Drivstua Railway Station
[photo: courtesy of a Frenchman]
[photo: courtesy of a Frenchman]
On 1 June 2012 I posted some pictures taken in Norway by a Frenchman
including one of the Lom Stave church in Oppland. The photograph above
was included in that post although I did not know where it was located
or exactly what the buildings were. Today I received an email from a
cousin in Norway identifying the larger building in the picture as the
Drivstua train station in the municipality of Oppdal.
I had a “beware of the rug” moment and misread Oppland for Oppdal so was I confused a bit about which county or fylke was the correct one. But a map and a couple of checks with the Norwegian postal directory and online sources show Drivstua to be in Sør Trøndelag. That is still in the central part of Norway just a little further north than I originally thought.
Architect Erik Glosimodt who had designed a series of high mountain train stations between the years 1917 and 1921 designed it. It is a two-story building that probably had offices on one level and a passenger waiting area below as well as a place to load and unload the cargo. Drivstua station was opened for use in 1921 and serviced both passengers and cargo as part of the Dovre railway line. The line ran from Dombås, Oppland to Trondheim, Sør Trøndelag. The station and the warehouse for goods had sod roofs with green grass growing in the bottom photo but the engine house had a slate roof. By 1968 it was considered a remote station for passengers and a year later it no longer had a permanent staff. In 1986 the station was closed. The top picture I believe was taken in 1980 a few years before the station closed. In 1997 it became a protected historical site and today serves as a remote crossover track.
Thanks to Rune for finding the name and a picture of the station house. It was fun to learn more about it and the close up picture is most appreciated.
For another picture of the station and more information see: http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drivstua_stasjon
