Lier Line

Lier Line
29 December 1915
Overview
Native name	Lierbanen
Type	Railway
System	Norwegian railway
Status	Abandoned
Termini	Lier Svangstrand
Stations	8
Operation
Opened	12 July 1904
Closed	1 January 1937
Owner	A/S Lierbanen
Operator(s)	A/S Lierbanen
Character	Passenger and freight
Technical
Line length	21.15 km (13.14 mi)
Number of tracks	Single
Track gauge	1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
Route map to Sundvollen 20.4 km Svangstrand(1904) 18.1 km Sylling(1904) 15.7 km Skjeggerud(1904) 13.6 km Solbergelva(90 m) 13.6 km Branch to Tronstad Bruk 13.6 km Iledalen(1904) 12.4 km Sverregropen(46 m) 11.9 km Muggerud(1904) 10.3 km Glitra(49 m) 10.1 km Sjåstad(1904) 6.3 km Utengen(1904) 4.0 km Branch to Egge Gravel Pit 3.9 km Egge(1904) 2.8 km Landfald(1904) Drammen Line from Asker 0.0 km Lier(1901–1973) to Drammen

The Lier Line (Norwegian: Lierbanen) or LB is an abandoned railway line that ran through Lier in Norway. The private, narrow gauge railway branched from the Drammen Line at the old Lier Station, and ran 21.15 kilometers (13.14 mi) to Svangstrand on the lake Tyrifjorden, where it connected with a steam ship operated by the railway company. Among the villages the line served were Egge, Sjåstad and Sylling, in addition to two branch lines, from Iledalen to Tronstad Bruk, and from Egge to Egge Gravel Pit.

Discussions regarding the building of a line through Lier started in 1895, and construction commenced in 1901. The line opened on 12 July 1904 and was initially profitable, in part because of tourist traffic. In 1920, the Drammen Line was converted to standard gauge, resulting in expensive transshipment between the two lines. This and falling traffic caused the line to become unprofitable. The Lier line was closed for ordinary traffic on 23 October 1932. All traffic ceased on 1 January 1937 and the track was demolished shortly afterwards.

The line was built with 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) narrow gauge, a minimum curve radius of 100 metres (330 ft) and a steepest gradient of 3.0 percent. It was the only line in Norway for which no blasting was done during construction. At the old Lier Station, located 24.5 meters (80 ft) above mean sea level (AMSL), the line connected with the Drammen Line and then ran 21.15 kilometers (13.14 mi) northwards up the Lier Valley. The line passed through stations at Landfald and Egge before reaching a branch line to the gravel pit at Egge. The line continued past Utengen and Sjåstad before crossing the wooden, 49-meter-long (161 ft) Sjåstad Bridge. It then ran past Muggerud and ran along the 46-meter-long (151 ft) viaduct across Sverregropen until passing Iledalen. A 0.80-kilometer (0.50 mi) branch line ran from Iledalen via a wooden 30-meter-long (98 ft) bridge over Solbergelva to Tronstad Bruk. The main line continued across the wooden, 90-meter-long (300 ft) bridge over the creek Solbergelva before reaching Sylling. This was the line's highest elevation, at 128.8 meters (423 ft) AMSL. Between there and Holsfjorden, a branch of the Tyrifjorden lake, the line was built with a zig-zag, so the train had to back 1 kilometer (0.6 mi) and then continue forward. At Svangstrand, located 65.0 meters (213.3 ft) AMSL there was connection with a steam ship.