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Track no. 2 and the steam shed in Faaborg |
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Track no. 2 and the steam shed in Faaborg |
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From RFB to SFvJ The history of Faaborg-Korinth-Ringe Railway and Syd Fyenske Veteranjernbane As early as 1868 the first plans for a South Funen railway were presented to the Danish parliament, but several years went by before the railway between Odense and Svendborg opened on the 10th of July 1876. The railway was built and run by the private railway company A/S Det sydfyenske Jernbaneselskab, SFJ. Included in the railway plans was a line between Nyborg and Bøjden. This planned line would have created a good and fast connection between Denmark and Germany, but the railway between Odense and Svendborg was preferred and built.
1882 - RFB -1900 The plans for a railway to Faaborg continued to be presented to the parliament. Many plans with different routes were discussed and rejected before the decision to build a state railway between Ringe and Faaborg finally was reached in 1879. One condition for construction was that the private railway company SFJ would run the trains. Another condition was financial contributions from the local county and municipalities. These conditions were soon fulfilled and the construction of the line started in 1880. Most of the work was done by SFJ, which had the experience of railway building from the construction of the company’s own line between Odense and Svendborg. The building process was finished in 2 years and the line was officially opened on the 1st of April 1882. The railway line, with the initials RFB, had 3 steam locomotives, 7 passenger and 32 freight carriages. The daily service was 3 mixed trains in each direction.
1900 - SFJ - 1949 In 1897 the railway between Ringe and Nyborg opened. The long desired connection between Nyborg and Flensburg (Germany), via ferry between Faaborg and Mommark (Jutland), was realised. The railway between Ringe and Nyborg, RNB, was also run by SFJ, and RFB and RNB became one "company" in 1900. The rolling stock became SFJ stock and could be used all over the SFJ network. In 1906 the ONFJ, Odense-Nr.Broby-Faaborg Railway, came into service. Ten years later the line SFB between Faaborg and Svendborg (the line branched off from RFB in Katterød) opened. All the lines were operated by SFJ. Faaborg became a very important station with 3 different private railway terminating here. Katterød station also grew larger after the start of SFB. Today the large station building is a reminder of these times.
1949 - DSB - 1988 In 1949 the SFJ was nationalised. The Danish State Railways, DSB, now ran the trains on the 3 lines to Faaborg: ONFJ, SFB and RFB/RNB. During the fifties the railway between Faaborg and Ringe was upgraded with heavier tracks and better signal and safety systems. At the same time Faaborg’s importance as a railway town was on the decline. In 1954 the lines to Odense and Svendborg were closed. With the SFB closed, the station in Katterød was reduced to a stop without sidings. Eight years later the last passenger train ran between Faaborg and Ringe. From the 27th of May 1962 the line between Ringe and Nyborg was totally closed, whilst the line between Ringe and Faaborg was open only for freight trains. In 1987 DSB decided against running trains between Faaborg and Korinth. Occasionally freight trains ran between Korinth and Ringe, especially carrying timber from the forests near Korinth. DSB has ceased using this part of the railway even though they still own it.
1988 - SFvJ After the closure of the freight traffic between Korinth and Faaborg, a group of railway enthusiasts began to discuss the preservation of the line and to run heritage trains on the line in summertime. On the 9th of January 1988 Syd Fyenske Veteranjernbane, SFvJ, was founded. In the summer of 1990 Her Majesty Queen Margrethe and Prince Henrik were guests on a SFvJ train. This was the turning point for the railway and afterwards SFvJ became an important tourist attraction on Funen. On the 28th of May 1992 the County Mayor officially opened the railway. In 1994 Faaborg Municipality bought the old sheds in Faaborg and leased them to SFvJ for 20 years. SFvJ already had a lot of rolling stock stored in the sheds but now SFvJ also acquired better facilities for the members. The small house SFvJ had used near the old railway station was getting too small.
In the beginning, SFvJ trains departed from Faaborg at the old railway station. In 1989 most of the tracks were removed to make room for a ferry terminal. Only 2 tracks remained for the use of SFvJ, but it was soon clear that those tracks would also disappear. The area in front of the station would be converted into a bus station. SFvJ therefore had to build a new station near the sheds. The construction started in 1995. The tracks from the old station were reused and in July 1995 the first trains departed the new station in Faaborg. The SFvJ station in Faaborg consisted of 3 tracks, one was used as a siding, and 2 platforms. "Station Office" was the mail van near the entrance. The mail van remained on a short track of original rails dating from the opening of the railway in 1882.
A typical SFvJ train in the 1990’s was formed by a diesel engine and two long steel carriages. The motor carriage VLTJ M6 underwent a major overhaul during this period, but it came into service in 1998, often with HTJ C35 "on the hook". Since its start SFvJ has run more and more special trains, most of them between Faaborg and Korinth but also the occasional train to Svendborg, Odense and Nyborg. Trains for longer tours were often formed by a diesel engine and one or two steel carriages, such type of train is now very rare in Denmark. During the early years of SFvJ, regular trains ran between Faaborg and Odense on Wednesdays during the summer period. After a few years the number of passengers declined and it was not worthwhile to run this train. Instead Wednesday's train became an evening train between Faaborg and Korinth with a long stop at Lucienhøj. This train has been very popular. Regular SFvJ trains between Faaborg and Ringe were once part of SFvJ's schedule. We had 2 trains running at the same time until 1998, but due to a lack of staff we have had only one train since 1999. In 2002 all trains between Korinth and Ringe were cancelled due to the bad condition of the track., but SFvJ still runs regular and special trains between Faaborg and Korinth.
Late 2003 two of SFvJ's major projects were completed. After several years of work the steam locomotive DSB F657 was back in running condition. Another major task for SFvJ was creating a track connection into some of the sheds. It became possible in 2003 after months of work. A traverser in front of the "new" shed connects 3 indoor tracks to the main line. Now locomotives and carriages can be overhauled during winter. In 2004 the steam locomotive and the traverser were officially put into service together with OKMJ J 81 and the luggage van class EH. Again in 2005 the tracks at Faaborg Station had to be replaced. In the beginning of 2010 the station consists of track no. 2 along the platform, track no. 1 serves as a shunt and track no. 3 leads into a wooden shed. All the tracks near the sheds remain the same as in previous years. The mail van serving as a station office is at the end of track no. 3. A small building with a public toilet opened in the summer of 2009 is next to track no. 3. January 2008 major works began in Pejrup. An external company erected a carriage shed, but the SFvJ members did all the track work. 3 tracks lead into the building which will be used for non-running locomotives and carriages. In February 2010 only a few metres of track is missing before the work is completed. Along with the carriages shed and additional tracks Pejrup was upgraded from a "halt" to a "station" allowing train crossings during the days of "Coal Dust & Diesel Fumes". |
23-02-2010
