(Return) The Golden Train: Bjorli - Åndalsnes

Welcome aboard “The Golden Train”. The Gold Transport is an important and iconic part of Norway’s history, so dear passengers, please pays close attention to this amazing story. When Norway was invaded in 1940, the Nazis were after three things: the king, the government, and Norway's gold. The Nazis wanted to use the gold to finance the ongoing war. This is a true story of an incredible escape and real heroism. This is the story of a group of people who, against all odds, managed to sneak away all of Norway's reserves, 50 tons of gold, right under the noses of the Nazis.

In Norges Bank in Oslo, Norway's gold reserves consisted of 3000 gold bars and 39 barrels of gold coins. The gold reserves had a book value of 240 million kroner in 1940, roughly equivalent to 7.8 billion kroner today, and this could not be allowed to fall into the hands of the Nazis. Early in the morning of April 9, 1940, the gold reserves were secretly loaded onto 25 trucks. As soon as they were fully loaded, the trucks drove north toward Lillehammer. The last truck set off just as German soldiers were marching up Karl Johans Gate, only a few meters from the bank. In Lillehammer, the gold was transferred from trucks to the train, and with the entire gold reserves on board, the journey continued toward Romsdalen and Åndalsnes. With bombers circling overhead, the train stopped in Stavem Switchback Tunnel to wait for darkness.

Between the steep mountains, the train route was hidden from bombers, and eventually, the train arrived safely at Åndalsnes station, where everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Now all that remained was to load the gold onto a waiting boat. But before they could start, a loud engine noise was heard from the sky. Soon after, the ground shook as bombs from the large military planes were dropped all over the town. The crew jumped back on the train and reversed as fast as they could up Romsdalen. Several of the train carriages were hit, and the gold became visible. But under the high mountains, they managed to get to safety and avert further bomb attacks from the air. Unfortunately, the ship that was supposed to be the gold's salvation had to leave the quay, as it was now too dangerous to be in Åndalsnes. After five days of waiting, the crew received a message that a boat was on its way to Molde to pick up the king. This could be a way out for the gold transport. Trucks from the local population in Åndalsnes were requisitioned and fifty tons of gold were once again transferred from the train to trucks, which set off for Molde. This concludes our storytelling, but not the escape of Norway's gold. It would be several weeks before the volunteers managed to get all the gold to safety. And they did so without losing a single gold bar. This amazing and daring escape of the king with Norway's gold has become an iconic part of Norwegian war history and has written been about in many books and more recently in the Gold Run film.

The area we are now entering was impassable for people and horses for a long time. With steep cliffs and scree, the journey through the valley was considered dangerous, and people had to go over the mountains to get through safely. It was only in 1844 that they received equipment and tools that could be used to create a passable road through this difficult terrain.

In the mountainside to the left, you can see the scars from a large landslide that occurred in 2011. The slide carried 50,000 cubic meters of forest and soil down the mountainside and covered parts of the European road. Fortunately, no one was injured in this massive slide.

Up on the mountainside to the left is a hydroelectric plant connected to Verma Waterfall. Verma Hydroelectric Plant supplies almost all of Rauma municipality with electricity. In 1923, Vermevatnet was regulated. The background for the regulation was a requirement for power supply for the construction of the Rauma Line. Norges Statsbaner (NSB) required electrification, but the Rauma Line was not electrified. The power was used as an aid in the construction of station buildings and, not least, as construction power. The Verma watercourse was protected on April 1, 1993, meaning that only minor developments are allowed in this area. The new Verma Power Plant, which was put into operation in 2019, produces electricity for approximately 5,500 households, covering almost the entire consumption of Rauma municipality.

When we come out of the tunnel, we are on Kylling Bridge again. Remember to enjoy the view from both sides of the train.

In recent years, Hollywood has also been visiting in Romsdalen. Films such as "Mission Impossible" and "James Bond," and the brand-new film "The Gorge" have scenes shot here in the area. In addition, the popular HBO series "Succession" has used the beautiful landscape as a backdrop in its filming. It is no wonder that beautiful Romsdalen has earned the nickname "TrollyWood."

Romsdalen has been inhabited by trolls for millennia. Trolls live in caves in the mountains here and stay hidden from humans. Trolls are difficult to spot as they cannot tolerate sunlight and are only out in the evening and night. But if you listen carefully, you can hear them moving around inside the mountains. Trolls are known for being evil and stupid, and they are recurring figures in Norwegian fairy tales. But trolls have also been a natural and necessary part of Norwegian legislation. The oldest Norwegian Christian laws from the 11th century included a prohibition against "sitting out to awaken trolls," and in Norway's first national law from the 1200’s, contacting trolls was considered a very serious offense, carrying the harshest penalties. As late as 1695, a girl from Romsdalen was brought before the court after she had been missing without a trace for two years. When she returned home one day, completely naked, she claimed to have been held captive by trolls inside the mountains. The court found the girl credible and in her right mind, confirming that she had indeed been inside the mountain with the trolls.

