Mæl Station (''Mæl stasjon'') is a railroad station located at

Tinn Tinn is a municipality in Telemark in the county of Vestfold og Telemark in Norway. It is part of the traditional regions of Upper Telemark and Øst-Telemark. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Rjukan. The parish of ''T ...

Telemark Telemark is a traditional region, a former county, and a current electoral district in southern Norway. In 2020, Telemark merged with the former county of Vestfold to form the county of Vestfold og Telemark. Telemark borders the traditional ...

, Norway. It is the

terminus Terminus may refer to: * Bus terminus, a bus station serving as an end destination * Terminal train station or terminus, a railway station serving as an end destination Geography *Terminus, the unofficial original name of Atlanta, Georgia, United ...

of the

Rjukan Line , logo = , logo_width = , logo_alt = , image = , image_name = , image_width = , image_alt = , caption = SF ''Ammonia'', at Mæl, where the rail ...

(''Rjukanbanen'') running through

Vestfjorddalen ''See also Vestfjorddalen (Svalbard).'' Vestfjorddalen is a valley in Tinn, Norway, stretching from Lake Tinn westwards past Rjukan, Vemork and Rjukan Falls to Møsvatn. The Måna The Måna or Måne is a river in Tinn in Vestfold og Telemark, N ...

between Mæl and

Rjukan Rjukan () is a town and the administrative centre of Tinn municipality in Telemark, Norway. It is situated in Vestfjorddalen, between Møsvatn and Lake Tinn, and got its name after Rjukan Falls west of the town. The Tinn municipality council grant ...

. The station is located 16 km from Rjukan and on the mouth of the river Måna in

where the river runs into

Lake Tinn A lake is an area filled with water, localized in a basin, surrounded by land, and distinct from any river or other outlet that serves to feed or drain the lake. Lakes lie on land and are not part of the ocean, although, like the much larger ...

. This was the point where the railway cars on the line were transferred to the

Tinnsjø railway ferry Tinnsjø railway ferry was a Norwegian railway ferry service on Lake Tinn that connected the Rjukan Line and Tinnoset Line. The long ferry trip made it possible for Norsk Hydro to transport its fertilizer from the plant at Rjukan to the port in S ...

for transport to the

Tinnoset Line , logo = , logo_width = , logo_alt = , image_name = MF-Storegut Tinnoset 2004 SRS.jpg , image_width = , image_alt = , caption = The railway ferry MF ''Storegu ...

History

Mæl Station was constructed based upon designs by architect,

Thorvald Astrup Thorvald Astrup (18 May 1876 – 12 August 1940) was a Norwegian architect, particularly known for industrial architecture. He was born in Kristiania (now Oslo), Norway. He was the son of city captain Harald Astrup and Johanne Emilie Smith. ...

. The station was built in 1909 when the Rjukan Line opened and was electrified in 1911. A new station building was constructed in 1917; it was named Rollag until 1921 when it had to change name because of the connection to the national railway network—there was already Rollag Station on the

Numedal Line The Numedal Line () is a long railway line that runs up the Numedal valley between Kongsberg and Rødberg in Viken county, Norway. Built and operated by the Norwegian State Railways, the non-electrified, standard gauge line passes through the mu ...

. After traffic on the Rjukan Line declined, the railway was closed in 1991. It was kept as a heritage railway and the foundation Stiftelsen Rjukanbanen was established to ensure that the railway remained in an operational condition. In 1993, Mæl Station was renovated and there is now an information center in the building. Mæl is a point of entry for boats which operate tours during the summer months. The former ferry boat '' DF Ammonia'' is docked at Mæl and is currently used as a stationary museum.

References

Other sources

External links

Norsk Jernbaneklubb entry
Railway stations on the Rjukan Line Railway stations in Tinn Railway stations opened in 1909 Railway stations closed in 1991 Disused railway stations in Norway 1909 establishments in Norway 1991 disestablishments in Norway {{Norway-railstation-stub