Norway from south to north

[joncombe]

This is my first trip report on here so please forgive me if it's not very good! Norway is a country I love visiting and I was keen to explore both more of the country and it's rail network. On this trip I was taking in 3 of the railway routes in Norway, though with time to stop off at a few places on the way:-

The Dovre Line (Oslo to Trondheim)
The Rauma Line (Dombås to Åndalsnes), a branch off the Dovre Line.
The Norland Line (Trondheim to Bodø)

This would take me from the capital to the most northerly station on the Norwegian network (Bodø), crossing the Arctic circle on the way. Bodø is not though not the most northerly station in Norway , as the Swedish network crosses into Norway and serves Narvik, further north than Bodø).

I spent 5 days making the trip:-

Day 1: Home to Åndalsnes via Oslo
Day 2 : A day in Åndalsnes
Day 3 : Åndalsnes to Trondheim
Day 4 : Trondheim to Bodø
Day 5 : Bodø and the journey back home (returning by air).

I'm planning to split this into a few posts (sometimes more than one for each day), so please bare with me as it will take me some time to write it all! This trip was taking in October.

I have previously travelled on the Bergen Railway (Oslo to Bergen) and the Flåm railway, which branches off it. I didn't write a trip report for this, but you can see my photos if you are interested below:-

The Bergen Railway : https://www.flickr.com/photos/joncombe/albums/72157681752651144/
The Flåm Railway : https://www.flickr.com/photos/joncombe/sets/72157673010369922

 

[joncombe]

My first day started from home. I walked to the station and caught a SWR train to Clapham Junction (formed of a 5 car 159/158 combo). It was listed on the departure board as “5 carriages only” so presumably is scheduled to be longer, but although it was busy I did manage to get a seat and I didn't see anyone standing.

I was travelling before the morning peak "black out" period when no fast trains serve Clapham Junction. At Clapham Junction I made a slightly earlier connection (as can usually be managed) onto a Southern 377 to Gatwick Airport (it was going onto Bognor), arriving a little over 2 hours before my flight.

This left me with plenty of time to get breakfast at Gatwick Airport before my 9:20am flight from Gatwick to Oslo (on Norwegian). The flight cost £42.06 and I had opted for the most basic hand-luggage only ticket. Boarding commenced about 20 minutes before scheduled departure but we left late because of delays loading the luggage and freight (there seemed to be quite a lot of the latter that I could see being loaded).

There were good views as the flight came in over the centre of Oslo.

It was a pleasant flight with nice views as we headed out over the Suffolk coast. Norwegian also have free wifi on their flights (once the seat belt sign goes off), which is most welcome.

Arrival in Oslo was around 10 minutes late. It took me about 10 minutes to get through passport control as the chip in my passport doesn't work meaning I have to queue for the "e-gates" and then be directed to a manual counter once the staff have established that it really doesn't work.

I had booked my train tickets around 3 months in advance (like you used to be able to in the UK) on the NSB website to get the cheapest tickets, called "Minipris". These tickets are much like the Advance tickets that we have as they are only valid on the specified trains, so I took a slight gamble that my flight would not be badly delayed (or I'd have to buy a walk up ticket for a later train).

I had booked my first ticket from Oslo Airport (Oslo Lufthavn) to Åndalsnes and as it was a Minipris ticket, it cost only 249 NOK (about £23), which I thought was excellent value, as it is around 250 miles. This would take me part way along the Dovre Line (to Dombås) and all the way along the Rauma Line.

Tickets booked via the NSB are "print at home" PDF tickets, no need to collect tickets from machines or anything. They have QR codes printed on them for each leg of the journey and a warning that you will be asked for ID along with the ticket (I never was). I guess my printer could not speak Norwegian, because all the non UK characters in the place names had been replaced with “?” characters on my ticket!

Despite the slightly late arrival by the time I had cleared passport control and customs and reached the "landside" part of the airport I still have over 90 minutes before my train.

I was relieved my gamble on a "MiniPris" ticket had paid off and I would not have to buy a new ticket. I did have enough time to take the train to central Oslo and back, but I'd previously covered this section of the line on a previous trip when I took the train from the airport to Oslo and then onto the Bergen railway. In addition the express trains between the airport and the city centre are expensive (a similar setup to Heathrow and the Heathrow Express, as there are also slower but cheaper local trains that serve the airport).

