Nexøbanen

Nexøbanen (Retired Line)(Narrow-Gauge)

The Nexøbanen or in English: Nexø railway between Rønne and Nexø (1900-1968) was the first railway on Bornholm. It was built and operated by Det Bornholm Jernbaneselskab - or Rønne-Nexø Jernbanen (RNJ) - which on 1 April 1934 was part of the company De Bornholmske Jernbaner (DBJ) together with the two later built lines Allingebanen and Gudhjembanen. They were all narrow gauge and were never converted to standard gauge .

Nexøbanen History

The first plans for railways on Bornholm appeared in 1875 , but fell apart in 1876. After several attempts, in 1891, some citizens of Rønne succeeded in advancing the plans so far that the Rønne-Nexø track with the Aakirkeby-Almindingen siding could be laid in the ground. This line was included in the great railway act of 1894. Exclusive license was granted on 8 May 1897. Nexø market town did not initially want to help guarantee the track, so the terminus was just about to be placed in the parish dividing line between Nexø and Bodilsker.

Construction work began in 1899 under the leadership of engineer Joachim Fagerlund, who became the track's first operations manager. Operations began on 13 December 1900 with three trains daily in each direction. The trip between Rønne and Nexø took up to two hours, as the trains ran at a speed of 37 km/h. In the first years, 35,000 tonnes of goods were transported, i.a. approx. 17,000 pigs. In the first years, RNJ had 37 employees and approximately 150,000 passengers per year or 328 per day.

In the 1920s, the Nexøbanen was a success both in terms of transport and financially. After the merger in 1934, the three lines carried a combined 100,000 passengers annually. In the 1940s there were approx. 1,700 daily travelers between Rønne and Nexø and approx. 70,000 tons of goods annually. The line was used to transport troops and goods by the Germans during the war and by the Russians after the war.

In the 1950s, the number of passengers fell seriously. In Nexøbanen's last year, 1968, there were 22 daily train departures, but only approx. 900 passengers per day. The track was closed on 28 September 1968 and almost all rolling stock was scrapped.

The Almindingen Track

The side line to Almindingen was put into use on 31 May 1901 . It was a distinct excursion line, served by five trains daily, but only May-September. Almindingen Station had a small turntable, which was big enough for the locomotive that ran on this siding - it was one of the smallest locomotives that have run on a Danish private line.

In 1916, Almindingen became the starting point for the Gudhjembanen, but the small deserted station ceased to be a terminus at the same time, and Aakirkeby became Bornholm's major railway hub, where trains from 3 sides met. The section Aakirkeby-Almindingen actually became part of the Gudhjembanen and was closed together with it as early as 1952.

Nexøbanen Overview

Nexøbanen Openning: Rønne-Nexø (36.6 km), opened 13 December 1900, closed 28 September 1968
Aakirkeby-Almindingen (5.1 km), opened 16 May 1901, closed 18 August 1952
Nexøbanen Total Length: 41.7 km
Nexøbanen Track Type: The single track
Nexøbanen Track Width : 1,000 mm
Nexøbanen Rail Weight: 25 lbs / yard (13.67 kg/m), rail length 7.5 m. 1922 - 32 they were replaced with 12 m long rails of 19.9 kg/m
Nexøbanen Max. Increase: 10 ‰
Nexøbanen Minimum Turning Radius: 800 feet (251 m) in cities and 1000 feet (314 m) otherwise
Nexøbanen Max. Speed: 30 km/h, in 1927 set up to 40 km/h, in 1950 to 70 km/h