ULJ THE RAILWAY

The Uppsala-Lenna railway (ULJ) was opened on 5th November 1876. It was built to meet the transportation needs of the foundry at Lenna.

UPPSALA EAST STATION

From January 1876 provisional freight traffic was run between Uppsala and Länna while the building of the track continued, with such things as building station houses, fencing and gravelling. When the line was inspected for traffic approval in October of 1876 no buildings were completed at the Uppsala east station and only the most essential tracks had been laid there. The company was none the less given official permission to run traffic on the line.

In 1877 the station house was completed. It was a wooden building painted red with white fretwork.

The station was manned by staff from the adjacent state railway’s mainline station until 1912 when SRJs staff took over.

In 1877the main line railway built a standard gauge (1435mm) siding to Uppsala´s port on the river Fyris. The ULJ Company realised that a railway connection with the port was a commercially sound enterprise and in 1879 such a siding was built. In the port area it consisted of a three rail track, which made it possible to run both normal and narrow gauge trains there.

In 1906 a new weighing house and a crane for transferring loads to and from SJ (the main line) were installed.

In 1908 a telephone was installed between the stationmaster and the goods office.

In 1915 a 15metre turn table and a new coal yard were built.

In 1917 a single track engine shed was moved from Knutby to Uppsala östra.

Year 1935 a new station house in functional style was built. When it was completed the old station house was demolished. The following year a new train track and a middle platform between tracks 2 and 3 were laid out. In 1944 the station was enlarged with a new siding the engine shed was altered and a new railcar shed was built.

In 1954 the signal for entering the station was electrified.

In 1955 a ramp was built for transferring freight between the normal and narrow gauge lines. For this a new siding and several new points were laid.

In 1971the new station house was demolished, the engine sheds in 1986 and the railcar sheds in 1998.

In 1966 the passenger service was closed.

In 1974 SRJmf (Stockholm-Roslagens Railway museum society) with support from Uppsala city council ran traffic on summer weekends. All commercial traffic ceased on the Uppsala-Rimbo-Hallstavik line in 1977. Uppsala city council bought the line from Uppsala to Faringe in 1979 and allowed SRJmf to continue to run excursion traffic on it.

In the autumn of 2005 due to the development plans for the whole station area in Uppsala, the Uppsala East Station was closed and demolished. Later the bridge over the cutting for the Strandbod Street was dismantled.

During the winter of 2005/6 a whole new temporary station was built on the other side of the cutting, approximately 800 metres to the south of the original station. The station house is a copy of the shelter at the closed halt Centralvägen, on the South Lidingö line. The Society had been offered the building but it was too rotten to be moved so a copy was built.

FYRISLUNDS HALT

Fyrislunds halt was built in 1994. It was paid for by McDonalds and given to SRJmf when the work was finished. The shelter is a copy of the one built in1920 at Löt halt. At the halt, on a separate piece of track a passenger coach SRJ Co 106 was placed. This was rented out to McDonalds who used it for birthday parties and the like. It was removed in 2005 after having been badly vandalized.

ÅRSTA HALT

Årsta halt opened when the line was opened in 1876. There was a trackwalkers hut (length man) with an office here. Electric light was installed in 1918. In 1943 the platform was given a concrete edge. In 1951 the office was converted into living quarters. The name of the halt was changed to Ångelsta after SJ (State Railway) had taken over the line to avoid confusion with another Årsta south of Stockholm. The hut was demolished in 1972 when the road beside the railway was extended. In 1986 the preservation society lengthened the platform by about 20 metres and put up a little shelter, which had to be moved away again because it kept getting vandalised. The halt was renamed Årsta. The platform was repaired and lengthened in the spring of 2006.

ÅRSTA BRIDGE

Soon after Årsta halt the railway crosses the new motorway (E4) on an attractive bridge. This was built during the winter of 2004/5 by the road construction company and opened in the spring of 2005 in time for the beginning of our traffic season.

