The Flåmsbana (Flåm Railroad) is a classic, old-style train with wooden cars that climbs up a steep grade (1:18) on normal tracks. It's the steepest train in the world using normal adhesion traction rail. The Flåm valley is incredibly scenic, with mountains, waterfalls, and more. The train takes about an hour to get to Myrdal. Friday April 19, 2019 000-DSC_3030-header: The Flåm Valley 000-DSC_3030-headertext:
The Flåmsbana train is an old and wooden and looks like what I think a train should look like. Kind of like Murder on the Orient Express without the murder. It goes through some very scenic areas. 000-DSC_3030: The Flåmsbana train. 001-DSC_3031: More train. 002-DSC_3032: Still more trian (these didn't stitch together well). 003-DSC_3033: Inside the train. Stephanie is heads-down doing some calcuating or reading. 004-DSC_3034: A traditional wooden train with a traditional display monitor. 005-DSC_3035: The Flåm valley and a waterfall. There are a tons of waterfalls. 006-DSC_3036: The Flåm River (Flåmselvi) and a waterfall in the distance. 007-DSC_3037: The Flåm church (kykje) is near the right side of the bridge. 008-DSC_3038: Another view of the Flåm valley with the Flåm church, built in 1670. 009-DSC_3039: Looking north towards Flåm and the Aurlandsfjord. 010-DSC_3040: 011-DSC_3041: More waterfalls from the Flåmsbana! 012-DSC_3043: Same waterfall, just without the trees in front. 013-DSC_3046: The Flåmsdalsvegen road with mountains in the distance. 014-DSC_3048: What's going on in the other car. Or is just a reflection? 015-DSC_3049: 016-DSC_3050: 017-DSC_3051: 018-DSC_3052: 019-DSC_3055: 020-DSC_3056: More waterfalls! 021-DSC_3057-header: Berekvam—The Halfway Point 021-DSC_3057-headertext:
Berekvam is about halfway between Flåm and Myrdal. It's the only place where there are two tracks, so the only place the two trains can pass each other, one going up the mountain, the other coming down. We stopped on the loop away from the station and then stopped and waited for the other train (going downhill) to pass us. I had some time to take some panoramic pictures and we could stick our heads out the window. 021-DSC_3057: Approximately: "Berekvam is a twin track station. There's a short wait for the train [coming down the mountain?]. Please keep the doors closed." 022-DSC_3058: The Berekvam stop. Or for us the passing loop to just beyond the station. 023-DSC_3059: Houses near Berekvam. 024-DSC_3060: Information is Power! 025-DSC_3068: Stephanie looking back from the left side of the train. 026-DSC_3069: Looking back (north) from the right side of of the train with the twin tracks. 027-DSC_3070: Looking forward (south) from the right side of the train. 028-DSC_3071: Stephanie checking out the conductor as he walks to the front of the train. 029-DSC_3072: The back of the train at the Berekvam stop. 030-DSC_3073: The conductor heading to the front of the train. 031-DSC_3074: Stephanie enjoys the Scandenavian sun. 032-DSC_3075: The conductor's at the front of the train, another one is about to step out. 033-DSC_3076: Our conductor is there to let the northbound train know it's safe to proceed. 034-DSC_3077: The northbound train gets closer to us. 035-DSC_3078: The northbound train about to shift tracks to our right and not hit us. 036-DSC_3079: 037-DSC_3080: Just like two trains that pass in the night...but it's day. 038-DSC_3081: 039-DSC_3082: The northbound train to Flåm passing us on the other track. 040-DSC_3083: 041-DSC_3084: 042-DSC_3085: 043-DSC_3086: 044-DSC_3087: Looking at the Flåm valley. 045-DSC_3088: The conductor watches the other train pass us so we can continue uphill. 046-train_Panorama: Panoramic picture looking out from one side of the train to the other. I was facing to the east. The left side of the picture is looking to the back of the train, in the direction of Flåm pointing north, and the right side is the front of the train, in the direction of Myrdal pointing south. The river paralleling the tracks should still be the Flåmselvi (Flåm river). 047-DSC_3090-header: Onward and Upward 047-DSC_3090-headertext:
After Berekvam, the train gets into more mountainous terrain. 047-DSC_3090: Going through somewhat narrow paths in the mountains. Also, another waterfall. 048-DSC_3091: Looking down at the Flåmselvi I think. 050-DSC_3093: Power lines follow the river (probably down from the station by Kjosfossen). 051-DSC_3094: A creek than feeds the Flåmselvi maybe? 052-DSC_3096: History of the Flåmsbana. 053-DSC_3097: Snow-capped mountains and a valley below, the view from midway up. 054-DSC_3098: Going through the Nåli Tunnel, the longest one at 1.340 m. 055-DSC_3099: Myrdalsberget, part of the Rallar road, climbing up Myrdal mountain with 21 hairpin turns. 056-DSC_3100: The Rallar road with its crazy 21 switchbacks. 057-DSC_3101: Pinnali is a hill near Myrdal. Rallar road is in the distance. 058-DSC_3103-header: Kjosfossen Waterfall 058-DSC_3103-headertext:
Water from the Reinunga Lake (Reinungavatnet)
flows down in a river that connects to the Flåm river (Flåmselvi).
