The Arctic Circle - Norway (VY (NSB)) / Sweden (SJ) Trip report 25th February - 2nd March 2020

RC6 1400 approaches Riksgränsen with the overnight Stockholm - Narvik service. The train will shortly pass into Norway from this ski resort which offers sking inside the Arctic circle and under the midnight sun. 01.03.2020

Di4 654 calls at Fauske with the daytime Trondheim - Bodø train. 27.02.2020

With my big trip of the year in tatters thanks to the Coronavirus which was making itself known in Asia (oh what little we knew then!) I was in need of a late notice get away in February. Norway had been on the cards for a while and after a reality check (would there be enough hours of daylight and how cold would it be) a week long trip was booked. The target was to travel loco-hauled as much as possible form Oslo in Norway through to Stockholm in Sweden via the Arctic Circle.

Scenery on the Nordland line viewed from the train. 27.02.2020

The route would take in the last diesel hauled line in Norway; the Nordland railway operated by 1980's built Henschel Di4 locomotives which are widely expected to finish their work in the next couple of years. The railways of Norway are changing fast right now- already the long established NSB name has given way to 'Vy' and privatisation of the lines is commencing.

I had enjoyed my brief visit to Sweden in late 2019 and this trip would allow me to see a little more of the country and maybe even get that RC6 picture I didn't achieve last time before the class finish their regional passenger work in Stockholm.

Tuesdsay 25th February: 

Climbing the Oslo Opera House

We flew with Ryanair from Stanstead to Oslo, arriving on time and then headed straight for the station at the terminal. A commuter train was taken into Oslo Central station where a couple of bad photos were taken of class 18 locos and a few units before heading into town. We climbed the Opera house (this is apparently what you do in Oslo)and enjoyed the views before finding a pub for a very nice dinner. Found a good beer too- shame it was around £8 a pint, but I had been warned it could be worse!

Wednesday 26th February:

VY (formerly NSB) class 73 EMU's at Oslo Central. 26.02.2020

There was only really one big bowl out for this trip and this was it. I was expecting the 08:02 Oslo - Trondheim to be loco hauled; it wasn't! EMU 73009 was our train and with the next departure not for over 5 hours and not completing the journey in daylight it was taken. The error was totally mine- the diagrams I had were old and while this train was previously hauled it is now an EMU. That aside the unit was very comfortable and we found some seats around a table.

Norway is full of incredible scenery - this view is from the Trondheim - Bodø Nordland line. 27.02.2020

The well appointed buffet area on the Vy class 73. 

There was a little confusion when the gripper came around, asked for our reservations and then when hearing we didn't have them said we would have to leave the seats- initially not offering us anywhere else to go. By the time he'd dated my second day FIP box (didn't notice until too late and I didn't need it anyway) we were allocated some new seats- we never sat in them however as the Buffet looked very comfy! A drink was brought and that was enough to sit in the movable armchairs looking out over the stunning scenery. Later on I did find our seats out of curiosity- they didn't have much of a view! Potentially worth bearing in mind if planning to cover this route- the train was very busy!

Winter sports gear is unloaded from 73109 during the station stop at Oppdal. 26.02.2020

Arrival in welcome after a long jounrey and we checked in to our hotel before having a wander around the city. 

Di3 603 waits its turn for restoration at Storen. 26.02.2020

We didn't have too long as there was still the matter of getting an El18 in for haulage. A plan was derived to take a DMU to Storen where there was just over a 2 hour wait to pick up the class 18 on the 14:02 Oslo - Trondheim. On arrival at Storen we had a quick walk down to Nohab Di3 603 which appears to be under restoration there before a little wander in the snow. Once we were quite cold enough (it was around -8°C) it was time to head to the pre-researched Italian restaurant near the station for a very nice pizza before picking up the train into Trondheim behind El 8 2247. A nice little move!

Some of the pretty wooden houses that can be found on the town of Trondheim. 26.02.2020

A few more photos on the station and around the harbour (including some very very week Northern Lights) before finishing off with a flurry of locos before bed. Di4 654 arrived shortly after 20:00 with the day train from Bodo, with Di4 652 on the overnight to Bodo. 18 2247 was also present with the overnight to Oslo. Shunting the station were CargoNet 226 06 and 226 010 while CargoNet's Euro 4000, 312 002 was shunting in the freight terminal.

