Snow in Grimstad

Even though Grimstad is pretty far south in Norway, it can be quite snowy, as evident in this picture from 1954. The tracks are somewhere to the left of the skis :)

I love Facebook!

Old pictures from Grimstad regularly appears on a Facebook-page with members from Grimstad. The picture below is the newest discovery. It's shows the narrow gauge GFB #1 or #2 during the construction of the line sometime in 1906/07.

Exciting new prototype photos

I've put off building the station house (depot) at Grimstad for many years now. Both due to it's complexety, but also due to the elusive back side of the building. I've found several photos for the three other sides, but the back side has not appeared in a single photo - until now. Recently I joined a Facebook-group where people living in Grimstad share photos and stories from their home town. There I posted a question regarding the missing wall, and after a couple of days I received these two photos from a gentleman named Odd Johnsen. I've waisted no time, so now I've contacted a guy with a laser to help me out with the model. I'm very excited about this!

This photo is from 1916.

I think this photo is even older. Perhaps not long after the line opened in 1907? Notice the curved mouldings round the main entrance - a nice detail!

The find of a lifetime - old footage from Grimstad!

Forget Zapruder's film of the Kennedy assasination, forget the footage from the lunar landing - this little clip beats them all! It's a small film from the very last train leaving from Grimstad in 1961. This answers a lot of questions I've had about Grimstad station; the station building itself, colours and lots of other small small details that doesn't appear in any of the photos I have.

Prototype scenery

I took this picture early this morning of a norwegian class 69 railcar set on it's way from Arendal to Rise on the Arendal line. The picture was taken just some hundred meters from the station Rise where the Grimstad Line ended, and it shows the kind of scenery I will try to replicate on my layout.

Prototype pictures

It's about time I added some pictures of the prototype Grimstad station area. Here are a couple, and the trackplan for the prototype.


Here is a picture from one of the last summers before the line closed down. Notice all the flowers! The track on the right actually goes through the whole freight depot for some reason. The railcar is a Bm87. The flowers on top of the buffer stop is something I wish to incorporate in my model version, and even the three employees standing on the platform and a photographer taking this picture :)


An overview of the whole area. If I were to build it stricly in 1:87 it would be 4,4 meters long. My version is 3,3 so it's not that bad, and the two main tracks are of correct length. The portion from the first turnout to the locoshed will be somewhat compressed. The siding with the sharp curve that goes out to "Torskeholmen" will be built on a section on it's own, but that'll be step two of the contruction process.

This is a very helpful picture for me, and it's shot from the "roof" of the tunnel. You can barely see the open turntable in the front, with the track to "Grimstad Skipsophugning" to the right. This will be modelled only with a track that ends on the module side. Between this track and the main track you can see the coal shed, and in the back, the freight depot and the station buillding.