SKÖLSTA HALT

Skölsta halt was opened in 1877. In 1937 a small shelter was put up and electric light was installed. When passenger traffic was discontinued in 1966 the shelter and platform were dismantled. In 1987 the preservation society built a new platform and in 1992 moved a shelter there from another line. Sadly this shelter was burnt down by arsonists. There is a hand manoeuvred stop signal here for passengers to signal to the engine driver when they want the train to stop.

A siding here led to a quarry where stone for building in Uppsala was collected. Stone for the foundations of the university building was taken from here.

The platform was repaired and lengthened in 2005.

BÄRBY STATION

Here everything looks much as it did when the railway was opened in 1876.

Bärby station was built at the same time as the railway. The tracks were more or less the same then as now. In 1907 a trackwalkers hut with “necessary out houses” was built. In 1914 a new loading platform was built. In 1918 electric light was installed. Bärby was down graded in 1929 to halt and loading place. Between 1934 and 1936 Bärby became a station again. In 1955 a T semaphore was put up to allow traffic without a signalman. The second track was taken up when the passenger traffic ended in 1967 and in 1969 the T semaphore was dismantled.

In 1981-82 a new second track was laid and a T semaphore was put up by SRJmf and in October 1982 the society bought Bärby station house from Uppsala city council.

GUNSTA HALT

Gunsta halt was opened at the same time as the railway 1876. In 1937 a new platform with electric lighting and a shelter was built.

From points (switches) east of the halt a 70 metre long siding lead to a gravel pit. The track was taken up some time before 1912.

The platform was repaired and lengthened during the 2006 traffic season.

FUNBO HALT

Originally Funbo halt was opened in 1930. In1943 the platform got electric lighting and in 1955 it was lengthened by 16.5 meters and given concrete edges. The platform was taken away when the

Passenger traffic ended in 1966.

Now we have a loading pallet here and a few passengers use the halt.

The Track walkers hut number 121 is situated on the hill just after the level crossing at Funbo.

MARIELUND STATION

Marielund station looks as it did after it had been renovated in 1947.

When the line was opened in 1876 Marielund was only a halt. Baron A. von Düben was a member of the company which built the railway. He owned the Marielund estate and paid for the building of the station house there in 1877. A second track was added and Marielund was upgraded to station at New Year 1878. In 1918 the station house and platform got electric lighting. In1949 a new middle platform and a new warehouse for freight were built. In1953 an electric signal system for unmanned traffic was installed.

On October 1^st 1982 the preservation society bought Marielund station house from Uppsala city council. The siding and warehouse had been taken away but the siding has been rebuilt and a warehouse from Österbybruk moved here. In the warehouse there is a little exhibition of articles connected with railway. SRJ mf has also installed the standpipe.

“MILESTONE”

At the level crossing on the left of the track is a kilometre stone and on the other side of the track, a more recent kilometre post, which show that we are exactly 100 narrow gauge kilometres from Stockholm (east station) over Rimbo.

COUNTRY HOUSES

Around the turn of the previous century it became popular amongst wealthy businessmen and higher officials to build country houses and move their families out of town in the summer. Towns were not so healthy places and especially not in the summer. Many such large fancy wooden houses, often decorated with intricate fretwork, were built by the lakes between Marielund and Lenna. Families and servants were moved out for the summer while the men travelled to work in Uppsala each day by train.

LÖVSTAHAGEN HALT

Lövstahagen halt was built in 1910 and opened in 1911. It had a shelter, which has been pulled down as it was vandalized.

SELKNÄ HALT

Selknä halt was opened in 1915. In 1918 a shelter from Djursholms Ösby was moved here. It has since been pulled down. A shelter from Vikingavägen on the Djursholms line was moved here but this too has been removed.

Track walkers hut number 120 to the right just before Löt.

LÖT HALT

Löt halt was opened in 1915. In 1920 an open shelter was built. In 1947 electric lighting was installed. The shelter was taken away by SJ. There is a hand stop signal here.

