Katterat

We are now approaching Katterat, above the Rombaksfjord. Today, Katterat is a popular starting point for hiking the historic Rallarveien. There is no road connection to the station, so even today, the railway is the main way to get here. But Katterat was once a small and active railway community, where railway workers and their families lived throughout the year. During the days of steam locomotives, Katterat had its own water tower. When the Ofoten Railway was electrified in 1923, a transformer station was built here instead. Much of this railway heritage has been preserved, including the station building from 1922. As railway operations became more modern, fewer people were needed to live and work at Katterat. The community gradually became smaller, and the last permanent resident left in 1963. Today, Katterat is also home to Arctic Train’s Northern Lights Camp, with a large traditional lavvu where guests can experience the Arctic night away from the lights of the town. If you would like to know more about the Northern Lights Train and the camp at Katterat, feel free to ask our crew. Just before reaching the station, we pass through a tunnel with a rather unexpected name – Cape Horn. And no, we haven’t travelled quite that far. The name dates back to the construction of the railway, when several places along the route were given names inspired by locations around the world. As we emerge from the tunnel, keep an eye out for Katteratgubben – an unusual rock formation around four metres high. Its massive top stone has been balancing here since the end of the last Ice Age.