Instead, I preferred to stop for lunch at the airport, which was spacious and airy, with lots of wood panelling.

 

[joncombe]

The next part of my journey was from Oslo Airport to Dombås on the Dovre Line.

Having had lunch I then headed down to the station, which is right inside the airport building.

Only 4 trains per day run between Oslo and Trondheim so I knew I'd have a bit of a wait. I was using the Dovre Line, but there are actually two routes between Oslo and Trondheim, though the other route usually requires a change.

Trains on the Dovre line are a mixture of Class 73 EMUs and loco-hauled trains. I wasn't sure what mine was going to be formed of, but the answer soon revealed itself, as it was a loco hauled train, hauled by an NSB EL-18 with a rake of B5 carriages, pictured here arriving at the airport station.

Minipris tickets include a seat reservation and in fact I think seat reservations are compulsory on long-distance trains in Norway (though tickets can still be bought right up to departure, if seats are available).

I quickly found my window seat (there is a seat selector on the NSB website, so I could choose my seat for free when booking) and I was sat on the left hand side. I'm not sure exactly how many carriages there are, but they always include a bistro buffet carriage, a NSB Familie carriage(the family carriage, which includes a children's playroom) and an NSB Komfort carriage (sort of like 1st class) and several standard carriages. I was in standard but the seats were still very comfortable. All seats (even in standard) recline, have generous leg room and are either at a table, or with fold down tables. There is also Wifi and power connections.

Although I did have a bit of trouble with the Wifi as my Kindle fire suddenly thought it was some time in the early hours of some date in February 2012 when I connected to it, which prevented most websites from working. I discovered that Kindles take the time from the network you are connected to (which was presumably wrong), but bizarrely there seems no way to set the time and date manually to override it, if the network time is wrong (which it obviously was). However I was able to use my phone instead, which didn't have such problems. The train was well loaded, very few empty seats that I could see.

The journey was very pleasant. Given I was travelling inland, I was surprised at how much water went past the carriage windows.

Probably over half the journey was next to lakes, Fjords or rivers (the latter often fast flowing).

Many of these rivers had formed deep valleys which the train run near the bottom of, with pleasant views to the tree-lined hills either side of the river valleys in the low autumn sunshine.

The autumn colours were very pleasant, and I noticed as the train travelled further north, so autumn seemed to be more advanced, presumably as it got colder outside. There was also a gradual transition from most deciduous trees (silver birch seemed the most common) to conifers.

On-train announcements were made via an automatic system, which announces in both Norwegian and English and also shown on the on-screen displays (which also tell you the height above sea level of each station). There were two announcements for each train the first when we were “5-6 minutes away” followed by another announcement as we approached each station, which told you which side the doors would open. There weren’t normally any other announcements (no “see it, say it, sorted”, every 10 minutes thank goodness!)

Each seat has a menu card for the buffet in the seat pocket and browsing this I saw there was a good range of hot and cold food available, which you could take to eat at your seat or eat in the bistro car (which has seats around tables), though eating in the bistro carries a 10NOK supplement (about £1). Sandwiches, crisps, cakes, chocolate bars, paninis etc were available, (as is usually the case in the UK), but also hot dogs, pizza and a choice of 3 hot meals (Meatballs and Moose Patties were two of the choices), plus salads and children’s meals, I thought it was a good range. Food in Norway is expensive, but the prices compared well with “off-train” options.

The journey passed by smoothly and I enjoyed the beautiful scenery. Whilst this route is not as spectacular as other rail routes in Norway, it is still beautiful and there was a lot to sea.

This part reminded me a little of the Hope Valley line.

As we neared Dombås, areas of snow could be seen on top of the hills. Arrival at Dombås was on-time. Dombås marks the start of the Rauma line, which is a little over 70 miles long. All trains on the Dovre Line have a connection with the Rauma line (and at the end of the line at Åndalsnes a further connection onwards by bus to Alesund).

Arrival at Dombas was on time.

This seemed to be a changeover point for the staff too, since there was now a change of driver on the train I had arrived on from Oslo.

The train I needed to take on to Åndalsnes was already waiting in an adjacent platform. There wasn't a footbridge, just a dropped area of the platform where you simply walk across the tracks, where boards have been placed.