Class 18 2247 arrives into Storen with the 14:02 Oslo - Trondheim, only the second train of the day on the route. 26.02.2020

Thursday 27th February:

Di4 654 waits for its turn on the overnight service from Bodø to Trondheim in the sidings at the origin station. 27.02.2020

The two loco types used by Vy, the elecric Class El 18 based on the Swiss
RE460 built by Adtranz has worked in to Trondheim with the overnight train
from Oslo while diesel Di4 654 built Henschel waits with the 07:48 to Bodø.
27.02.2020

A very simple day today- up for the 07:48 to Bodø which was taken throughout with Di4 654. 18 2245 was in the station before departure which had worked up with the overnight from Oslo.
No issues finding seats on this one with 5 loco hauled coaches, though the train was well used throughout. We Met Phil (cromptonbasher) who was acting in a very suspicius railway enthusiast type way by hanging out in the first vestuible when we passed through a tunnel near to the airport! Once again we were lucky to enjoy amazing weather for all of the great Norwegian scenery. 

Di4 654 pauses at Mo-i-Rana shortly before crossing the Arctic Circle on the Nordland railway. 27.02.2020

Unfortunately there were very few chances to get a photo throughout the almost 9 1/2 hour journey, in fact no opportunities to get a good one! Eventually as the sun was setting there was a break at Fauske where we could take a couple of pictures while passing a unit. A couple of freights were passed in the opposite direction during the run. Upon arrival at Bodø the loco visits the stabling point and then keeps entertained for a while shunting all the coaches (removing the 'komfort' coach and adding the sleeper) ready to do the overnight back to Trondheim. All this excitement over with we headed to our hotel and out to dinner leaving Phil to head straight back to Trondheim on the overnight- that's dedication! From what little we saw of Bodø it seems to be a fairly small town. 

Friday 28th February:

Di4 653 approaches Fauske with the overnight Trondheim - Bodø now not far from journeys end. Observations would indicate that the night trains run with generator coaches behind the locomotive (as seen here) while the day trains do not. 28.02.2020

An orderly queue at Fauske for the 100 bus to Narvik. Many
passengers transfer off the overnight train. 28.02.2020 

Continuing north from Bodø isn't possible by train, so bus it has to be. However a little time can be saved and a very convenient connection gained by taking the train from Bodø to Fauske and connecting with the bus in the station forecourt there. This also had the advantage of allowing us to see Di3 653 arrive into Fauske with the overnight which was running a few minutes late and passed our DMU there.

The 100 bus on board the M/S Melshorn for the short crossing
from Bornes to Skarberget. 28.02.2020

The bus operation on to Narvik is very impressive, and was rather busy. The bus is comfortable and has information about all the stops with announcements for the main ones. While it only runs through twice a day there are connections to various places and on more than one occasion we pulled into a layby to be met by even more local busses and minibuses conveying passengers onwards.

The journey to Narvik also involves taking a 25 minute ferry ride from Bognes to Skarberget, though by this point the weather had really closed in with virtually zero visability and snow! The journey to Narvik bus station is just over 5 hours but really wasn't too bad in the end. 

Just before finishing our journey on the bus we passed the southern branch of the port of Narvik where MZ 1405 was shunting. We almost grabbed our bags and bailed off but thought better of it and checked into the hotel. This would have to be one to investigate later.

RC6 1418 makes the daily departure from Narvik to Stocholm. The train will enter Sweden and travel through the night to reach its destinatoin. 28.02.2020

Narvik is not connected to the rest of the Norwegian network other than through Sweden and thus it is Swedish trains that serve the town. We popped to the station to witness RC6 1418 depart with the 15:15 overnight to Stockholm and also caught our first double IORE locomtives hauling an Iron Ore train towards the port with 126 leading 113. 

Green Cargo RC4 1270 approaches the end of the branch to
the Port of Narvik with a military train. 28.02.2020

A long walk was then taken in the vague hope of catching up with the MZ we had seen shunting in the port earlier. On arrival the locomotive was spotted well inside the terminal but with some signs of life. We got lucky here as within about 10 minutes it had shunted out to a position where it could be seen and photographed nicely. More excitement then commenced as shunting loco 226 08 appeared from the terminal and headed down the headshunt which had just been cleared of snow by diggers. Thinking we had done very nicely out of this spot there was then a further surprise when Green Cargo RC4 1270 appeared in the distance with a freight heading down the branch. This was a military train full of all sorts of weird and wonderful vehicles which was then shunted around the yard until the light had totally faded. 

