Viking Magazine - November 2022 - 22

The Flåm Railway
For engineering nerds and fj ord fanatics
One of the steepest railways in Europe,
the Flåm line is also one of the planet's
most striking. As you make the morethan-2,800-foot
climb from the mountain
station at Myrdal to the sea-level village
of Flåm in the Aurlandsfj ord, you'll pass
cascading waterfalls like Kjosfossen-
which supplies the line with hydroelectric
power-as well as rushing rivers, deep
ravines, verdant valleys and snow-capped
mountains.
Before you step on board this or any
railway, Gudrun Folkedal, a train engineer
(lokomotivførar) and one half of the famous
" Locomotwins " with her twin sister Halldis,
has some advice. " Be aware of jet lag
when coming to Norway and make sure
you recover from it before you travel
further, " she says. " Sometimes on the
Oslo-Bergen line, we see in the beginning
that passengers are wide awake. But after a
couple hours, when the landscape becomes
more dramatic, they fall asleep. "
Flåm is a side line that branches from
the Bergen Railway. Government offi cials
RAIL STATS
Line: The Flåm Railway (Flåmsbana)
Length: 12.6 miles
Duration: About 1 hour
Board/Depart: Myrdal & Flåm
Bragging rights: The vistas
from this train are said to have
inspired some settings in the
Disney movie " Frozen. "
Times & tickets: entur.no, vy.no
approved the construction in the early
1900s when the Bergen line was underway
so the Bergen system would connect
with the Sognefj ord. The sloping terrain
pushed Flåm's start date to 1923, and the
project wrapped in 1940. Using only the
equipment available at the time, workers
courageously and painstakingly built a rail
that ascends more than 3 feet in altitude
for every 59 feet of track. The incline
commands two locomotives, one at the
front and one at the rear, and each train
car is equipped with its own distinctive
brake system. Originally used mostly to
transport mail, construction materials and
goods, today the Flåm line hauls people-
hundreds of them, every day, year-round.
This old-school train will carry you
through an abundance of tunnels down
to the Sognefj ord and the village of Flåm.
From there, hail a boat or ferry and ride to
the UNESCO-listed Nærøyfj ord or the
main Sognefj ord all the way to Bergen.
Both make plenty of stops at charming
fj ord villages so you can get your fi x.
Sørland Line
For family adventurers
Some tourists skip the
Sørland Line because as it
travels through Telemark's
valleys along the southern
coast and west to the fj ords,
the scenery off ers mostly
forest rather than ocean
views. But it's a great option
for connecting with three
of the country's major
cities, Oslo, Stavanger and
Kristiansand, and it also
gets you charming towns
in South Norway like Risør
(above), Grimstad, Mandal,
Flekkefj ord and Egersund.
Make a splash at
Scandinavia's largest water
park, Bø Sommarland in
Telemark, or any of the
south's numerous beaches.
In Kristiansand, play in the
waves and sand or pop over
to the Kristiansand Zoo
and Amusement Park. At
the Kongsberg train stop,
it's a 15-minute walk to the
Lågdal Museum.
RAIL STATS
Line: The Sørland Line
(Sørlandsbanen)
Length: 339 miles
Duration: 8 hours
Board/Depart: Drammen
or Oslo & Stavanger
Times & tickets:
entur.no, vy.no
22
November 2022
sonsofnorway.com
http://www.entur.no http://www.vy.no http://www.entur.no http://www.vy.no http://www.sonsofnorway.com
Viking Magazine - November 2022

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