 

[joncombe]

Hmm, it seems I've done something wrong and the pictures are not showing. They show for me in the preview and also if I click edit on previous posts. Not sure what I have done wrong and how to fix it?

 

[joncombe]

I was now leaving the Dovre Line for a few days to take a trip along the branch line to Åndalsnes, known as the Rauma Railway.

The train onwards to Åndalsnes was formed of a single 2-car Class 93 DMU unit, as the Rauma line is not electrified. These units were introduced in 2000 by NSB and proved controversial. Intended to replace many of the loco-hauled sets, on several lines they proved so unpopular loco hauled sets were bought back. Originally these units had a seating capacity of 88. However due to complaints about the seat pitch the seat pitch was increased in 2006, reducing capacity to 76 (rather a contrast to the UK, where we'd no doubt cram in as many ironing board seats as possible).

The interior was very Scandinavian, with lots of wood panelling and large windows. The luggage racks above the seats were more like those from a road coach, with air vents and light clusters for each passenger. For those on the window side (as I was) there was a little fold out table from the bottom of the window frame whilst those on the aisle seats had a fold out table which was part of the arm rest. The train was full, I did not see a spare seat. Although only a 2 car DMU, there were vending machines on board for tea, coffee and hot chocolate and another for snacks, soft drinks, crisps and so on (payment via credit card, cash is not much used in Norway now). The gear changes were very noticeable and more like a road vehicle, though it was fairly quiet, the engine noise was certainly not as intrusive as a 150, for example.

The Rauma line is also very scenic, there seems to be some debate as to whether the Rauma or Flåm lines are the most scenic in Norway. Clearly it was a difficult engineering job as the line has 103 bridges and 5 tunnels along it's length. Sadly I knew I'd not be completing this journey in daylight (but I would be on the return) so I'd have to reserve judgement, but I enjoyed the scenery that I could see before it got dark!

The line started out fairly high up in valley, with views down to the valley and river to the left, with the tree-covered hills beyond.

There are a few stations on the line and most seem to be of a similar design to Lesja, here, the first station on the line, with attractive grey wooden buildings. All the intermediate stations are request stops.

Snow was visible at the top of the hills, as we headed further into the valley.

As we proceeded further north the scenery became increasingly spectacular as the valley became much steeper, now with mountains alongside, with a good covering of snow on them.

Numerous waterfalls could be seen, many coming right down from the tops of the mountain.

I struggled to see out and take photos through the windows, as it got dark outside.

The last 15 minutes or so there was not a lot to see until the lights of Åndalsnes became visible out of the window. The line seems to curve in a horseshoe around the town, to end on reclaimed land beside the fjord.

We had arrived exactly on time again. Only 4 trains per day run on this line in the autumn and winter, most run between the mainline at Dombås and the end of the line Åndalsnes, though the first train of the morning from Åndalsnes runs much of the way through along the Dovre line as far as Lillehammer, where there are frequent regional trains into Oslo. I believe in the summer months additional trains run for tourists, with a commentary on board and the train slows for photo stops at the most scenic parts.

A bus connects with 3 of the 4 departures to continue onto Alesund. According to the train timetable the last train has a connecting taxi to Alesund, rather than a bus, which must be arranged with the guard on the train (I'm not clear if this is more costly than the bus, or if it is charged at the same rate and subsidised).

Though it was mostly dark I could sense that Åndalsnes was in a beautiful setting, with the fjord just beyond the station and the outline of mountains all around.

I had booked two nights in the Grand Hotel Bellvue in the town. I knew what this looked like from the website and a quick look up at the town and I could see it lit up, a short walk away (mostly uphill), first crossing the railway. It took me just over 5 minutes to get there and I was soon checked in. My room was very nice and the decor suggested this is a popular ski resort in the winter (as did the shops in the town).

The hotel lived up to it's name. My room on the top floor had wonderful views of the mountains, valley and the edge of the Fjord in the distance (though I had to use a long exposure on the camera to capture it now it was dark).

I ate in the hotel and then went for a little wander around the town in the evening, but rain meant I didn't linger outside for long. The mountaineering centre and museum seemed to be the main tourist attraction, other than the railway.

Returning past the station, all was now quiet, the last train of the day having been and gone. The departures screen was already set to the first train the next morning.

