you heard correctly …found! The town disappeared just as quickly as it had sprung up once the construction of the railway was complete. There was a separate quay here which distributed supplies to both the Norwegian and Swedish railways. Creating a proper Swedish–Norwegian environment and it is this that has contributed to the somewhat special Narvik dialect. During the hectic construction period there were several thousand Rallar working in this area in the mountains. Every weekend the city was invaded when they all came down from the mountain to let off steam. Today, there are only memories that are left but the town is still a popular start and end point for hikes along the Rallar road. The town also did not manage to avoid the dramatic acts of war. On the 13th April 1940 three German destroyers ran aground and sank. The crew escaped up the steep mountainside on the north and continued further on to the Norwegian army camp in Bjerkvik where they acquired Norwegian uniforms and weapons. They became part of the 2600 strong German force under the command of General Dietl who became known as the ‘Mountain Navy’. They would later come into battle against Norwegian and Allied forces.

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#12

Katterattgubben

We are now following the tracks to Katterat station passing through the Cape Horn tunnel. But of course, you are right, we are not in South Africa. The name originates from the first period of construction when the English found names in the daily newspaper that they found amusing. It was that simple back then. Accordingly, there are many places along the Ofoten line that have international names. After the tunnel on the Katterat side you can see the “Katteratgubben”. It is a four-metre-high stone formation from the last ice age, the three-sided top-heavy stone weighing in at around 10 tons has balanced here for 10 thousand years! The Katteratgubben has stood strong against all that has been thrown at it. Whether that be blasts during the building of the Cape Horn tunnel over a 100 years ago, or bombs and bullets from the second world war.

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#13

Katterat Station

We are now arriving in Katterat which is a popular starting point for hiking the famous Rallar road. From here you can also embark on longer hikes into the Narvik Mountains which have been developed by the Narvik and district tourist association. When the Ofoten line was run on steam there was a manned water tower here, but that was replaced with a transformer station in 1923. In 1932 the Nygård power station came to the Rombaken and then the trains could finally run on Norwegian power. Today the transformer station has been de-commissioned but most of the original equipment remains. Today Katterat station is protected. The station building that was built in 1922 is actually the only one along the Ofoten line that is in the original design. The electrical installations in the station area which gave the power to the railway are also preserved in their original form. Norwegian military forces were also stationed here during the dissolution of the Union between Norway and Sweden in 1905, and you can still see the position and ruins of the barracks. Even though there were not so many inhabitants, the small community was nevertheless well organised. They even had their own shooting team, but the modernisation of the railway led to a surplus of workers and the last permanent resident moved from the village in 1963.

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#14

The Rallar Road

You will undoubtably have noticed that we are driving through rough terrain and therefore can appreciate how demanding it must have been to build the Ofoten line. Due to this it was necessary to construct a separate transport road for equipment, supplies and people. At its height there were over 5000 people at work on the construction, both Swedish and Norwegian workers who went under the name of Rallars. It was just a nominal title but amongst the slightly more civilised population they were probably looked down on somewhat. After all the word Rallar means ruffian. The transportation road was named after the Rallars and therefore became known as the Rallar road, similar roads can be found around other stretches of railway that were built at the same time in Norway. Farmers from across the region were engaged to transport all the equipment using horse and cart. This was especially difficult in winter using various types of sleighs, in the freezing cold and wind. The road between Rombaksbotn and Abisko was completed in 1898 and just five years later trains began to roll down the tracks, at which point the construction road was left to the forces of nature. Today the road has been cleared and designated as a culturally historic hiking trail. It runs through a beautiful and varied landscape from Rombaksbotn to Riksgrensen.

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#15

Norddalen

We are now passing Norddalen which is a “canyon” formed during the ice age. In these dramatic surroundings the Rallar worked skilfully with hand drills and hammers. It was not unusual to hang a rope down the mountainside so that they could later use it as landings to stand on. This landslide prone stretch of track runs through many tunnels and overhangs and has land slide systems in place across all open stretches. There were many challenges associated with transporting materials up the mountain from the fjord by horse and cart. Therefore, several cable cars were built in the area. In 1899 the SJ railway company built a cable car from Nedre Hunndalen to Bjørnfjell. This was split into two sections and went across Norddalen with a mid-stop in Norddalen next to the train tracks. Thus, avoiding a 4.5 kilometre detour up the transport road and a steep ascent. Up until the completion of the railway the cable car transported 10,000 tons of goods.

