ENJ (Ängelsberg-Norbergs Järnvägshistoriska), Sweden

I've previously posted about this little railway in another thread, but since I try and keep up with their developments and take photos whenever I'm back in Sweden, I thought I'd start a thread for them.

The below is a reworking of my previous post:

Based in Norberg (Västmanland, about 2.5 hours drive from Stockholm centre), it's the Engelsberg-Norbergs Järnvägshistoriska (ENJ) - they run from Ängelsberg to Kärrgruvan via Norberg.

In 2014 the railway was in danger as the huge forest fire came as far as Norberg and Ängelsberg, but it looks like the railway (and the roundhouse where the railbuses are kept) survived intact.
They also do some work in the loco shed at Avesta, they rebuilt one of their diesel locos 'Jungen' there. The other diesel shunting loco is called 'Grodan' (The frog).

This is their facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/EnjEngelsbergNorbergsJarnvagshistoriskaForening?fref=ts

Here are a few pics I took in February 2014

Grodan outside the engine shed at Kärrgruvan - I believe the shed is the oldest such building in Sweden


Over the past year they have re-built a new station building at Kärrgruvan ('swamp mine') yard - Swedish buildings seem to come in kit form and can be re-assembled!
I think the timber wagons were being stored for SJ.

... and these are from Summer 2012






I think that's the old station building on the left, now a hostel.





Here's an update from today (via the Facebook page)

The railcars head south to the roundhouse for winter storage. On the way, some beavers had felled trees over the line. Trains usually carry saws on board for such an incident!





The route actually crosses over SJ lines twice on the way to Ängelsberg, once when the Kärrgruvan branch joins the goods-only route to Fagersta, and then a north-south chord from that route takes the train into Ängelsberg, but the ENJ station platform (and the roundhouse beyond) is on the opposite side of the main line, so ENJ trains cross over again.

 

Here's a few more pics from the last year via the ENJ facebook page.

The new station building at Kärrgruvan is clad


Kärrgruvan from the air, showing the new station


Autumn work - keeping the flangeways clear on crossings. The loco on the left is 'Jungen'.


Jungen close up. A second loco was bought during the restoration as a parts donor, and the remains were scrapped last winter.


A slight upgrade from a wickham trolley!


A few new arrivals in the yard. The ballast wagon on the left is first up for refurbishment so it can be put to use on PW trains


At the transport festival at Gävle, one of ENJ's railcars stands by after making the journey down as a steam special pulls in




At the end of summer, the timber bolster wagons were collected by a green cargo loco. I believe the large loco brought the smaller diesel to the junction, then the small loco made a trip up the branch on its own, and the two double-headed once back on the main.





The lake at Ängelsberg


The railcar sits in the branch platform at Ängelsberg while a heritage service pulls in

 

Railcars in the roundhouse (via Facebook)

 

Just seen this posted on the ENJ facebook page, they are preparing to move their steam locomotive from Krylbo to Ängelsberg tomorrow. Exciting!


The railcars have already been brought out of winter hibernation and are pictured here next to the new station building at Kärrgruvan.

 

Last week the PTG 7 day railtour of Sweden was supposed to visit this railway running through from the national network. Unfortunately it was refused when it arrived at the junction due to concerns about the loco being too heavy for the line. These concerns had (apparently) not been raised previously. The trainload of very unhappy punters (myself included) had several hours sitting at Ängelsberg waiting to pick up the allocated path. They loco may indeed have been too heavy for the line but if this had been known earlier, the PTG would have hired the railway's DMUs to come down to the junction so that the tour passengers would at least have got to ride on the line - even if not with a loco.
JP

 

That's a real shame, made more annoying as it could have been avoided.

 

The local emergency services using one of the scrap wagons for an exercise (photos from the facebook page)

 

Kärrgruvan station building nearly fully clad.

 

I found this video posted on the ENJ facebook page, it's from 1958, here is the translation of the description:

Krylbo Norberg Railway, 1874-1958.
Last trip from Norberg October 31, 1958.
The locomotive used in the film is the 1892-built KNJ 2, which went by the name 'Bjurfors'.
Unfortunately, the film lacks sound.
From Thorstein Bergman Archives.​

Note the gravity shunting of the coaches down into Kärrgruvan station!

 

while on the hunt, I found a clip I'd seen ages ago, this is the scrap loco referenced in post number 1 being dragged off the turntable at Angelsberg.
What I was wrong about was that this is not a donor for 'Jungen', but for a different loco


I believe this is the operating loco owned by ENJ, note this is a 4 wheeler. Pictured moving the steam loco on to the turntable.

 

Knut Andvord did a rather cool drivers eye view of the trip from Karrgruvan to Anglesberg - have a look