 

[Techniquest]

I loved the Raumabahn when I did it in 2017, one of my most favourite journeys by rail anywhere in Europe so far. Very familiar with the Class 93 DMU you had, although I must say I didn't notice the vending machines took cards. Cash was still quite a prevalent option at the time in October 2017. The Class 73 EMUs are funky, although I did prefer the loco-hauled coaches.

The photos thing seems to be an issue with the greedy Flickr, a shame as the Raumabahn is awesome as you no doubt saw when you did it in daylight. I got to do Oslo-Dombas-Andalsnes and back to Dombas in daylight, it was a good run even with the disruption on the way to Dombas.

I've never done the Flam line, so I can't accurately comment but what I have seen online looks good. I hope to soon read the rest of your adventure!

 

[joncombe]

I loved the Raumabahn when I did it in 2017, one of my most favourite journeys by rail anywhere in Europe so far. Very familiar with the Class 93 DMU you had, although I must say I didn't notice the vending machines took cards. Cash was still quite a prevalent option at the time in October 2017. The Class 73 EMUs are funky, although I did prefer the loco-hauled coaches.

Regarding the Class 73 EMUs yes I did go on one of those on my way to Trondheim - hopefully I'll get around to writing the rest of this trip report soon.

The photos thing seems to be an issue with the greedy Flickr, a shame as the Raumabahn is awesome as you no doubt saw when you did it in daylight.

I had already payed the "Flickr Ransom" to become a Pro member (I have almost 50,000 photos on there .... so I doubt I would be able to find the time to upload them elsewhere and didn't want them deleted) when I posted this, so I thought it would work. Oddly however I haven't changed anything and the photos seem to be working now, so I've added some to the post that was missing them too. Hopefully I will get around to writing more of this soon.

I got to do Oslo-Dombas-Andalsnes and back to Dombas in daylight, it was a good run even with the disruption on the way to Dombas.

Yes I had lovely weather for the return journey so got to see it and how beautiful it is on the way back. It is a lovely journey.

I've never done the Flam line, so I can't accurately comment but what I have seen online looks good. I hope to soon read the rest of your adventure!

The Flam line is also very beautiful, but it is a fair bit shorter. I think it is only around 10 miles or so, the trains have to go quite slowly because of the gradiants. The Rauma line is much longer and the trains go faster. I would recommend the Flam railway. The town itself is very pretty too and by the Fjord, but it is a busy stop on cruise ships. If there are several ships in, the town is over-run and the facilities can't really cope with the numbers of people. The Rauma railway doesn't seem to feature on cruise ships itinerary (yet), and is the better for it. So of the two, I prefer the Rauma line.

 

[joncombe]

Day 2 - Åndalsnes

Yesterday I let the train take the strain. Today, it was my turn to take the strain. The train journeys I'd booked on this trip took 3 days to do if you want to travel during the day. However I planned to also have a “day off” from trains to explore one of the towns I planned to stop in on the way (Åndalsnes, Trondheim and Bodø). I've been to Trondheim before and had heard that Bodø itself is not that pretty (though the scenery around it is), and so opted to spend two nights in Åndalsnes in order to allow some time to explore the town and it's surroundings over a full day.

Sadly, when I awoke the next morning the weather was raining and this was forecast to continue for the entire today. Not ideal conditions to explore.

Åndalsnes seems to be a bit of a ski resort in winter and a popular area for walking and mountaineering in the summer, but I had come in the autumn, which seems to be the low season.

I first headed into the town centre to see what that had to offer. Down by the Romsdalsfjord there is a lovely view over the Fjord (though I was to see it nearer it's best the following morning). I think boat trips depart from here in the summer and I gather cruise ships also often call - I was glad none were in port today as the number of people would likely over-crowd a small town like this.

There was also a mountaineering centre in a striking building.

By the Fjord is also the station and this has an unusual feature, which I've not seen elsewhere - a chapel in an old railway carriage.

Sadly it was locked, so I was unable to look inside.

Whilst in the town, one thing I had wanted to do was go on a walk, it is my preferred way of exploring the beautiful countryside in Norway. From my research there are two recommended routes in the town and I had hoped to do both of them on this day. However the longer of the two routes, Romsdalseggen, requires a short bus ride out of the town (you then walk back). However the bus normally only runs to the end of September so I was not sure if this was possible. Sure enough, at the tourist information centre (also in the railway station) a sign confirmed the bus had stopped running about 2 weeks ago, due to conditions at the top of the mountains (snow, presumably), and would not resume until the following year.