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#16

Nordal Bridge

We are now approaching Nordal bridge. It was originally built as a military destruction point from where the railway could be cut in the event of a threat from the East. The bridge was prefabricated in Germany and all the pillars were transported by horse from Rombaksbotn in the winter of 1902. The top modules for the railway were shipped to Narvik and were transported further by train. The Nordal bridge was later reinforced and repaired after a train derailment in 1975. Later, there was a need to replace the bridge due to its age, and at that point it was decided to resect the railway instead. So, in 1988 the railway route was resected and today the old bridge is a cultural monument. In total over a billion tonnes of ore have been transported over this impressive edifice. The Norwegian forces who made their way out of Narvik on the 9th April 1940 tried to blow up the bridge but they didn’t have enough explosives. The few explosives they did have only caused minor damage which was quickly repaired. The Norwegian forces were deployed on the north side of the bridge to prevent a German advance, but when the Germans acquired long range automatic weapons and reinforcements from Bjerkvik the Norwegian defence was too small and had to retreat to Bjørnfjell. In the period before the 16th April 1940 there were also many civilians fleeing Narvik who crossed over the bridge even though it was damaged, many of them went on to become refugees in Sweden.

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#17

Søsterbekk

We have now reached Søsterbekk station. It was originally located on the line that went over the Nordal bridge but was relocated here when the new route was opened. The old Bjørnfjell station was also located here before it was moved. Due to a gradient of 17 percent on the track extra measures were needed to maintain safety. You can see two tunnel openings on the northside of the line. One of the tunnels was used to stop trains coming from Riksgrensen that had break failure. If the train failed to stop at the cutting then the train would run into an uphill tunnel which came out onto a marsh. This solution was known as a runaway track. The second tunnel also had an uphill stretch. Which could be used to back up the trains, so they had a running start to make it further up to Riksgrensen. Søsterbekk’s sunny location made it a popular place to live for railway officials. Today there is a very attractive cabin area here, despite the imminent danger of runaway trains!

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#18

The battles of Bjørnfjell

We are now at Bjørnfjell close to the Swedish border. Norwegian and Swedish forces were stationed in this area and shelled each other here when Norway broke the union with Sweden in 1905. In connection with the Norwegian breakaway a 5km wide demilitarised zone was set in place on both sides of the border. Today, you need to track back as far as Søsterbekk and Haugfjell to find traces of the military border posts. During the second world war, Norwegian forces were defeated at Bjørnfjell station on the 16th April 1940. The station later became an important marching area for the German forces where they replenished soldiers and materials. The Allied forces recaptured Narvik on the 28th May 1940 and pressured the German forces on all fronts. The area around Bjørnfjell was the last German stronghold but General Dietl was not confident that they would be able to continue to hold their ground. On the 25th May he ordered four trains to the Swedish border for the internment of German/Austrian forces in Sweden. Later, the Allied forces withdrew to the continent as the need for troops there became critical. Suddenly, the Norwegian forces found themselves completely alone in the mountains and a demobilization was carried out at Bjørnfjell.

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#19

Bjørnfjell station

We can now welcome you to the border station of Bjørnfjell which was opened in 1925. Previously, there were on this site two old stations ‘Old Bjørnfjell’ and ‘Riksgränsen’ which were closed down. Many quickly realised that the new location would become a hub for outdoor activities. Therefore, in 1938 Bjørnfjell tourist station was built. The building is inscribed with «Bjørnfjell Turiststasjon» and was for many years run by the state-owned company that ran restaurant carriages on the trains and restaurants at the stations, which today goes by the name of Narvesen. It is now under private ownership. In the glory years it was popular to take a ‘big beer tour’, they would ski from Sweden to the tourist station and afterwards take the train back to the Riksgrensen ski area. It is conceivable that the train was very merry at that time! The Rallar road also passes through the vicinity of the station, and it is popular to walk from Bjørnfjell station to Rombaksbotn. Here you can also hike across Norway right to where Rombaksbotn flows into the Atlantic. In the station area there are many buildings that were used by railway personnel before the running of the Ofoten line was completely automized. There are also ruins and foundations from the different eras of the running of the railway and in addition many memories from the Second World War.

Audio guides available in:

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Points of interest

#1

Narvik Station

Audio guides available in:

Norsk bokmål, Deutsch , English (British)

#2

The invasion of the 9th April 1940

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Deutsch , English (British), Norsk bokmål

#3

The most northerly point

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#4

The building of the Ofoten Railway

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#5

The Naval battles of the 9th to the 13th April 1940

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#6

Straumsnes

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#7

Rombaken fjord

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#8

Georg Thiele

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#9

Rombak Station

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#10

Fortifications

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#11

Rombaksbotn

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#12

Katterattgubben

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#13

Katterat Station

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#14

The Rallar Road

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#15

Norddalen

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#16

Nordal Bridge

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#17

Søsterbekk

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#18

The battles of Bjørnfjell

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#19

Bjørnfjell station

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