Railway

 Closed for Winter

Tågbild sikeå hamn1

One of the first improvements planned by the mill owners was the construction of a railway between Robertsfors and Sikeå.

Sjöström let the well-known railway builder, the parliamentarian and the writer Claes Adolf Adelsköld make preparatory investigations in 1857. On March 16, 1860, the railway was granted permission. Petersen let the building wait for a while because he wanted to get some strong company abroad.

In the meantime, he found in England the newly invented country road locomotive, but this steam horse was neither or could be useful on Swedish country roads. It was then decided that only one tramway for live tractors would be built. Only during the latter half of the 1870s did work begin. The technical leader for the railway construction was the mountain notary G O Tundal and supervisor Hans Dillström.

Due to lack of money, the execution became slow. Purchased rails were used between the harbor and the coastal country road – 2.5km, then 2km up rails cast at the mill and finally 3.5km plank quarters (rails of wood) which went all the way up to the saw. They had to reload where iron and the wooden tracks
met. It was not until 1881 that the entire 8km stretch of steel rail was fitted.
 
From 1878 to 1889 the wagons were drawn with oxen or horses. In 1889, the first locomotive was purchased by an agent in England, Charles Bell. The locomotive was named “Charles” and was put into operation in 1890. In 1900, the railway received electricity and the first electric locomotive was purchased from Germany.
 

This locomotive was named “Starkotter” and became Sweden’s third electric locomotive. In the end, there were 7 electric locomotives and 245 freight wagons in traffic.

The electric power and 700 volts direct current were supplied from the mill’s power station. The gauge was 750mm, the minimum curve radius 210m and the maximum pitch was 1: 100. At that time, the railway was the world’s northernmost railway. This was also Västerbotten’s oldest railway and was closed down in 1961.

 
 

 

 
All electric locomotives remain in the museums inventory, sadly the steam locomotive Charles was scrapped after being sold.

Some passenger traffic has occured on the railway, after an accident no more passenger trains where run.

3 locomotives are still functional: Ettan, Femman and Starkotter.

The train set currently consists of:

  1. A Passenger Carriage
  2. Femman
  3. Ettan
  4. Custom Built Generator

A model of the railway is on display in the Locomotive Shed