Dresinene

Here you’ll see several railbike-draisine models, used on both the Flåm- and Bergen Railway line, to inspect rail tracks and means of transportation between keeper housing. They were transported on the Flåm Railway train and placed on a chosen track. They were then used to get to the day’s place of work and back home at the end of the day. The first draisine’s were based on the bike fundament, with pedaling and manual brakes. Eventually there were motorized models. The draisins could easily reach a speed of 50 km/h, on the way down the valley. The bicycle trolley became the most common type of draisin on the Norwegian railways, because several Norwegian workshops produced their own railbikes. The slat wheel was developed, based on a steel disc bolted on four rings - the innermost ring held the draisin on the track, while the others made up the actual wheel path towards the rails. Motorized draisines arose in response to a demand for inspection and assistance vehicles, for use in larger areas far beyond station areas, as railroad routes grew longer. After several deaths and accidents, draisines were banned on Norway’s active railtracks in 1993. Today they have been replaced with rail work wagons, with all the necessary work equipment on board.