LENNA STATION

Lenna station was opened in 1876 and was at that time the main station. The station house consisted of an office, which was a combined signal and ticket office, living quarters for the station master and other staff and an office for the railway director. A double track engine shed was built with slag stone from the foundry. There were three tracks and several sidings leading to the foundry. In 1876 the line ended, or rather started here. On Saturday 18 October 1884 the Lenna-Norrtelje line is opened with pomp and ceremony. The running of the two railways was amalgamated and Norrtelje became the main station. In 1911 the ticket office and waiting room were altered to make space for a flat consisting of one room and kitchen. In 1914 a two armed semaphore, with warning signals at both entrances to the station, was erected. In 1953 an electric signal system was installed.

The station house is now privately owned. It was sold by Uppsala city council, which had by then bought the railway line from the state railway. Two tracks remain of the original four. In 1984-5 a new platform was built at track two by the SRJmf as we don´t have access to the original platform. A shelter was moved here from Bragevägen on the Djursholms line. It now houses the traffic and ticket office.

LÄNNA FOUNDRY (1758)

Today there is not much going on at Länna foundry. However we can still see several of the foundry buildings and across the track a typical street of houses for the workers there from the time when the foundry was built. Railway wise, all that remains is a siding leading to the foundry and points for changing track. Some rolling stock is parked on the siding in the hope that someone someday will get around to repairing it.

There is another trackwalkers hut just before the level crossing after the siding. This one has been altered and enlarged.

ALMUNGE STATION

Almunge station was opened on 23rd of October 1884 when traffic began on the Lenna-Norrtelje railway. In 1911 the station office and waiting room areas were altered. In 1914 two semaphores with wires were put up. In1920 the station house and goods warehouse were enlarged in such a way that the buildings became connected. A 110 metre long platform was built the same year and in 1939 it was given concrete edges. In 1956 the safety system for signalling was improved to allow traffic when the signals were not manned.

The second track, siding and platform were taken away soon after the passenger traffic had ceased.

In 1989 SRJmf built a new platform.

In 1997 SRJmf bought Almunge station house from Uppsala city council. After that a lot of work was put in and the station has been recreated as it was in the 1920s and could be officially reopened in September 2001.

MOGA HALT

Moga halt was opened in 1929. It consisted of a 4-5 metre long wooden platform. Later a hand manoeuvred stop signal was put up. The platform was taken away when the passenger traffic stopped running. The wooden platform and hand stop signal have been put back.

FARINGE STATION

Faring station was opened in 1884 with the LNJ and was “an ordinary station in the country” with a through track a second track, so that trains can meet at the station, and a siding. Large alterations began in 1919 in preparation for the opening of the Faringe-Gimo railway in 1921. A new station house, an engine shed with room for two engines, a water tower and a wagon weighing hut were built. As well as all that the ticket office and waiting rooms were enlarged and the old station house was extended and moved. Five new train tracks were added and a couple of sidings.

At the engine shed a 15 metre turn table was installed and a 30 ton weighing wagon was acquired. In 1921 when the Faringe-Gimo line was opened a two winged semaphore was erected at each entrance to the station, with a warning signal at the Gimo end. In 1934 new electric lighting was installed in the whole station area. In 1943 the warning signal at the Gimo end was electrified. In 1951 the mechanical signal safety system was modernised. At the beginning of the 1970s the signal safety system was dismantled, the points at the entrance to the station were locked with a K key lock and tracks 4 and 5 were taken up. The track to Gimo was taken up in 1972.

In 1982 the station house from 1919 burnt down and was replaced by a barrack that had been used as an office. This now serves as ULJs personnel building, with office, dinning room and sleeping accommodation. The freight ware house burnt down in 1992. SRJmf are continuously working at restoring and even extending Faringe station, new tracks have been laid the machine shed has been enlarged, a passenger coach shed built, a railcar shed was completed in 2001 and most recently a second larger passenger coach shed was completed in 2005.

Work on improving facilities at Faringe and maintaining and improving the whole Uppsala-Faringe line continues as does work on maintaining and renovating the society’s engines and rolling stock.

The society runs a train service on Sundays in June, July, August and the first 2 Sundays in September, following an advertised timetable. Apart from this, well filled are run 6 days in May to provide trips for school classes and play groups.

The trains can be hired for private excursions.

All work connected with the running and maintenance of the railway is done on a voluntary basis by members of SRJmf (The Stockholm Roslagen Railway preservation society).

www.srjmf.se