The water goes through a water tunnel at a hydroelectric power station.
The train stops at the Kjos Waterfall for 5 minutes or so to let
people get out and take pictures of the Kjosfossen.
While there was still some snow remaining in the area, there wasn't
that much water flowing. It might be too early or too late in the
season for that. There also wasn't any music or dancing troll-women
by the falls (because the weren't really falls to dance in front of).
Note that these are the sexy-dangerous, human Hudrefolk kind,
as opposed to the huge, smash-you-dangerous jötunn kind.
058-DSC_3103: We're here at Kjosfossen.
059-DSC_3104: Kjosfossen Waterfall, Free fall of 305 feet (93 meter).
060-DSC_3105: Kjosfossen Waterfall.
061-DSC_3106: These did not stitch together well into a panoramic shot.
062-DSC_3107:
063-DSC_3108: The falls aren't roaring today.
064-DSC_3121: Houses above the rim of the Kjosfossen Waterfall.
064-Kjosfossen_waterfall_Panorama:
Panoramic shot at the Kjosfossen top. The waterfall was behind me.
This is a flawed picture. Right of center, Time Traveling 1.5 Legged Guy
is taking a picture of himself. I think a younger, less gaunt version of
him is on the phone (to himself) in a gray sweatshirt further right.
Off to the left, a very thin, headless creature is trying to frame a
picture in his cell phone, but it is difficult without eyes. The top
left corner is white because there was no image coverage there but
I didn't want to lose other parts of the image to crop it square, and
given the other flaws, I didn't care. I guess most pepole take pictures
of the waterfalls and ignore everything else going on. On the other
hand, that's a pretty sensible thing to do.
064a-Kjosfossen_waterfall1_Panorama:
I tried to take a vertical panoramic shot, and it kind of did and didn't
work out. It tiles together nicely, but there's no easy way for me to
crop it in any non-stair-step way without losing too much. Now just
imagine if the water volume was like 100 times bigger.
064b-Kjosfossen_mountains_Panorama:
This was the mountain on the opposite side of the Kjos waterfall
(looking to the south). I'm going to guess that this is Bleienuten.
It'd be cool if it was Trollanuten which is the next one over to the
west and is known for its recular avalanches, but I don't think we'd
be able to see that one (and maybe that's a good thing).
065-DSC_3123: Back on the train, the conductor has just signaled
everyone is on board and is getting on the train. The Kjosfossen tunnel
behind him is the one where we had emerged.
066-DSC_3124-header: Up the Mountain to Myrdal
066-DSC_3124-headertext:
The last few stops wind through tunnels in the mountains, sometimes poppoing out for a bit for a scenic view and sometimes passing through "windows" in the tunnel. The last few stations had quite a bit of snow around. 066-DSC_3124: The Vatnahalsen Tunnel with some "windows" to see the valley. 067-DSC_3127: Vatnahalsen Tunnel and the Flåm valley. 068-DSC_3128: Vatnahalsen Tunnel and the Flåm valley. 069-DSC_3129: Slower shot with Vatnahalsen Tunnel action blur! 070-DSC_3130: More tunnel action blur. 071-DSC_3131: Open train tracks before the next tunnel (Bakli Tunnel maybe). 072-DSC_3132: Reinunga Station is next. Just east of it is Reinunga Lake which feeds the Kjosfossen. 073-DSC_3133: The modest Reinunga Station. Note: shorts and skis. 074-DSC_3134: As we climb up, we get to snowier areas in the mountains. Note the cabins. 075-DSC_3135: 076-DSC_3136: Up in the mountains now. 077-DSC_3138: Looking back on the Reinunga Station. 078-DSC_3139: There's a person in the center of this picture. 080-DSC_3141: 081-DSC_3142: Winding our way up to Myrdal in the mountains. 082-DSC_3143: Looking back at the Reinunga Station. 083-DSC_3144: That might be Reinungavatnet, the Reinunga Lake that feeds the Kjosfossen. 084-DSC_3145: Information on the area. 085-DSC_3146: 086-DSC_3147: The Vatnahalsen Station. The last stop before Myrdal. 087-DSC_3148: Bye-bye Vatnahalsen. The conductor is climbing abord the train. 088-DSC_3149: A vacation house with a hell of a patio. 090-DSC_3151: Next stop, Myrdal! Bottom: