Östra Södermanlands Järnväg (Ö.Sl.J.),'' Eastern
Södermanland
Södermanland ( ), locally Sörmland, sometimes referred to under its Latinisation of names, Latinized form Sudermannia or Sudermania, is a Provinces of Sweden, historical province (or ) on the south eastern coast of Sweden. It borders Östergà ...
Railway'' is a
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
railway in
Mariefred
Mariefred is a locality situated in Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 7,121 inhabitants in 2023.
The name is derived from that of the former Carthusian monastery in the city, Mariefred Charterhouse, and means "Peace ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
. Steam-hauled passenger traffic is provided all days of the week during the summer.
Operations began on a small scale at the Lina brick works in
Södertälje
Södertälje ( , ) is a Urban areas in Sweden, city in Stockholm County, Sweden and seat of Södertälje Municipality. It is also a part of Stockholm urban area, Greater Stockholm Metropolitan Area. As of 2020, it has 73,872 inhabitants. Södertà ...
in 1959, until a chance to take over the recently closed Läggesta-Mariefred appeared in 1964.
General remarks
Ö.Sl.J. operates traffic with
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
locomotives and carriages dating from the period 1890-1925. Scheduled traffic run between
Mariefred
Mariefred is a locality situated in Strängnäs Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden with 7,121 inhabitants in 2023.
The name is derived from that of the former Carthusian monastery in the city, Mariefred Charterhouse, and means "Peace ...
-
Läggesta -
Taxinge-Näsby, a total length of .
The collection of rolling stock of this heritage railway is centered on the seven Swedish railways which ran scheduled passenger traffic on
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
track. The collection of passenger cars is internationally noteworthy, as
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
is typically used for industrial freight only.
Mariefred – Läggesta
This is part of the line is the heart of Ö.Sl.J. The line was originally the
SJ standard gauge
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of . The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the ...
spur line from Läggesta to Mariefred, which the
Swedish State Railways
The Swedish State Railways () or SJ, originally the Royal Railway Board (), was the former government agency responsible for operating the state-owned railways in Sweden.
History
The Swedish State Railways was created on 1 June 1888 as an ...
(SJ) operated until 1964 when the line was closed. Ö.Sl.J. took over the track and station in Mariefred after a few years and
relaid the track to
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
.
Läggesta – Taxinge-Näsby
When the new SJ main line "
Svealandsbanan
The Svealand Line () is a railway line in Sweden, which runs between Södertälje and Valskog (near Arboga) via Mariefred Läggesta, Strängnäs and Eskilstuna. The length is . The line is named after the historical Swedish central region of Sv ...
" (Södertälje - Eskilstuna) was built in 1995, the old Södertälje -
Eskilstuna
Eskilstuna () is a Urban areas in Sweden, city and the seat of Eskilstuna Municipality, Södermanland County, Sweden. The city of Eskilstuna had 69,948 inhabitants in 2020, with a total population of 107,806 inhabitants in Eskilstuna municipality ...
line was closed and the track torn up on most of the line. Soon after this Ö.Sl.J. got permission to use the long remaining part of the line from Läggesta to Taxinge-Näsby. After a 10 years long trial period running a type Y7 railcar the line has been undergoing
regauging to
narrow gauge
A narrow-gauge railway (narrow-gauge railroad in the US) is a railway with a track gauge (distance between the rails) narrower than . Most narrow-gauge railways are between and .
Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with Minimum railw ...
. Traffic with trains on tracks started in May 2011.
The collection
Steam Locomotives at Östra Södermanlands Järnväg:
----
Nr.1 Lotta (Under restoration)
----
No 2 Lessebo (The only remaining original design Mallet locomotive in the world. Not operational)
----
Nr.2 Virå (Operational)
----
Nr.3 Dylta (Not operational)
----
Nr.4 km Nelsson (Not operational)
----
Nr.5 Hamra (Machinery overhaul)
----
Nr.6 Christina Hjelm (Under reconstruction)
----
Nr.7 Helgenäs (Boiler overhaul)
----
Nr.8 Emsfors (Operational)
----
Nr.9 JGJ 9 (Operational)
----
Nr.10 Avesta (Operational)
----
See also
*
List of heritage railways
This list of heritage railways includes heritage railways sorted by country, state, or region. A heritage railway is a preserved or tourist railroad which is run as a tourist attraction, is usually but not always run by volunteers, and often se ...
External links
Östra Södermanlands Järnväg - Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ostra Sodermanlands Jarnvag
Railway museums in Sweden
Heritage railways in Sweden
600 mm gauge railways in Sweden
Museums in Södermanland County