So I'd only be able to do the other route, Rampestreken, instead. This started just a few minutes walk from my hotel. The route starts out through woodland, which was handy because it sheltered me a bit from the rain. Starting near sea level I'd have to climb over 500 metres to the view point at the top, so I knew this was going to be hard work.

Initially the path was a long a metal slope that has been built over the top of the original stepped path.

However soon this gave way to a rough path over numerous tree routes. Some gaps in the trees provided fine views over the town, mountains, the Rauma valley and the Fjord. However the rain meant these were somewhat misty.

A roofed wooden shelter was provided part way up, with a bench in side where I stopped for a snack and a rest before continuing. These seem quite common in the countryside in Norway and are very welcome!

The climb was relentless and soon the steeply sloping path through the trees routes gave way to steep stone steps cut into the rock. I believe this route was partly rebuilt by Sherpas a few years ago.

The walk was well signed, with regular signposts and red and white stripes painted onto trees and rocks to guide the way.

In places there were gaps through the trees and I could see that the view was getting better and better as I gained height.

At places, hand rails and chains had been provided to help you stay safe. After a little over an hour I reached the view point. Here a little walkway (a bit like a diving board, but with fences around it) has been constructed to overhang the mountain, with a metal mesh floor, so you can look straight down to the valley below. At this point, it is about 500 metres above sea level.

I was pleased that the rain and mist had not entirely obscured the view, even if I was not seeing it at it's best.

At the view point I was pleasantly surprised to find the steps continued up (I thought it was the end). How far I wasn't sure, but having come so high I wasn't in a rush to head back down straight away, so I took these steps. Soon I was aware the rain around me felt a little difference and realised that the rain had now turned to sleet.

A little further up and I had now gained enough height the rain was turning to snow. This was a mixed blessing. In one way it meant I tended to get less wet (a lot of the snow just falls off you) but it also made it more likely to slip and also colder. Looking around there was a very obvious snow line, which I had now reached.

I continued now in a thin layer of snow and mine where the only footprints on the steps. As I gained height it began to open up, with snow capped mountains ahead of me, and the snow became a little deeper. At the very top I had reached the summit of Nesaksla. Here a stone shelter was provided.

It is possible to sleep in here (there was a mattress inside, though it had got a little damp at one end) and it would be quite cosy in there with suitable bedding I Imagine.

As I was up the top of the mountain the snow stopped, clearing the view below and giving me the most stunning view of the Rauma valley and the mountains around it.

I could also look down to the town and to the Fjord beyond.

A stunning view and I felt lucky to see it now the mist had cleared and with a fresh snow, giving a very visible snow line.

Exploring the top a little more, there was now snow all around. I did consider trying a bit of a circular walk, but I only had the leaflet with me I picked up at the tourist information centre. The snow was now covering the sign posts and markers (the route is marked regularly with red paint on stones and trees), and I wasn't really equipped for the conditions.

This meant it would be easy to get lost, and that could be dangerous in such conditions. Not wanting to get into danger I stopped to enjoy the view again and then began the descent back down.

The path was a little more slippery and I only met one family coming up (who had set out once the snow stopped). The descent took less time than the ascent, but is tough on the knees.

As I neared the bottom, the rain resumed. Having enjoyed the mountain walk I decided to head back to the Fjord and follow a bit of the coast to the beach beside the fjord. I soon found this, it was a mixture of quite coarse sand and rock. It would be lovely on a nice day, but the wet and windy weather did not encourage me to linger.

Instead I decided to try walking beside some of the river but the rain, becoming increasingly heavy rather put me off. It was now late afternoon and so it would not be that long before it got dark. I decided to call it a day and return to the warmth and comfort of my hotel.

It had been a wonderful day with stunning views over the surrounding countryside. This is certainly somewhere I'd like to return too, though I hope in better weather! I did however get to see it in much better weather the following morning, before I left and it was also lovely weather for my trip back up the Rauma railway.