226 08 waits in the headshunt for the millitary train to enter the terminal before commencing its duties. 28.02.2020

Back to town and thoughts turned to dinner- though not before a walk up the hill to the base of the ski resort where we had our boots fitted for the following day (that settles that then- we are going skiing!). The 'gastropub' on the main street was recommended and was very good- during our dinner we saw all the weird and wonderful army vehicles again- this time being driven in convoys past the restaurant! 

Ex-DSM MZ 1405 is kept busy shunting a coal train within the terminat at the Port of Narvik. The Ofotenbahn between Narvik and Kiruna owes its existance to the all year port at Narvik where where goods can be shipped without the risk of the waters freezing. The MZ was certainly an unexpected surprise here! 28.02.2020

Satuday 29th February:

No trains today- went sking in Narvik! Whatever next on a rail holiday! Technically we did see a few trains from the cable car... 

An overview of Narvik from the base of the Narvikfjellet ski resort. 29.02.2020

Sunday 1st March:

RC5 1334 calls at Katterat on the Ofoten line between Narvik and Kiruna. 01.02.2020

More winter equipment is in evidence as RC6 1400 backs
into the sidings at Narvik. 01.02.2020

With the sun shining again and after some debate over what to do with the day we ended up taking the 10:48 train from Narvik to Lulea as far as Riksgränsen just over the border in Sweden. RC6 1334 was turned out for this and had been spotted in the sidings the night before- this loco wears the much more photogenic red/white/grey liverly as apposed to the black wich most SJ locos now carry. Consideration had been given to camping out on the line for some photos until our overnight to Stockholm but in the end we decided with no firm idea of photo locations and a forcast of -10°C it might not be sensible. We had a little longer than planned at Riksgränsen as the overnight from Stockholm was running late. There was actually plenty of life here (and another ski resort to maybe return to!?) and another ore train led by IORE 122 was photographed. The scenery on this part of the Ofoten line is stunning and would certainly please any fans of snowsheds! Unfortunately there are not a huge number of positions which get any sunlight this time of year due to the ever present mountains. 

The huge iron ore trains are the lifeline of this route and indeed the reason for its existance. Iron ore deposits in northern Sweden are taken by train to the all-year ice free port at Narvik for export. The Bombadier Iore locomotives operate in pairs approximately 13 times a day in each direction between the mine at Kiruna and the port at Narvik. 122 is seen heading one such train at Riksgransen on its return with empty hoppers to Kiruna. 01.02.2020

RC6 1400 was our loco back to Narvik and after some photos at the station (including another Iron Ore with IORE 110 and 133 and a pair of Traxx led by 185 414 with a coal train) would also form our 15:15 overnight departure for Stockholm. 

The scenery of the Ofoten line is as spectacular as you would imagine, particularly between the Swedish border and into Norway. 01.02.2020

Sleeping coaches of the SJ train to Stockholm. 01.02.2020

There had been a bit of a faff booking the overnight where I realised that there were no beds available- luckily a very reasonable work around was found in booking seats as far as Boden where additional coaches are added to the train and sleepers then became available. Despite booking the seats together SJ had allocated myself and my friend seats which were not together. We found a bay until Riksgränsen when the train really filled up and were moved on.

The interior of the restaurant SJ restaurant car. 01.02.2020

Fortunately at this point the buffet opened so we moved in there (and quite a coach it was) and enjoyed Reindeer stew with potato for dinner, after Norway the Sweedish prices almost seemed cheap! Despite the windows of the train starting to ice up the train was very comfortable and the scenery again was incredible until it began to flatten out (and the sun went down) somewhere after Abisko in Sweden. We remained in the buffet until Boden listening to the woe's of a German traveller who it seemed had no ticket and no seat and was trying to get to Stocholm- not sure if he ever did make it! At Boden we had to change coaches and found our 1st class en-suite sleeper berth which was very nice once we'd had to get some help from the train manager to work the key card - of course it worked for him first time.

Looking back from the rear of the SJ train. 01.02.2020

Having run around its train at Kiruna station RC6 1400 is ready to continue towards Stockholm. The town of Kiruna is due to be re-located in the coming years to allow the continued extraction of its rich iron ore deposits, this station is considered temporary until a permanent location is confirmed. 01.02.2020

At Boden RC6 1331 takes over the overnight portion of the train to Stockholm while the original loco continues with the other portion of the train to Lulea.

