Inlandsbanan 2009 - Sweden's Inland Railway - cabin view

On one of the last days of summer passenger service 2009, I shot this small vid from next to the driver's seat. This is from the northern section between Ostersund and Gallivare. Quality is so-so, and the sun didn't shine for me either so it all looks a bit grey - and green, lots of green... I've put up another one, even more unexciting - although you do get a mesmerizing windscreen-wiper to focus on... ;-)

Passenger-service runs from June through August, the rest of the year there's only freight-service; three times a week. The passenger trains run daily during the season and the stretch you're watching takes 14,5 hours, including several stops among which one actually in the front-yard of a restaurant.

The train itself consists of two Diesel FIAT-motorcars of '60's vintage. They are getting frequent service at a dedicated building in Ostersund. It's riding at a fairly constant 90km/h or 56 mph; on one short stretch of mainline, it'll do 135 or 84 respectively, just to stretch its legs. That ticking sound you constantly hear aren't the rails (they can be heard as well, about every second) - it comes from the speedometer/odometer. Must be some sort of electromechanical device. There's two more vids from the IB put up by yours truly; neither of which are very exciting I'm afraid - but then, short-term excitement is not what the IB is about...

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• sweden
• adventure
• railways
• single-track
• line
• european
• train

[shifty2k5]

Jag tycker sådant här är så jävla intressant. Har du någon aning om vart exakt videon är filmad? Så man kan kolla upp det på en karta?

[rustinpieces]

@shifty2k5 Mijn Zweeds is net zo belabberd als jouw Nederlands. Seriously, English please!

[dougiewhite778]

did you see any bear or lynx on this trip?

[rustinpieces]

@dougiewhite778 I didn't see one, but - tragically - the driver did; a few seconds before we hit it! By then, we were very near to Gallivare and darkness was already setting in. The driver stopped, backed up slowly), and we all looked for it from the train with a flashlight. Every driver knows the drill of finishing (near) railroad-kill with an axe; deer and moose are frequent victims. We couldn't find the poor animal, so we got going again. These things happen.

[rustinpieces]

Sorry, that's all I've got... I made the same journey in 1990. Back then, the track was downright insanely under-maintained - the rails were from 1907 (stamps on the inside of them), which is earlier than the line itself! At the moment though, it's in very good order with some maintenance being carried out along the line, the day I took the footage. During winter, the driver told me, people can be careless along the line because only a few freight-trains run on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

[shifty2k5]

@rustinpieces Oh right! Sorry :) Do you know where this video was recorded, more specifically? I am thinking somewhere south of östersund, do you know?

[Modeltrainguy]

Nice ride! Nice Horn!

5 Stars.

[vern1961]

Superb clip!

Lots of Y1 diesel "thrash", jointed track and quite fast running for a little used remote line. Please upload more footage if you've got it!