Swedish Strategic Reserve Steam Engines Hidden Since 1954
December 20th, 2008 Posted in News, Prototype
Two of three Swedish Strategic Reserve locomotives emerge from a hidden storage shed near the arctic circle after 54 years in hiding since WWII.
These 70-ton steam locomotives were built in Sweden beginning in 1919 for heavy passenger and fast freight service. They were a class of 99 units which saw regulay duty right up until around 1945 and the end of World War II.
With the invention of the electric locomotive, units from various classes of steam locomotives became part of the Swedish Stragetic Reserve and were hidden away in remote countryside locations ‘just in case.’
Following WWII, and later with the threat of a cold-war, Sweden felt it prudent to insure against the possibility of another major war, oil shortage or it’s own ability to make electricity. Steam locomotives were hidden in remote un-marked sheds at edges of dense forest to ensure transportation ability for soldiers and equipment, and for basic infrastructure. Switch leads to the 350′ sheds were then removed to keep locations secret.
When the cold war ended in 1990, the Swedish government felt that keeping all these steam locomotives in storage was useless. The government then decided to sell off the 200 steam engines in storage, most of which went to scrap, and only a few to preservation groups.
Near the Arctic circle at Sandtrask, 3 locomotives have been in hiding in one shed for 54 years, and are among the last in existence.
The Swedish government presented the Sandtrask engines to the National Rail Museum, which retrieved them from storage in July 2008.
Retrieval of the locomotives involved more than 20 preservationists, laying several hundred feet of temporary track (including a switch), halting freight traffic, turning off catenary and attention to the running gear of the engines such as removal of the main rods and lubrication. Additional efforts were necessary to meet strict environmental laws concerning soil contamination… all within a limited time window.
The museum will keep one engine, and selected a preservation group in Gothenburg and another in Stockholm as recipients for the other two.
The museum’s engine was towed 1400 miles south, with stops along the way to deliver the other two.
Locomotive B-1037 will be making its new home in Gothenburg, and will join six other operating steam engines after a visit to the shop. Officials expect the engine to be in steam by the end of 2008; a real statement about the care and planning taken to keep these locomotives ready at a moment’s notice.
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One Response to “Swedish Strategic Reserve Steam Engines Hidden Since 1954”
By Jean-Jacques on May 4, 2009
Hello ! I knew about this strategic reserve some twenty years ago, I did not know that there were still a few as late as 2008…
And so far in the North. Wonderful !