En-suite facilities on board the SJ sleeper. The bathroom is compact but surprisingly useable (though impossible to use without getting your feet wet after a showe!).

Monday 2nd March:

The picture that I never got on my last trip- RC6 1347 makes a pleasing picture crossing the city from Gamla Stan headed for Norkopping. The walkway along the bridge has been replaced but still offers scope for photographers. 02.03.2020

Woke up somewhere near Upsalla with snow still on the ground, though this had gone by Stockholm. Breakfast in the buffet was not very exciting and for all the carbon we had saved by taking the train the breakfast box probably countered in disposable packaging. 

A nice surprise is Green Cargo 1453 passing though Stockholm with a freight train. This appearance made a run necessary but I am definitely pleased with the result. 02.03.2020

RC3 1066 passes through Flemingsburg with a Tagab
service to Stockholm 02.03.2020

Once into Stockholm Central attention turned to the RC6's which are now being replaced on commuter services. Several top and tail sets had been seen on the Upsalla line but with the peak over most activity should have been to the south of the city. A ride was taken to my haunt from last October; Sodertalje Sud with 1360 and straight back as far as Flemingsburg with 1347. There was not a lot to see here while we waited for the next hauled service into Stockholm however Tagab's blue RC3 1066 was seen passing, a new livery for us. A couple of the new units were seen before 1397 arrived with a hauled service to Stockholm Central. With the sun now playing ball it was time to get some photos- the footbridge south of Gamla Stan which had been shut on my previous visit was now open (though the one linking Gamla Stan and the station which I used last time has now shut for a prolonged period - the rail bridge will at some stage be re-built as part of this work). The SJ app once again proved invaluable for identifying which trains would be hauled, essentially all the trains heading to Norkopping (Eskilstuna trains appear to be almost 100% the new units now). The trains which we did see were all loco and load 3- none of the long top and tailed sets I had seen just a few months ago were operating off peak on this route. As well as catching 1347 and 1402 on Norkopping services as expected we also had a surprise from Green Cargo's blue liveried RC4 1143 which appeared with a southbound freight.

RC6 1384 pauses at Nykoping with a service to Norkopping, the weather
by this time the weather had become more familiar with what I
exepreinced from my previous trip. 02.03.2020

All too soon attention had to turn to our flight home from Stockholm Skavsta airport, which is incidentally absolutely nowhere near Stockholm and in a field a few km from Nyköping. Fortunately however the locos on the Norkopping route had held out long enough for us to take 1384 on another load 3 train to Nyköping to reach the airport. There is a bus that connects the airport and the station but it is irregular and often departs just before the arrival of the train! A british couple was also looking to get to the airport and together we devised a plan to get another bus to a roundabout in the middle of nowhere which was a 10 minute walk, now in light rain, to the airport.

Once actually there Skavska isn't too bad- certainly a lot more amenities that Kiev Terminal F which had to be endured last year!

Ryanair once again returned us home without event and concluded another sucessful trip. 

Conclusions:

The impressive lifting bridge on the approach to Trondheim
is crossed by a Vy multiple unit. 26.02.2020

RC6 1334 departs Riksgransen, the station being largely
contained within a snowshed. 02.03.2020

As a last minute 'B plan' Norway and Sweden were very enjoyable! We were incredibly lucky to have great weather for all of our long train journeys which were all on good quality comfortable trains. Everyone was very friendly and the Scandinavian's English is just as good as ours. Yes, Norway is expensive but it was always possible to get a meal and a beer for about £25. Hotels are reasonable and generally seem to serve a very good breakfast. Using FIP in Norway obviously also helps to keep the cost down. Unfortunately the traffic on these highly scenic lines is fairly sparse, especially between Trondheim and Bodø with just one daylight train throughout in each direction.

Those wishing to have a spin at the RC6's on commuter routes in Stockholm really need to do it now. There are currently still plenty of locos to be had but the units are starting to make big inroads into the fleet and it is now only a fairly short matter of time...

Thanks to Rhys for the company on this one. 

An iron ore train enters the station area at Narvik with empties bound for Kiruna behind IORE 110 and 133. 01.03.2020

Arctic scenery from the Trondheim - Bodo train towards the end of its journey skirting skjerstad fjord. 27.02.2020