This week I took a trip on the Smalspåret preserved line which runs from Hultsfred to Västervik.
This is a 3ft gauge line, covering 71 kilometres, which surely must make it one of the longer preserved lines in Europe?
There are 21 stations in total.
As I mentioned elsewhere, Swedish preserved lines tend to be much more low-key than British ones, more akin to how things were when the British preservation movement was just getting underway.
The Smalspåret is no exception. Trains more or less only run from late June until late September, and the current "peak" timetable is just one railbus-operated service, meaning just three trains per day in each direction, at 4 hour intervals.
This makes trying to explore the line in any detail rather tricky. I chose to take a return trip from Västervik to Långsjön, simply because there was somewhere to eat lunch at Långsjön.
The service arriving into Västervik was well-loaded - Västervik is a seaside town and clearly the bulk of traffic is people using the line for a day trip there.
My train going out was lightly loaded. On arrival at Långsjön I realised there was little else except the very ordinary eating place but I managed to while away the 2 hour wait. To be honest, though, I don't think there's a great deal of choice of things to see and do at any of the stops. Like several of the stations, it is a very basic tiny halt, the most exciting part being that passengers operate a disc signal to indicate to the train driver that someone wishes to board!
Again the return journey was very lightly loaded.
Swedish preserved lines are much less "elf 'n' safety, innit" than in the UK. Passengers and people around the stations are expected to take personal responsibility for their safety. At the Västervik end, the line shares a stretch with the main line (it is therefore dual gauged) and the railbus, which I dare say wouldn't come anywhere near main-line standards in the UK, joins the main line without any fuss and bother.
The set-up is barely commercialised - no railway shops/gift shops, rail cafes, etc., nothing on sale anywhere I could see such as books, though I think some stuff is available on line.
One does wonder how it survives economically. Unlike many British lines they haven't accumulated huge amounts of stock - just enough to operate the line. With 8 months downtime, including the spring, I guess that gives them a long period to carry out maintenance. I think they also receive local authority grants.
All in all, another fascinating Swedish preserved rail experience, I do find their relaxed approach to be very amenable.
This is a 3ft gauge line, covering 71 kilometres, which surely must make it one of the longer preserved lines in Europe?
There are 21 stations in total.
As I mentioned elsewhere, Swedish preserved lines tend to be much more low-key than British ones, more akin to how things were when the British preservation movement was just getting underway.
The Smalspåret is no exception. Trains more or less only run from late June until late September, and the current "peak" timetable is just one railbus-operated service, meaning just three trains per day in each direction, at 4 hour intervals.
This makes trying to explore the line in any detail rather tricky. I chose to take a return trip from Västervik to Långsjön, simply because there was somewhere to eat lunch at Långsjön.
The service arriving into Västervik was well-loaded - Västervik is a seaside town and clearly the bulk of traffic is people using the line for a day trip there.
My train going out was lightly loaded. On arrival at Långsjön I realised there was little else except the very ordinary eating place but I managed to while away the 2 hour wait. To be honest, though, I don't think there's a great deal of choice of things to see and do at any of the stops. Like several of the stations, it is a very basic tiny halt, the most exciting part being that passengers operate a disc signal to indicate to the train driver that someone wishes to board!
Again the return journey was very lightly loaded.
Swedish preserved lines are much less "elf 'n' safety, innit" than in the UK. Passengers and people around the stations are expected to take personal responsibility for their safety. At the Västervik end, the line shares a stretch with the main line (it is therefore dual gauged) and the railbus, which I dare say wouldn't come anywhere near main-line standards in the UK, joins the main line without any fuss and bother.
The set-up is barely commercialised - no railway shops/gift shops, rail cafes, etc., nothing on sale anywhere I could see such as books, though I think some stuff is available on line.
One does wonder how it survives economically. Unlike many British lines they haven't accumulated huge amounts of stock - just enough to operate the line. With 8 months downtime, including the spring, I guess that gives them a long period to carry out maintenance. I think they also receive local authority grants.
All in all, another fascinating Swedish preserved rail experience, I do find their relaxed approach to be very amenable.
) the trip wouldn’t be too long at all with the beautiful scenery around me.