Dunderland Line
| Dunderland Line | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Overview | |
| Native name | Dunderlandsbanen |
| Type | Railway |
| Status | Assimilated into the Nordland Line |
| Termini |
Storforshei Gullsmedvik |
| Operation | |
| Opened | 1904 |
| Owner | Dunderland Iron Ore Company |
| Operator(s) | Dunderland Iron Ore Company |
| Character | Iron ore freight |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 23.7 km (14.7 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Single |
| Track gauge | 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge |
| Electrification | No |
The Dunderland Line (Norwegian: Dunderlandsbanen) is a 23.7 km (14.7 mi) railway line between Gullsmedvik in Mo i Rana and Storforshei in Rana, Norway. Since 1942 the line has been part of the Nordland Line. The line was originally built and owned by Dunderland Iron Ore Company, which used it to freight iron ore from their mine at Storforshei to the port at Gullsmedvik.
The line was built to exploit iron ore which had been discovered Nils Persson and later sold to Edison Ore-Milling Company. Construction of the line started in 1902, it was completed two years later and revenue services started in 1906. The mine had many operating difficulties, and operations fell to a halt several times for years. With the German occupation of Norway in 1940, the Wehrmacht and Organisation Todt started building the Nordland Line, with the Dunderland Line being upgraded and connected to the mainline on 15 May 1942. After the war, the Norwegian State Railways had to carry out extensive upgrades to the line for it to meet modern standards.
The Dunderland Line was a single track, standard gauge 23.7 km (14.7 mi) railway between Gullsmedvik and Storforshei. It started at Mo i Rana Port at Gullsmedvik and ran up the Dunderland Valley until it reached Rena Mine at Storforshei, following the south shore of the river Ranaelva. After the assimilation with the Nordland Line, the sections to Gullsmedvik and Storfoshei became branch lines of the main line.
The line starts at Gullsmedvik, which is currently located 500.85 km (311.21 mi) from Oslo Central Station. It crosses the river of Tverråga after 0.74 km (0.46 mi) and had a bridge over Plura. After NSB rebuilt the line it received a series of tunnels. Starting at 8.75 km (5.44 mi), the line runs through three tunnels in rapid succession: the 174-meter (571 ft) Trolldalen Tunnel, the 616-meter (2,021 ft) Reinfossen Tunnel and the 125-meter (410 ft) Kalvhaugen Tunnel. At 15.65 km (9.72 mi) the line passes through the 1,760-meter (5,770 ft) Illhullia Tunnel. It passes through two last tunnels, the 156-meter (512 ft) Gomea Tunnel at 18.9 km (11.7 mi) and the 198-meter (650 ft) Smånesli Tunnel before reaching the mine at Storforshei.
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