European Railroad Discussion > Sweden Overnight Train Experience

Just back from a great steam bash in Sweden. (I'll try to post some photos of that event later).  I used their excellent overnight service from Stockholm to Malmo. Amtrak please note. Train was platformed and ready for boarding 1 hour prior to departure. There were no car attendants. They assume people are smart enough to find their appropriate car and board. Tickets are collected by an agent on the platform at the bottom of the stairs. Saves on cost. You make up the bed yourself. Very easy. Just like Business Class on a plane. Again, cost savings. Track was so smooth it was hard to tell we were moving. Amtrak please note, we arrived on time to the minute. Car was clean, and the room included toilet and shower at a decent price. Only drawback, the 7 hour trip wasn't long enough.  Upon arrival, I continued to Hamburg to visit Miniature Wonderland. If you are a model railroader, you MUST see this spectacular attraction. For that portion of the trip, the entire ICE train was put on the ferry to cross between Denmark and Germany. Passengers are allowed to go on deck during the 45 minute crossing.

---

What was the consist - does it carry seating cars as well as sleepers, and is there any on train catering?

I had no idea that Malmö was of such a distance to Stockholm that a sleeper train could be taken. I guess Sweden is a big country compared to the rest of Europe. That sounds like an excellent trip you took, and have fun at Miniature Wonderland! I would love to go there at some point.

Tor in Eugene

Please remember to post some pics from train ferry between Denmark and Germany! As the triple tunnel building is now starting, ferries will probabaly first look a lot worse in a few years and then be withdrawn / rerouted. Any estimates how fast they are mowing at full speed?

No idea on the progress or even any evidence of construction. Here are a few photos. I thought someone else posted something about this a few weeks ago which is why I didn't include photos originally.

---

---

---

First: Malmo Station. Second: Stockholm station under heavy reconstruction.  Third: Copenhagen Station. I'm going to post the steam festival on the steam board where more tend to look. 

---

---

---

Thank you! In every set you always find something new on the subject as rare as this. :)

The building has started on the Danish side, but since there are multiple works that you might have seen on Danish soil it is hard to see which is for which purpose. Many are rail related.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> No idea on the progress or even any evidence of
> construction. Here are a few photos. I thought
> someone else posted something about this a few
> weeks ago which is why I didn't include photos
> originally.

Stockholm, under heavy repairs, again??? I believe when you say you did not take this picture two years ago... ;) 

Mine is from 2012...heavy repairs, much more than you would imagine from the picture.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> First: Malmo Station. Second: Stockholm station
> under heavy reconstruction.  Third: Copenhagen
> Station. I'm going to post the steam festival on
> the steam board where more tend to look. 

---

Yours looks like the work is outside the front of the building. Now its exterior structure work. There are some serious cracks in the facade. My guide said there is a lot of building settling (like Venice) in the area. Note the cool steam ship I saw while taking a harbor tour while waiting for my 11:00P train. Not sure though if it is still actually steam powered.

---

---

McKey,  Any idea what this building is behind the Malmo station?  Looks like the original station? Or something else?

---

That explains: in 2012 and before they dug out half of the soil under the station building replacing it with a city of underground concrete with all kinds of shopping, eating, etc. services and just walkway to connect trains with metro _indoors_ . It is just 500 meters but it may be annoying in winter's rain to walk outside. Another huge works they are building next to station is also the Stockholm underground railway line with a sizable modern station. I wonder if this has also caused the basic water level that protects the old wooden pillars to disappear?

So good to see those cool old steamers back in traffic for the summer again! Some of them are actually steam powered, it is not so ineffective as people most of the time think. In Helsinki, Finland, just another boat ride the other way they just launched the first "true" museum grade schooner - with electric engine (needed when there is no wind or tourists are too busy to sail normally). From Ships magazine I've noticed this has became more and more common in Europe, in Holland they even have a cutter for pilots, powered by electricity! More are entering the scene.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Yours looks like the work is outside the front of
> the building. Now its exterior structure work.
> There are some serious cracks in the facade. My
> guide said there is a lot of building settling
> (like Venice) in the area. Note the cool steam
> ship I saw while taking a harbor tour while
> waiting for my 11:00P train. Not sure though if it
> is still actually steam powered.

What you see behind the tower looks to me like a very typical Swedish stations that you find in many bigger places. So let's assume it is indeed the old station. Did you look inside, the interior might still have something preserved from the old times?

However, the tower is something quite new to me. Almost like someone had travelled to Mediterranean coast and come back with these pure lines not matching to the rest of the station. With the royal markings I suppose it could still be part of the original building...anyways, Swedish station architecture rarely is completely "pure" in architectural sense. There were so many cool bits and pieces to add every time you built a new station, which of course make these often doubly so interesting to watch today. Like this Malmö old station.

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> McKey,  Any idea what this building is behind the
> Malmo station?  Looks like the original station?
> Or something else?

I've tried to collect some basic Swedish station styles here: http://www.4rail.net/reference_sweden_gallery2_stations.php

Unfortunately, only Örebro here is close to Malmö, but I know similar pics from elsewhere exist in my unsorted pics. I suppose It's time to look for them.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 06/02/15 10:39 by McKey.

In 2013 my wife and I rode in a Swedish sleeper from Storlien (connecting from Trodheim) to Stockholm and enjoyed it very much.  We had a similar experience to that described by andersonb109.  By the time we boarded at Storlien the station was unstaffed.  It was up to you to get yourself in the correct space on the train.  After we departed someone showed up to check our tickets, the same attendant staffed the buffet car at the end of the train but she didn't take Norwegian currency or credit cards and we had not yet obtained any Swedish Krona.  We had just eaten in Storlien so it was not a problem.  The train arrived on time in Stockholm at 6:30am and we did not see any other train staff for the duration of the trip.  At about 6:15 or so a buzzer went off in the room.  This was our wake up call.  I don't know if this is set to a prearranged time or if it is done by train staff.  We really liked the room, very similar to a bedroom in the pre Viewliner conventional cars except there is a very nice enclosed shower in the toilet annex.  The only downside is a small window but not an issue on a overnight train.  All things considered, a very pleasant way to travel and at a really reasonable price.

This arrangement seems to work fine in Europe where people are relatively train savvy and a high degree of common sense is assumed.  Unfortunately I am not so sure it would work well here, where most people no nothing of trains and also expect a great deal of hand holding.

Thanks for sharing! It's on my bucket list!

Vaxholm III has been converted to diesel but you'll still find a number of steamboats both in the Baltic and in lake Mälar. If you stay in Stockholm, wants a day of relaxation (without trains) then I recommend a day tour with s/s Blidösund. My picture was taken in August 2006 when we were about to return into Stockholm. Time: 3 hrs with dinner on board.
If you still wants steam, embark on a 4 hrs voyage with s/s Mariefred (similar in configuration) and finding a narrow gauge train with head end steam waiting at your arrival.

Tom

---