Blue Mountains Railways
The Blue Mountains Railways (in Wortsproke: Blååsarnabanarna) is a railway line connecting Vittmark's capital Östervallen to the state capital of Kronsta in Kulla with a separate branch to the city of Grönspång near the border with Helreich. Officially it runs only between the railway hub of Byggebo in the state of Liden and Lovis Bruk in Kulla, where it connects to previously built railway lines. But since the main passenger railway service operates under the same name, it is used for the entire connection.
The railway line is always referred to in plural, since it was built as two separate railway lines. The part between Byggebo and Övre Högdala was connected to a feeder line Nedre Högdala to Lovis Bruk by an aerial cableway when the line opened in 7572. The first part from Byggebo was a cable powered railway as well with a steep gradient, using separate steam locomotives and extra traction to pull cargo and passenger trains from the Vittmarker lowlands into the mountain region. Both features have been replaced by normal railway lines through gradual upgrades.
Upgrading the infrastructure was part of the original design philosophy, since Vittmark quickly needed a reliable land connection between the south with its rich findings in iron ore and coal with the rest of the country. Up to the opening of Friställebanan in 7673 it was the only rail connection between the southern states of Kulla and Sörmark with the rest of the nation. The formidable Ryttsadel Pass at 2829 m above sea level was the lowest possible passing point leading straight into a territory that at the time still was under direct federal governance. The railway line was built in the narrower 1229 mm gauge, allowing for tighter curves in this mountainous region. Even though the railway has been upgraded to a much higher standard and operating speed since its opening, it still has its original narrow gauge, which makes it unique in the main rail network of the country. Instead of changing gauge on the Blue Mountains Railways, connecting railways have gotten a third rail or double gauge solution at narrower sections or separate narrow gauge tracks beside the normal gauge wherever space was available. This way, Östvallens East Station could get served directly. But until 7654 Borgo Station just north of Östervallen East was the line's terminus.
Much of the line is still single track, but new upgrades are always being built with two tracks these days. One of the latest upgrades is the double track extension across the Gäddedevida plains, where trains now can run unhindered by frozen switches. The entire line was electrified as late as 7662, when the new line part from Byggebo was opened.
Line description
The first part of the railway line seen from the terminus at Östervallen East Station (Östervallen östra, previously Månstatorg) runs parallel with the old Sandsala line, with stops only in Kram and Sandsala.
The railway hub in Övre Byggebo connects two new line parts which added 32 km in length to the entire connection. The old cabled railway with a length of 12 km took 1 - 1.5 hour to manoeuvre through due to two locomotive changes and a slow uphill speed. The 48 km long new section however only takes 25 minutes, including the stop at the new station.
The part passing the upper valley of Övre Indalen is considered one of the most beautiful railway journeys of Anaria. Due to the high placement of the line there are great views towards the west, overseeing the entire valley. The few stations on this part of the line are popular among mountain hikers and other tourists, since any hike already starts at a rather high altitude. They usually connect through a funicular or cableway to the towns located near the valley floor.
The Ryttsadel tunnel with its length of 9737 m cut quite a bit of travel time, since trains no longer have to negotiate the high Ryttsadel pass. This part of the track opened in 7645 as a single track tunnel, a second tunnel tube was opened in 7676. The highest point of the railway line nowadays is inside the tunnel at 2767 m above sea level.
After this tunnel, trains continue through the open Gäddedevida plateau slowly descending from 2500 to 2100 m above sea level. On this stretch there is only one station in the small Bengtist settlement. Before the opening of the double track in 7680, this was the major passing point for all trains on the single track line, resulting in notoriously long waiting times at the platform due to delays.
Soon after Gäddedevida, the line splits in two, with the southern, original brands connecting to the cargo station of Övre Högdala. This is where the aerial cableway from Karlsgruva empties their buckets of iron ore in order to be loaded on long trains towards the blast furnaces in Kletudde on the northern coast, about 55 km east of Östervallen. When the line opened in 7572, Övre Högdala also was a passenger station with an aerial cableway connection towards the valley floor. Passengers would have to disembark the train, board the cableway and embark on a local train in Nedre Högdala, a process that would take up to 1.5 hours.
Already in 7592 the connection from Gäddedevida to Nedre Högdala was opened as a single track line. Even today, most of this part is single track with tight curves, many short tunnels and longer bridges, in order to cope the 700 m descent in 32 km.
From Nedre Högdala, the railway follows the river Loviså to Lovis Bruk, where blast furnaces were in use until 7679. Since then, all ore is transported directly to the coast. The main reason was the depletion of regional coal supplies, which made furnace fuel too expensive for economic operation.
In Lovis Bruk the line splits in two. Actually it connected to an existing line between Grönspång and Kronsta, which in the 7580's were converted to also being able to run the narrow gauge trains. In the 7620's the Mörenburger gauge of 1524 mm was dismantled completely, creating a single gauge double track. In both directions, the railway line roughly follows the course of the river Reckå, upstream towards Kronsta and downstream towards Grönspång. Both cities have connecting local services, as well as a regional service running from Grönspång to Kronsta with more stops.