TRAIN # 33 – 23:34 Copenhagen to Stockholm (Continued)
I was woken by the train being shunted off the boat on the Swedish side of the water around 02:00. We then decided to move to an empty compartment in one of the Swedish State Railway (SJ) coaches they had added to the train. I soon fell asleep again. I woke around 07:50, having slept remarkably well, and found myself looking out on misty woodlands. We arrived at Stockholm about half an hour later at 08:20.
STOCKHOLM
With the left luggage stored and the money changed we walked out of Stockholm station at 09:00. The temperature was displayed on one of the buildings as 11 degrees Celsius, the lowest day time temperature we had experienced to date. We were now a world away from dipping our feet in the Mediterranean.
We had a look around the immediate area. It was Monday morning and we watched commuters hurrying from the station and a stream of Volvos, all with their lights on, coming across the Vasbron bridge.
Then we walked along Västerlånggatan, one of the most famous, narrow cobblestone streets in the Gamla Stan (Old Town). We peered in at all the expensive looking shops and ended up buying a Marathon chocolate bar for 40p.
We walked past the royal palace and into the Kungsträdgården (the King’s Garden) where there was a large outdoor chess set which locals were already playing, We searched for a toilet but didn’t find one. We headed down Hamngatan, the city’s most prominent, shopping street and found a lavatory, for one kroner, in the prestige NK department store.
As we made our way back towards the station we went into Clock hamburger. We got a couple of coffees for 20p each and marvelled at the fact the place had its own large TV set which was showing films and adverts.
We went over to the town hall (built in 1923) and paid to go in. We climbed up stairs, went along dark passageways and visited a room with stone figures in it. From the top of the building, we had a great view of the city below.
Outside again, we took photographs of a nude statue and then toured an exhibition about nuclear weapons and Nagasaki. We found it very interesting and even spent time filling out the questionnaire
We walked across the rail / road bridge towards the cathedral and back into the cobbled streets of the old city to the central square. We came back over the Norrbro (North Bridge) the city’s oldest active stone arch bridge.
We did a little walk around comparing the price of coffee in McDonald’s and Clock and decided to go for the local brand again. We walked back to the station passing very attractive chocolate shops and decided to spend all our remaining Swedish krona on food. We bought orange juice, rolls, pate, cheese, chocolate wafer biscuits and, still having a bit of spare cash, little sausages in French bread.
As I was waiting for the next train back at the station, my watch strap snapped. I sat there trying to mend it and the Malaysian aeronautical student turned up again. He told us he was now heading to Gothenburg on a different train. First class, of course.
TRAIN # 34 – 15:25 Stockholm to Oslo
We boarded the 15:25 to Oslo. It was hauled by a Rc electric locomotive. The Rcs had been built by Sweden’s own ASEA company and first emerged in 1967. More than 350 were produced and they were the workhorses of the SJ (Swedish State Railway) system.
The train mostly comprised of Swedish coaches but the light brown carriage that we chose to board belonged to Norwegian State Railways, NSB. It was probably the most comfortable coach we had experienced to date. The open saloon had lovely green seats that reclined. It was only a quarter full too, which helped.
We sped north through thick forests interspersed with the occasional lake. The line we were travelling along was single track but electrified. Normal for Sweden, perhaps, but the first time I had witnessed such a combination.
A lady came around with a drinks trolley but the prices were a little too high for our budget. We had some orange juice left over and we made do with that along with some pate sandwiches.
It started to go dark. There were a few tunnels and at one point we passed along a giant causeway between two lakes. It was fully dark by the time we were approaching the outskirts of Oslo. We arrived at 21:41.
We planned to see a bit of the Norwegian capital the next day, but of course we could not afford to stay in the city. Instead, we were intending to catch an overnight train to Voss on the Bergen Line, arriving early in the morning, then turn around and come straight back. This had the extra advantage of a trip on one of the most scenic lines in Norway.
TRAIN # 35 – 23:00 Oslo to Voss
We changed £10 to Norwegian Kroner and settled down for a wait of more than 90 minutes at Oslo. The station was modern but pretty unattractive; all concrete and blue paint. We tried to reserve seats on the next train but were told it would be impossible. Then we paid 60p each for a cup of coffee and sat in the waiting room where we were bothered by a young blonde drunk.
The platform that the train would depart from was not indicated until five to eleven, so it was inevitable we would be departing a little late. We followed the crowds down to platform 4 and as we boarded one of only two seating carriages, we worried we might not get a seat.
In the end we managed to get a pair of seats in a very full coach. The carriage was the same type as the one on the Stockholm to Oslo train, comfortable for day use but not really good for sleeping. Worse still we had to pay a 10 Kroner reservation fee. That used up 10% of the 100 Kroner we had changed. We now had enough Norwegian money to reserve three trains, get two cups of coffee and maybe if we were lucky, some bread.
As we departed, about ten minutes late, I started to worry about missing our stop. I knew that the train would only halt for a few minutes at Voss in the morning. We would lose the chance to come back to Oslo if we overslept. I had brought a little battery alarm clock with me but so far I hadn’t used it. Now, setting it to 05:30, I put it down my trouser leg and wedged it into the top of my sock to keep it safe.
Forty Years Later….
- Sweden joined the EU in 1995.
- Passport controls between Denmark, Sweden and Norway had already been removed in 1958. Regular customs checks between them went in March 2001, when they fully implemented Schengen.
- In 2026 there are now 13 Swedish Kroner to the pound.
- The government-owned Clock hamburger chain lasted until 1999. It sold its Stockholm restaurants to McDonald’s.
- SJ Rc locomotives have largely been displaced from passenger duties but some remain in service.
- In 2026 there are now 12.5 Norwegian Kroner to the pound.
- I have returned to Stockholm twice on extended business trips.
