, logo = , logo_width = , logo_alt = , image_name =Type 18 locomotive n. 255 at Garnes.jpg , image_width = , image_alt = , caption = Type 18 locomotive no. 255 at Garnes , color = , locale =

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...

, terminus = Garnes &

Midttun Nesttun is an urban settlement in the borough of Fana in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is located approximately south of the city centre. It was the centre of the old Fana municipality, which merged with Bergen in 1972 ...

, map = , map_caption = , map_alt = , mapsize = , connections =

Norges Statsbaner Vygruppen, branded as Vy, is a government-owned railway company which operates most passenger train services and many bus services in Norway. The company is owned by the Norwegian Ministry of Transport. Its sub-brands include Vy Buss coach s ...

, linename = , builtby =

, originalopen = 1883 , originalgauge =
, originalelec = , owned = Norwegian Railway Society , operator = Norwegian Railway Society , marks = , stations = , length = , preservedgauge = , preservedelec = None , era = , com-years = 1904 , com-events =

Gauge converted Gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between the running rails) to another. Sleepers If tracks are converted to a narrower gauge, the existing sleepers (ties) may be used. However, replacement is required if ...

, com-years1 = , com-events1 = , closedpassengers = 1964 , closed = still open for freight , stageyears = , stage = , years = , events = , years1 = , events1 = , headquarters = Garnes , website
Old Voss Line web site
, routemap = , routemap_name = , routemap_state = The Old Voss Line ( no, Gamle Vossebanen) is a

heritage railway A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...

between Garnes and Midttun near

Bergen Bergen (), historically Bjørgvin, is a city and municipality in Vestland county on the west coast of Norway. , its population is roughly 285,900. Bergen is the second-largest city in Norway. The municipality covers and is on the peninsula of ...

. Originally constructed as a

narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than standard . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and . Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves, smaller structu ...

line, it formed part of the Bergen to Voss railway opened in 1883. Following the decision to complete the railway to

Oslo Oslo ( , , or ; sma, Oslove) is the capital and most populous city of Norway. It constitutes both a county and a municipality. The municipality of Oslo had a population of in 2022, while the city's greater urban area had a population of ...

in , the line was upgraded in 1904. Electrified in 1954, it continued to serve as part of the Bergen to Oslo main line until the Arnanipa Tunnel and the

Ulriken Tunnel The Ulriken Tunnel ( no, Ulrikstunnelen) is a railway tunnel on the Bergen Line between Bergen Station and Arna Station in Bergen Municipality in Vestland county, Norway. Original (old) tunnel The existing long tunnel runs under the north ...

, which opened in 1964, resulted in the closure of the line for passenger traffic. The line is still open for freight traffic. Today, the museum railway is operated by the Norwegian Railway Association (''Norsk Jernbaneklubb'') and runs on Sundays between June and September over a distance of between Garnes and Midttun, taking just under one hour. The Midttun terminus is located near

Nesttun Nesttun is an urban settlement in the borough of Fana in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. It is located approximately south of the city centre. It was the centre of the old Fana municipality, which merged with Bergen in 1972 ...

, and there are further intermediate stops at Arna,

Espeland Espeland is a village in the borough of Arna in the municipality of Bergen in Vestland county, Norway. Espeland is located north of Lake Haukeland ( no, Haukelandsvatnet) and Mount Livarden. The village of Indre Arna lies about to the north. ...

and

Haukeland Haukeland is a surname, likely of Norwegian origin. Notable people with the surname include: * Andreas Haukeland (born 1993), better known as Tix, Norwegian singer *Arnold Haukeland (1920-1983), Norwegian sculptor * Henrik Haukeland (born 1994), No ...

. The service operates with a type 18 steam locomotive, no. 255, built in 1913, decommissioned in 1969 and restored by volunteers between 1981 and 1993. It pulls a series of teak coaches built between 1921 and 1938. The locomotive is stored in the

engine shed The motive power depot (MPD) or locomotive depot, or traction maintenance depot (TMD), is the place where locomotives are usually housed, repaired and maintained when not being used. They were originally known as "running sheds", "engine shed ...

at the restored Garnes station that features a

museum A museum ( ; plural museums or, rarely, musea) is a building or institution that cares for and displays a collection of artifacts and other objects of artistic, cultural, historical, or scientific importance. Many public museums make these ...

, a coach shed, a

yard The yard (symbol: yd) is an English unit of length in both the British imperial and US customary systems of measurement equalling 3 feet or 36 inches. Since 1959 it has been by international agreement standardized as exactly 0.914 ...

and

turntable A phonograph, in its later forms also called a gramophone (as a trademark since 1887, as a generic name in the UK since 1910) or since the 1940s called a record player, or more recently a turntable, is a device for the mechanical and analogu ...

References

External links

Old Voss Line web siteNorwegian Railway Association
{{authority control Railway lines in Norway Heritage railways in Norway Transport in Bergen Railway lines in Vestland Railway lines opened in 1883 1883 establishments in Norway Museums in Bergen Tourist attractions in Vestland Railway museums in Norway