Stortyskarna
| Industry | Railway |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1920 |
| Headquarters | Stockholm , Sweden |
| Products | Steam locomotives, passenger and freight railway services |
The trio of passenger steam locomotives, numbered 27 through 29 and operated by Stockholm–Roslagens Järnvägar, earned the nickname stortyskarna, meaning "the Great Germans." These were the most sizable steam engines ever constructed for the Swedish three foot gauge railways. Their primary role was hauling express passenger services between Stockholm East Station and destinations such as Rimbo and Hallstavik. Following the electrification of the Stockholm–Rimbo route in 1946, they were reassigned to freight duties, including transporting iron ore from Dannemora mine and managing transporter wagons originating from Uppsala. Throughout the 1950s, diesel locomotives gradually took over their functions. At various intervals, two of these locomotives were leased to the narrow-gauge system in Västergötland. Their final operational run occurred on the Rimbo to Hallstavik line in 1960. Of the three, SRJ 28 has been preserved.
History
Locomotives numbered 27 to 29 were delivered in 1920 by Henschel & Son based in Kassel, Germany, marking the final steam engines commissioned by SRJ.[1]: 89 During this period, German prices were competitive, prompting several Swedish railways to acquire locomotives from Henschel and other German firms.[1]: 89 These 2-6-2 type engines featured superheaters and relatively large bogie tenders. Initially, they included feedwater heaters; however, these were later removed due to maintenance challenges.[1]: 89 They hold the distinction of being the largest and heaviest steam locomotives ever designed for the narrow gauge of 891 mm.[2]: 219 Built for high-speed passenger service, their performance exceeded the official speed limit of 69 kilometres per hour (43 mph), though SRJ itself restricted operation to a maximum of 60 kilometres per hour (37 mph).[1]: 89
Primarily assigned to routes between Stockholm East Station and both Rimbo and Hallstavik, these locomotives occasionally operated on the Rimbo to Norrtälje branch.[3]: 71 Tank locomotives predominated on this latter line because its turntable was too short to accommodate tender locomotives.[3]: 181 On the Stockholm-Rimbo route, trains sometimes consisted of fourteen carriages, including through coaches bound for Norrtälje and Hallstavik.[3]: 181 Express services began in June 1928, covering the 57 km between Rimbo and Stockholm in just one hour and five minutes.[1]: 36–37 The acquisition of these locomotives was partly motivated by anticipated traffic increases following the opening of Faringe–Gimo Järnväg; however, their deployment on that line before World War II was minimal, limited mostly to a single inaugural train.[1]: 89
While SRJ already operated electric local trains around Stockholm, wartime coal shortages accelerated electrification efforts,[1]: 76 extending electric service to Rimbo by 1946 and later reaching Norrtälje in 1949.[1]: 79 This development significantly reduced demand for large passenger steam locomotives.[2]: 219 There was consideration given to converting numbers 27–29 into 2-6-4 tank locomotives; NOHAB proposed such a rebuild at a price of 34,500 Swedish crowns per unit or 89,400 crowns for all three,[1]: 88 but this plan never materialized. Instead, these engines were reassigned to freight duties between Rimbo and Hallstavik as well as hauling iron ore trains from Dannemora mine to Hargshamn.[2]: 219 They continued occasional passenger service, including a Sunday evening train from Gimo, Sweden to Rimbo that could carry up to ten bogie carriages.[3]: 84
During this era, Västergötland–Göteborgs Järnvägar (VGJ) required additional locomotives for its extensive network in Västergötland.[2]: 274 Consequently, SRJ 28 was leased to VGJ between 1947 and 1948; after returning to SRJ, it underwent an overhaul that included fitting roller bearings on its tender bogies.[1]: 88 Later, SRJ 27 was leased to the Swedish State Railways (SJ) from 1952 until 1955 for use on the now nationalized VGJ lines.[2]: 221 While operating in Västergötland, it received a six-wheeled tender sourced from SJ locomotive B2p number 3105,[2]: 266 which remained paired with SRJ until number 27 was dismantled in 1962.[2]: 221
In freight operations beginning in 1955, transporter wagons enabled direct transfers between narrow-gauge trains from Uppsala to Norrtälje and Hallstavik onto standard-gauge lines.[3]: 79 This innovation led to a marked increase in freight traffic routed through Uppsala, with SRJ locomotives numbered 27–29 frequently assigned to these services.[3]: 79 Smaller steam engines struggled with gradients near Faringe when hauling transporter wagons,[3]: 192 but diesel traction introduced during the 1950s largely displaced steam on the Uppsala–Rimbo route after 1958,[3]: 83 although SRJ 28 continued operating on the line toward Hallstavik until autumn of 1960.[3]: 84 Following retirement from active duty, SRJ 28 was preserved at Faringe[3]: 87 before being relocated to the Swedish Railway Museum in 1970.[2]: 221 It returned on loan to the heritage railway Upsala-Lenna Jernväg at Faringe in 1987.[3]: 107 The remaining two units were scrapped in 1962.[2]: 221
Preservation
The restoration of SRJ 28 is currently underway at Upsala-Lenna Jernväg, though the completion date remains uncertain. The project has experienced delays extending over two years. Since both SRJ 27 and SRJ 29 have been dismantled, their restoration is no longer feasible.
References
- ↑ 1.00 1.01 1.02 1.03 1.04 1.05 1.06 1.07 1.08 1.09 AB Storstockholms Localtrafiks Järnvägar (1985). Roslagsbanan 100 år (in svenska). Malmö: Frank Stenvalls Förlag. ISBN 91-7266-087-2.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 2.7 2.8 Karlsson, Lars Olov (2011). Sveriges smalspåriga ånglok (in svenska). Malmö: Frank Stenvalls Förlag. ISBN 978-91-7266-178-3.
- ↑ 3.00 3.01 3.02 3.03 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.09 3.10 Vinberg, Olle, ed. (2004). Lennabanorna (in svenska). Museiföreningen Stockholm–Roslagens Järnvägar. ISBN 91-631-5621-0.