Wow, this is one of the most exciting train stations I have ever visited.
Hey there! I'm Axel Primavesi
and I am about to explore the Flåmsbana.
Some say it's even the most beautiful train ride in the world.
And I want to check that out. So join me on my ride.
Early in the morning, the first train emerges
from the depot by the fjord to climb the mountain and then come back down again.
I'll be on it together with Bengt Hammer. He's in charge of marketing for the Flåmsbana.
Hi Bengt! Hi Axel.
So even before we left Myrdal I could say: The train is really beautiful.
The cars here are from the sixties and still driving and driving and driving.
We set off into the valley at leisurely 40 kilometers per hour.
It's a single track railway but trains travel in both directions.
I'll show how that works a bit later on.
The railway runs runs from Myrdal at an altitude of some 800 meters
via Vatnahalsen, Kjosfossen and Berekvam to Flåm at the edge of the Aurlandfjord.
We are here at Vatnahalsen. This is the first station after Myrdal. So we just got on the train
and then we hopped of. But we did this for a reason. Because here is Vatnahalsen hotel.
Wow. I mean this is how Scandinavia looks like in my dreams.
It's a really beautiful hotel and it has a story, Bengt.
Yes, it has been built in 1898.
So, long before the Flåmsbana opened up.
Long before the Flåmsbana it was a tourist spot for people coming in
with cruise ships and steamships to Flåm and go up here by horse
and carriage. It was a very posh, very fancy and very popular hotel at that time.
Okay! – And now, it is very popular for hikers, bikers and skiers.
I have no time for hiking today. Our journey continues.
So Bengt, is there something along the track that I should definitely see and check out?
Absolutely. The Kjosfossen waterfall! That is the main highlight and an enormous tourist attraction.
Wow. This is one of the most exciting train stations I've ever visited.
This waterfall is nearly a hundred meters high.
And the train stops here for some minutes, so everyone can take a photo. And that s what I'll do now, too.
Will you take a photo of me here at Kjosfossen? – Of course. This is the most photographed attraction in Norway, I think.
Suddenly a figure appears in the midst of the waterfall.
So Bengt, we saw the lady up there in the red dress. What's the story behind that?
It's based on an old Norwegian local folk story.
Huldra is a female creature from the underworld that lures men and drags them down in the waterfall.
Long ago this railway was the only connection between the fjord at the sea
and the railway between Oslo and Bergen through the whole
country up on top of the mountains. These days, it's mostly a tourist attraction.
One attraction is of course the stunning countryside. But the railway itself is fascinating, as well.
It numbers among the steepest in Europe. The Flåmsbana Museum explains the story of how it was built.
So Bengt, this tool was quite useful for building the Flåmsbana. Why did you need it so much?
That was for the tunnels. Because to build a railway up the mountains you need tunnels.
There are 20 tunnels and 18 of them are made by hand with drilling, dynamite and then they used the pickaxe to take out the stones.
They put them in carriages and pull them out by horse.
So this was quite a feat of engineering, building this railway. Why was it so complicated?
It was so difficult because of the terrain, the mountains. The risk of avalanches, the waterfalls, the river.
And at least it was completely different in winter and in summer.
They really had to think very hard where to lay the tracks.
That's why it took nearly 20 years to build it. – Exactly.
And I mean I am just carrying this for a minute. It is really heavy. So I don t know if I could
stand it and be really of help building the Flåmsbana. I will put it down, I think.
This looks like a mixture of a motorcycle and a locomotive. What was it used for?
It's actually a motorcycle on the top and it's a trolley with rail wheels on the bottom.
And it's an expection trolley for the railway. So the maintenance workers put this on the
train in the morning and went to Myrdal with the first train and then they took it of in
Myrdal and inspected the track while going down again.
Okay.
So here at the museum of the Flåmsbana one part of the exhibition is this locomotive
and you got a history with it, don't you? – Yes. I've been driving this myself.
I am not a locomotive driver.
But this was actually a shunting locomotive at the station to change
the wagons from one train to the other. To put out one wagon and another one in.
And every time you drove this everything went fine, you never crashed anything?
I hope so!
No, I did not. It went well. I used the brakes very hard.
You knocked on wood enough times. – Exactly.
We re back on the track.
The next stop is Berekvam, a unique station on this single-track line.
This is where trains going in opposite directions meet and pass each other on a short double-track stretch.
I d like to find out exactly how that works.
This is Mario Midje Baltov, the station master. Berekvam is one of the last manually operated train stations in Norway.
Mario has to set the points by hand to make sure the train coming up from the valley ends up on the right track.
Is this more fun or less fun or...?
It has ups and downs.
Because, when it it's pouring down, and it's windy, it is more comfortable inside, and you push some buttons,
and everything fixes itself. But on days like this when you can walk up and down and you
don't have to sit down for ten hours, it's perfect.
This is the train coming up from the valley. It's always the first to arrive in Berekvam.
This flag is a signal for the train coming from the other direction. If it's not hanging out,
the train can continue and head down to the valley.
Like this time. The train from below is already on the other track in the station.
Today, Gudrun Folkedal is driving the train down to the fjord. She's been working as a
train driver since 2012 on this and other lines, as well.
But the Flåmsbana is something very special to her.
Hello, nice to meet you. I am Axel.
I am Gudi. – And you are driving this train!
Yes, I am. – What do you like so much about this track?
It is a very special railway.
It can be very challenging. It is very steep, so you have to be focused all the time.
But you can also enjoy the view. You see new things every day,
even if you have been driving here a hundred times. It is very different. For some times
of the year there can be summer at the fjord and winter up in the mountains.
It can also be very tough in the mountains if there is storm and there are 2 meters of snow.
And all the tourists are also very fascinating. They are waving, they are very happy and satisfied.
From here, Gudrun Folkedal sets off in her train down to the fjord.
Bengt Hammer and I enjoy the final leg of the journey in a comfortable car.
Much of the interior is the original from the 1960s.
The lower we go, the more the valley opens up.
We pass by the first houses in Flåm, my destination.
After barely an hour traveling, we arrive at the station.
The Flåmsbana definitely is one of the most beautiful train rides in Europe.
And not only because of the stunning landscape. It is also a feat of engineering.
Built in this rough terrain nearly a hundred years ago without the huge drilling machines you have today
that is really super impressive.
What do you think: Is this the most scenic train ride in Europe?
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You want to see more scenic train rides in Europe? Check out these videos!