Laddar...
The Krangruvan Railway
By Anton Sjögren
At first glance it may seem that transporting the rock hoisted from a mine to storage areas would not involve any major difficulties. In reality, however, this transportation – especially at larger mining fields – is both demanding and costly.
If local conditions are such that the appropriate storage site for the ore, from which it is later transported to the smelter, lies some distance away, it becomes necessary to use power other than human labour. Otherwise, the cost of transport would become far too high.
The following account therefore aims to describe the method that was successfully used for several years at some of the mines in the Persberg mining field.
The Persberg mining field is located on a peninsula in Lake Yngen. This location offers the advantage of easy transport of ore across the lake. However, the ore first had to be transported from the mines down to the lakeshore.
Around 1855 – or perhaps somewhat earlier – it was proposed that at Krangruvan, one of the most important mines in the area, a double railway should be constructed to transport either ore or hoisted rock down to storage areas closer to the lake. The idea was that the loaded wagon descending the track would pull up the empty wagon returning to the mine.
After a closer examination of the terrain and other conditions, it was found to be more practical and less expensive to construct a single track railway between the mine and the nearest point on Lake Yngen. All rock hoisted from the mine would then be transported down to the lake, where the sorting of the ore would also take place.
The railway was constructed according to this plan in the autumn of 1856.
Source: Jernkontorets Annaler, 1862
Transcription: Torbjörn Nordwall, December 2024
Additional Information
Harald Carlborg writes in Persbergs Malmtrakt (p. 371) about the gravity railway built at Krangruvan in 1856:
It consisted of a single track where the empty wagon was pulled up by a counterweight created by the descending loaded wagon.
This description corresponds well with Anton Sjögren’s drawing.
Further Reading
Follow the attached link to read Anton Sjögren’s detailed reports on:
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The railway at Krangruvan
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The railway at Hagegruvan
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Calculations required when constructing mine railways
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The construction of so-called “slangångar” in water-logged mines
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Advantages and disadvantages of backfilling mining methods
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The major difficulties encountered after a collapse in the Lindbergshage mine
Drawings
Drawings by Anton Sjögren are preserved at the Värmland Archives.
