Railway history seminar

True to tradition, Vestfold Museums invites you to the Railway history Seminar at Eidsfoss. This was the terminus at the narrow-gauge line from Tønsberg in the period 1901 to 1938, and for more than 70 years, Eidsfoss works was among the country’s largest manufacturers of railway cars. The seminar takes place in the the Carpenter’s Workshop, where the wooden parts for the Eidsfoss cars were made. The museum exhibition “Fremtidstoget” (The Future Train) opened here last year, and is about the importance of the railway for Eidsfoss and Eidsfoss’ importance for the railway. From 2 p.m. you can hear an interesting lecture about the Rjukan Railway and after that, we will hear more about the extensive work on recreating the models of the carriages and Eidsfoss railway station, for the exhibition. After that, the participants are invited on a trip to Eidsfoss church with local historian and guide Fred Nordseth. He and other volunteers have recreated a small section of the railway to Tønsberg, which will be officially opened to music by the Vestfossen men’s choir. The seminar starts at 2 pm, and entry is NOK 100,-

The Rjukan Railway – the Nerve of the World Heritage

Industry and communication are very closely linked. How and why was the Rjukan railway built? In connection with the industrial establishment at Rjukan, Norsk Hydro needed a good transport system. What challenges did this endeavor meet? Dr. phil. Guro Nordby, from the Norwegian Industrial Workers’ Museum at Rjukan, talks about how the the track was planned, work accidents, conflicts along the way and failed goods transports. Guro Nordby defended her thesis “Rjukanbanen – meaning, materiality and presence in 2020.

The work of recreating the models in the exhibition

After a short break, Styrkar Bråthen and his partner Arild Tangerud come to talk about the work with the models in the exhibition “Fremtidstoget” (The Future Train). The models are replicas of the cars that Eidsfoss works produced when it was a large Norwegian freight wagon manufacturer. In that connection, more than ten car models were built by the two. The duo also made a model of Eidsfoss station, the crown jewel of the exhibition.

Opening of the Tønsberg-Eidsfos route

Local historian Fred Nordseth,  invites the participants to join the opening of the newly cleared hiking trail at the Tønsberg-Eidsfoss railway, which runs from Eidsfoss church. At 5 p.m., the route is opened by mayor Elin Gran Weggesrud, and the Vestfossen male choir joins in with songs of the era. Nordseth tells about the work on the path and stories from the time of the Tønsberg-Eidsfoss railway. The grill at the hiking trail’s “end station” is fired up if the weather is good. Bring barbecue food and seating.