 

[185]

Some excellent pictures there. I did this trip about 15 years ago and had great memories of it. Tis a shame I didn't spend too much time in Åndalsnes, looks beautiful - soon as my train was in, I was off and onto the bus to Ålesund. I kept going after Bodø and used the bus up to Narvik, then the Ofotbanen up the hill via Rijksgransen over the border to Kiruna in Sweden - then back the next day to Narvik, up on the bus to Tromsø - few days there then up to Ålta, where I flew home. Would love to do it again sometime, your photos make it all the more tempting.

 

[joncombe]

Day 3 (Part 1) : Åndalsnes to Dombås

My plan for today was to travel from Åndalsnes to Trondheim. The first part of my journey would be on the Rauma Railway to Dombås. At Dombås I would change back onto the Dovre line onto Trondheim. I had bought a through ticket, again a "MiniPris" ticket for 419NOK (about £39). Unfortunately the connections out of the Rauma Railway are designed for those going south to Oslo and not those going north to Trondheim, as I was. That meant I had a 1 hour 10 minute connection in Dombås, which was not ideal.

I had booked on the 9:30am departure from Åndalsnes. The previous evening the forecast for today was good, so I planned to make a bit of an earlier start so that I would have a final time to explore Åndalsnes in hopefully better weather than I had had previously. After breakfast I checked out of my hotel and headed down to the Fjord. As I hoped, it was indeed very pretty with the low morning sunshine on the mountains with their snowy top.

Inland the town also looked quite pleasant and it is in a lovely location with mountains on virtually all sides.

About 30 minutes before departure of the train the Class 93 unit arrived. The tracks do not end at the station but proceed beyond to the quay area, which also doubles as a car park. The tracks are not fenced as you might expect in the UK and the train shuttled back and forth between the platform and these tracks, though I've no idea for what purpose.

When it did pull into the station I soon got on and took my seats (you reverse seats when booking your tickets and there is a seat-selector). The train was initially about 1/3 full but soon the bus from Ålesund pulled up alongside and passengers transferred across. (There are no fences between the platform and the road), by which time the train was around 3/4 full.

This line is rumoured to be very scenic, which was certainly the impression I had when I arrived, even though the last part of the journey was at night.

The train set off on time and I soon realised the rumours are indeed true and this is an astonishingly beautiful route which I was getting to see the best of in the pleasant autumnal sunshine. The line followed the river for much of the way, in a deep valley with mountains on either side, wooded lower down and with snow at the top. (All the below photos were taken through the window of the train).

The train was climbing and soon we were higher up the valley and the scenery had become gentler, with hills rather than mountains alongside the train, though still high enough to have a coating of snow on top.

The line was paralleling a road for much of the way now, alongside the river too, which was now smaller and narrower.

Nearing the top of the valley the terrain had levelled out further with now mostly fields alongside the track, though with a light dusting of snow, presumably having fallen overnight.

All too soon the train was arriving at the junction station at Dombås. A few minutes later (and on-time) the Oslo bound train arrived. It is a simple interchange between the trains as you can see below.

The front of Rauma train I had arrived on is just visible on the right with the Oslo bound train behind it. Passengers reach the middle island platform by the wooden planks over the track, where the platform drops down (there isn't a footbridge).

I had just over an hour in Dombås. Whilst that would be annoying if you were doing this journey regularly I had never been to Dombås and saw it as an opportunity to have a quick explore of somewhere I'd never been before, rather than an annoyance.

 

[joncombe]

Day 3 : Dombås

Rather than hang around the station in Dombås, I was keen to take a look around. The station was near the top of the hill, so the station approach went downhill all the way and soon offered a good view over the valley.

At the bottom of the hill there was a shopping centre, a mixture of tourist shops, a supermarket, petrol station and hotel. Heading further along the road heading inland, away from the main road it was soon more peaceful and had the air of an alpine village, with many wooden buildings and a hotel complex consisting of lots of log cabins.

The village has an interesting wooden Stave church, which is quite unlike the style of churches we have.

It was in a beautiful location too, with trees all around. Sadly the building itself was locked, as I'd have liked to have a look inside. By this time it was time to head back to the station, but it was a pretty village and I was glad I had made the effort to explore it. I then headed back to the main road and up the station approach road back to the station.

The train I was booked on to Trondheim arrived right on time. Trains on the line between Oslo and Trondheim are formed of a mixture of loco-hauled sets and Class 73 tilting EMUs. I had used the former to get from Oslo to Dombås so I was interested to see what the EMUs would be like (I'm not sure if it is possible to find what stock operates on which trains from the timetables).

