Krøder Line

Krøderen Line
Norwegian: Krøderbanen
Loco 236 at Krøderen, 16 July 2006
Locale	Norway
Terminus	Vikersund Krøderen
Commercial operations
Built by	Norwegian State Railways
Original gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Original electrification	None
Preserved operations
Owned by	Krøderen Line Foundation
Operated by	Norwegian Railway Club
Stations	6
Length	26 km (16 mi)
Preserved gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge
Preserved electrification	None
Commercial history
Opened	28 November 1872
Closed to passengers	1958
Closed	1 March 1985
Preservation history
2011	Reopened

The Krøderen Line (Norwegian: Krøderbanen) is a heritage railway line connecting the Krøderen lake in Buskerud, Norway, to the town of Vikersund. The 26-kilometre (16 mi) line was built as a narrow gauge branch line of the Randsfjord Line by the Norwegian State Railways (NSB) and opened in 1872. Passenger services were withdrawn in 1958, and freight traffic in 1985.

As of 2011^[update], the Krøderen Line Foundation and the Norwegian Railway Club jointly operate steam train services on the line from May to October. In addition to the termini at Vikersund and Krøderen there are intermediate stations at Snarum, Sysle, and Kløftefoss.

In the beginning of the 19th century, horse carriages and ships were used for passenger transport in the Buskerud area. There were three government subsidized coaching inns in Krødsherad, which were popular amongst travellers. In 1853, a committee was established, which aimed at improving the passenger transport between Drammen and the rest of Buskerud.

Following the opening of the Randsfjord Line in 1866, railway director Carl Abraham Pihl instructed a terrain investigation of the area between Vikersund and Krøderen. The plan was to build a line connecting Drammen to the waterways of Hallingdalen. Pihl proposed three alternatives for a rail line to Krøderen; one which involved a 25-kilometre (16 mi) long route from Drolsum, a second, 32-kilometre (20 mi) long route from Åmot over Sigdal and a third from Vikersund, at a length of 222-kilometre (138 mi). The latter was chosen, as it was the shortest and cheapest to construct.