It's not just Trollveggen and Romsdalshorn that are internationally known. The mountain Mannen has attracted interest because of its history of instability. A special feature of Mannen is the presence of several large cracks in the mountain. These crack systems allow water to penetrate into the mountain, increasing the risk of instability. The mountain has become a study object for geologists, engineers, and researchers because of the complex geological processes occurring and the threat it poses to the population and infrastructure in the area. Monitoring of Mannen started in the early 2000s when it became clear that there was a significant risk of a massive landslide. Monitoring systems were installed to measure movements in the mountain, making it possible to warn the population and act when there were signs of increased risk of landslides. From 2017 to 2019, large movements were registered in the mountain. The local population was repeatedly evacuated from their homes in anticipation of a larger landslide. The case received much media attention, and in April 2019, parts of Veslemannen collapsed, but the expected large rockslide did not occur. The mountainside around Mannen is still under constant monitoring.

We are approaching Trollveggen, and here is a small excerpt from a local fairy tale called "The Legend of Trollveggen." Long, long ago, a great wedding was held here in Romsdalen. The bride, Myra, who was the daughter of the King of Romsdal, was to be married to Rabben, the son of the Great Troll of Dovre. It was not often there were such grand celebrations here in the valley, so trolls came from all over the country to participate in the festivities. During the last night, the trolls built a house of stone as a gift for the bridal couple. They worked hard, building stone by stone until the house reached up towards the sky. When they were finished, the entire bridal party climbed to the top of the house to enjoy the view, and they were completely captivated by what they saw. Rabben had brought an owl with him, and it had a task: to keep an eye on the sun so that everyone could take cover in time. But the view was so beautiful that the owl forgot its task. Suddenly, the King of Romsdal felt some warm rays on his back. It was the sun rising, and the trolls had no place to hide. So all the trolls and the owl were turned to stone pillars right on the very top. If you look closely on the left side, you can see the bride, groom, bridesmaids, and the owl as they sit and look out over the valley. The King of Romsdal watches over them from the other side of the valley and today bears the name Romsdalshorn.

To the right of us now lies the famous mountain ridge Romsdalseggen, a 10-kilometer-long hike that offers magical panoramic views. Some parts are so narrow that you can almost sit with one foot on each side of the mountain, which plunges 1000 meters down into the valley. In September 2022, some local hikers got a surprise when they encountered a musk ox at the end of Nesaksla, the mountain right above the center of Åndalsnes. The musk ox had wandered across the entire narrow mountain ridge and was now completely off course. Musk oxen look peaceful and kind, but if they feel threatened or cornered, they can become very dangerous and charge at you at 50 km/h. The musk ox had to be put down and is now on display at the top of Nesaksla, in the facility of Romsdalsgondolen.

The valley you see to the left is called Isterdalen. Here you find the famous mountains called the King, the Queen, and the Bishop, and the world-renowned Trollstigen – an impressive road winding through 11 hairpin bends along the steep mountain sides. Trollstigen is one of the most famous attractions in the region. Many find the narrow and steep road too scary to drive on their own, and in such cases, we recommend a guided bus tour that goes directly to Trollstigen from the center of Åndalsnes.

Romsdalsgondolen and Eggen Restaurant will soon be visible on the right side. Romsdalsgondolen is Norway's longest gondola lift and possibly the worlds, most sustainable gondola facility. The facility is fully powered by hydroelectricity from the new Verma Power Plant, and during construction, wood and steel were used instead of concrete. With today's modern technology, it was possible to build a gondola without an access road and visible scars in the terrain. A pilot hole was drilled 700 meters from the fjord up to the top. Inside the hole are three pipes, one for water, one for sewage, and one for electricity. The pilot hole is actually a world record since no one has done anything similar on this scale. The restaurant is built on reversible installations. The large wooden building can be dismantled and flown down from the mountain using helicopters without leaving any trace in the terrain. This forward thinking solution is a gift to future generations. They can choose whether to have a building on the mountain or not.

Dear passengers, in a few minutes, we will arrive at Åndalsnes station. We hope you have had a pleasant trip with us today. We greatly appreciate it if all trash is thrown in our bins located at each exit when you leave the train. Make sure you take all your belongings with you. We recommend everyone to visit the shop at the train station to find a souvenir from the train journey or get information about other exciting experiences here in Romsdalen. Enjoy your time in this beautiful troll kingdom. Thank you for taking the journey with us on “The Golden Train”. Snip, snap, snout, the gold journey is out.