The Tretten train disaster occurred on 22 February 1975 when a northbound train (no. 351) from

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 ...

and a southbound express train (no. 404) from

Trondheim Trondheim ( , , ; sma, Tråante), historically Kaupangen, Nidaros and Trondhjem (), is a city and municipality in Trøndelag county, Norway. As of 2020, it had a population of 205,332, was the third most populous municipality in Norway, and ...

, both loaded with vacationing skiers, collided head-on north of

Tretten Tretten is a village in Øyer Municipality in Innlandet county, Norway. The village is located on the Losna lake, which is part of the Gudbrandsdalslågen river. Tretten is located in the Gudbrandsdal valley, along the Gudbrandsdalslågen river ...

station. With 27 killed, including seven children under 16,"Two Trains Collide Killing 26 (''sic'') in Norway"
''Star-News'' (''Wilmington Morning Star'') 24 February 1973. and 25 injured, it was the worst train crash in

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe *Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway *Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including the ...

peacetime history. One accident victim was from the United States"George Lorenzo Goodman, 55, an American musician living in West Germany"
"27 Killed, 15 Injured when 2 Trains Collide in Norway"
''

The Beaver County Times ''The Beaver County Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Beaver, Pennsylvania, United States, and serving the north-western Pittsburgh suburbs. The ''Times'' is a direct descendant of many of Beaver County's newspapers, starting with the '' ...

'' 24 February 1975. while the rest were Norwegians, including the politician

Tønnes Andenæs Tønnes Madsson Andenæs (25 June 1923 – 22 February 1975) was a Norwegian jurist, book publisher and politician for the Labour Party. Biography He was born at Innvik in Sogn og Fjordane, Norway. he was a son of vicar Mads Olsen Andenæs (18 ...

. Altogether there were around 800 passengers on the two 12-car trains. Most of those killed were in one car of the northbound train. The operators of both trains survived; one jumped from the cab before the collision. The accident happened because the northbound train, running late, did not wait at Tretten station to let the other pass. One train driver told a newspaper that it was difficult to see the signals because the sun was low in the sky. A station master had cut power to the trains and attempted to warn them, but too late. In the aftermath of the disaster new safety precautions were discussed and introduced.

References

Train collisions in Norway Railway accidents in 1975 1975 in Norway Rail transport in Oppland Accidents and incidents involving Norwegian State Railways (1883–1996) Railway accidents involving a signal passed at danger {{Norway-rail-transport-stub