Now over 90 years old, the Rauma Railway between Åndalsnes and Dombås in Norway has always unashamedly been a tourist track. It is known as one of Norway’s wildest and most beatuful train journeys. You should experience the Rauma Railway in Norway.
Aside from a brief period when it was used to ferry around the country’s gold reserves, it has operated to cater for the cruise ships trade arriving into Romsdalsfjord and Åndalsnes. The Rauma Railway takes you through the beautiful Romsdalen to famous natural attractions like the Trollveggen cliff and the Kylling bridge. The whole trip takes 1 hour and 40 minutes.
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The Rauma Railway, Norway
Whereas other railway journeys take you past wonderful sights as if by coincidence, the Rauma Railway has a single purpose – to show off Norway at its finest. The Rauma Railway runs as a sightseeing train from the end of May to the end of August.
This 114km (182mi) long marvel of 1920s engineering starts at Åndalsnes, the northern gateway to the fjords. Right from the start the views are spectacular and as the train climbs steadily, hugging the mountainside, you are treated to breathtaking views of the valley below.
Map, courtesy: The Semaphore
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Guide service
On the train there is a guide service in Norwegian, English and German. All passengers receive a brochure describing the highlights of your journey and a map of the train line. The train will slow down at the best sights.
You are torn between looking up or looking down
The imposing peaks of Romsdalshorn and Trollveggen soon dominate the skyline. You are torn between looking up or looking down as the train crosses Kyllingbrua, a startingly high stone arched bridge which hangs high above the Rauma River.
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It seems scarcely possible to climb any higher, but that is exactly what happens just after you pass Verma, as the train takes you through a corkscrew tunnel under the mountains. This really is a giant fairground for grown-ups.
As you approach Dombås, the scenery opens up offering panoramic views of this most remarkable of lands. Here you can either continue to Oslo or Trondheim or, better still, go back and do it all again.
Feature image (on top): Rauma Railway at Trollrindene. Photo Leif J Olestad / Visit Norway
The Rauma Railway, Norway, written by Tor Kjolberg