On the right you can see the train on the Rauma line waiting for the train from Oslo (allowing passengers to make a simple cross-platform change) whilst the train from Oslo is the one on the left, glistening in the sun, which is just arriving.

 

[joncombe]

Day 3 : Dombås to Trondheim

Now for the second part of the Dovre line (which runs from Oslo to Trondheim), which I had rejoined at Dombas. This time I was travelling on one of the Class 73 EMU units.

These tilting trains were introduced around the millennium. They had a rather troubled start with one train derailing after an axle broke not long after introduction in June 2000, causing the units to be temporarily withdrawn. When they returned they were not permitted to use the tilting mechanism until the axles were reinforced, causing them to have to run at a reduced speed. Reinforcement of the axles was completed in 2004 and the tilt mechanism re-enabled to allow the higher speeds to be used once more (they have a top speed of 130mph).

In 2011 two units were destroyed in a fire when the units entered a snow tunnel where a fire had started. The driver only noticed the fire on entering the tunnel. All passengers were safely evacuated with no injuries however the fire had damaged the overhead power supply, so the train was unable to move and was destroyed by the fire.

These trains were originally used on the Bergen (Oslo to Bergen), Dovre (Oslo to Trondheim) and Sørland line (Oslo to Stavanager). However they were later withdrawn from use on the Bergen line after problems with them getting stuck in snowy conditions and their abilities to cope with such conditions compared with the loco-hauled sets. They also had to be re-configured internally with larger luggage areas having insufficient space for passengers skis.

However despite the problems on other lines there do not seem to have been any major problems on the Dovre Line. Inside the carriage I was seated in was very similar internally to the loco-hauled sets with large, comfortable reclining seats either arranged around tables or in airline configuration with drop down tables. The motors were pretty quiet and overall there was little difference internally from the loco-hauled set I had travelled on previously on the line.

Outside, the line initially ran alongside the river, with fine views of the snow-capped hills on either side.

It was soon clear that the line was climbing and the trees gave way to scrubland and bushes (tundra, perhaps) with a few snow covered hills visible in the distance.

Later the hills increased in size to mountains, it was quite a spectacular landscape.

Soon the train was travelling through a light dusting of snow.

Although an EMU there was still a full buffet counter, serving a variety of hot meals, as well as snacks (including hot choices, like hot dogs and pizza), a good choice. It also had several tables with comfortable soft armchairs to sit in and enjoy the view. I did that whilst I waited for the food I had ordered. There is a 10NOK supplement (around £1) to eat in the buffet car compared with going back to your seat. So I opted for the latter, but waited in the buffet until it was ready.

The buffet seemed quite well used and it is a shame we don't really have facilities like this on most UK trains any more.

Many of the stations on the line were very pretty, often being in this grey clapper-board style with fairly large station buildings.

The line now began to descend and the scenery became gentler and again. Soon the train arrived into Trondheim. The station here is now mostly a modern building with the older station building (I think) still alongside it.

The station itself is almost an island with the sea to the north and canals and rivers to the south.

The longer-distance trains to Trondheim are not that frequent, with I think 4 per day between Oslo and Trondheim and 2 daily services north to Bodø. In addition there are I believe 2 daily trains to Sundsvall in Sweden (though I am not sure if they are directt any longer, I believe it may now be necessary to change between the Norwegian and Swedish trains on the way). However there is a local commuter service (Trøndelag). This provides a broadly hourly service (less frequent at weekends) in to the south and east from Trondheim, serving 39 stations. This service dates from I think 1993, before that the services were much less frequent. The services was improved in 2001, increasing the number of departures per day however it came at the cost of closing the six least used stations in order to speed up the service for the rest.

My train travels for the day were over and I now had much of the afternoon to explore colourful Trondheim.

 

[Techniquest]

I didn't realise those trains tilted! Certainly I didn't notice it on my journey from Oslo to Lillehammer. I also didn't feel as highly of the comfort as you did, but the legroom was pretty great at the airline seats.

Rather enjoying the read and I've become quite interested in going back to Norway now, although whether I'd go for the Flåm line or if I'd make my way to Bødo is unknown. The line north of Dombas looks incredibly nice, which is what has inspired me to go back!