Narrow-gauge railways in Denmark

A few narrow-gauge railway lines were built in Denmark, the majority in 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge. Most railway lines in Denmark were built with standard gauge from the beginning, since the country was fairly densely populated in the 19th century.

Metre-gauge railways

Some 350 km of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) gauge lines were constructed by ten companies, three on the island of Bornholm, the rest in the peninsula of Jutland. Among these railway lines were the Skagen Line (converted to standard gauge in 1924), Amtsbanerne på Als, Apenrader Kreisbahn, Haderslebener Kreisbahn, Horsens-Tørring, Horsens-Bryrup and Kolding-Egtved.

Agricultural and field railways

Most notably, narrow-gauge railways in Denmark were built and used by De Danske Sukkerfabrikker (Danish Sugar Corporation) to transport juice from sugar beets from purpose built "juice stations" to the main sugar factories in towns such as Nakskov, Nykøbing and Assens. Around 660 km of 700 mm (2 ft 3 9⁄16 in) narrow-gauge sugar lines existed in 1941, all were closed in the 1960s. However, a few engines survived with Bloustrød-banen, as well as one engine surviving as a display item in Assens park until the mid-1990s.

There were numerous other industrial and agricultural narrow-gauge railways.

Faxe Jernbane, gauge unclear

The Faxe Jernbane, 6.5 km (4.0 mi) long, was built in 1864 for the transportation of limestone. There is confusion about the track gauge used as various sources mention a track gauge of 791 mm (2 ft 7 5⁄32 in), but some Krauss steam locomotives delivered in 1927 had the gauge of 785 mm (2 ft 6 29⁄32 in). Two Schöma locomotives delivered in 1970 had the gauge of 791 mm. The railway is now closed.

Preserved

785 mm (2 ft 6 29⁄32 in)

  • Hjerl Hede Frilandsmuseum, steam operated peat railway in an open-air museum

700 mm (2 ft 3 9⁄16 in)

  • Blovstrød Banen, 1,2 km steam operated railway
  • Hedelands Veteranjernbane, a 5,2 km steam operated in a country park around gravel quarries. A miniature railway is also present.
  • Lille Vildmose, 8 km in a former peat extraction area, now a nature reserve. The railroad was dismantled in 2012, but a 0,4 km museum railway has been established at the Lille Vildmose Museum Center ("Vildmosecenteret").

600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in)

550 mm (21 21⁄32 in)

  • Mønsted Kalkgruber, in a former limestone quarry.

References

A visitor's guide to Scandinavian (Nordic) narrow-gauge railways

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