8: GOODS AND PEOPLE
A train for everyone
8:1
When the Thamshavn Line opened in 1908, everyday life changed dramatically for people in the valley. Suddenly, they could travel faster to and from work, school, appointments and errands. At Thamshavn, the steamship DS Orkla sat ready to bring passengers to Trondheim. People could go to the city and back on the same day – a journey that before could take several days.
The line strengthened business in the entire region and made Orkladalen and Trollheimen popular travel destinations. At its busiest, the line carried over 400,000 passengers a year, but cars and buses gradually took over. The last passenger train travelled between Thamshavn and Løkken Verk on 30 April 1963.
A job at the railway
8:2
The Thamshavn Line was a large and important workplace in the valley. A versatile workforce was needed to keep the line operational, and there were many opportunities for those who wanted a job at the railway. There were train drivers, ore loaders, switchmen, track guards, foremen, traffic inspectors, operations managers, cable workers, conductors – and station staff. In addition, many worked in the workshop, the power plants and at the quay.
Around 500 people were employed by the company Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams Communications Aktieselskap in the 1930s.