page_title: Gråkallen Line
section_title: War and growth
hierarchical_section_title: Gråkallen Line / History / War and growth
caption_attribution_description: Tram in Trondheim, view of the Munkvoll station
context_page_description: The Gråkallen Line is an 8.8-kilometre suburban tram line located in Trondheim, Norway. As the only remaining part of the Trondheim Tramway, it runs from the city centre at St. Olav's Gate, via the suburban area Byåsen to Lian. It is designated Line 9, and is served by six Class 8 articulated trams. After the closure of the Arkhangelsk tramway in 2004, it became the world's northernmost tramway system.
  The line was opened as the only private tramway in Trondheim by A/S Graakalbanen in 1924. At first it was built to Munkvoll, but extended to Ugla in 1925, and to Lian in 1933. Operations were taken over by the municipal Trondheim Trafikkselskap in 1972, but it was closed along with the rest of the tramway in 1988. In 1990, the private initiative AS Gråkallbanen opened the line, later known as Boreal Bane. Located at Munkvoll is the tramway museum and depot.
context_section_description: World War II would show the highest ridership on the line through history. With the rationing on petrol, soon only the electric trams operated. Cities without trams or trolleybuses were stuck without public transport. 1940 showed an increase to 884,000 passengers, and for the first time the company made a profit. Ridership continued to increase, with 1.2 million in 1941, and up to 2.16 million in 1945. Conductors had to be taken into use, and even women were employed. To save time on the route, the stations Ferstad, Kyvannet, Vestmarka and Herlofssonløypa were not served on the way up. In addition, an extra tram was operated from St. Olavs gate to Hoem.
  During the war it was difficult to get spare parts. Trams could operate with only three of four motors, and during night there could not be any lights on. Two working trailers were rebuilt as a single passenger trailer. In addition, the company chose to order a tram and trailer from Skabo Jernbanevognfabrikk in 1941. The GB Class 2 was put into service on 9 June 1943 and cost NOK 289,000. An additional two trailers were delivered in 1947, and in 1950 a motor arrived so the first trailer could be rebuilt to a tram.
  The high revenue during the war had given the company a large amount of cash, but also a worn down fleet. Each year, the profits were between NOK 143,000 and 430,000. During the war, the company A/S Ugla–Lian had been bought. With available cash, Graakalbanen started upgrading the infrastructure. Turning loops were built at St. Olavs gate and at Lian. In St. Olavs gate, a proper turning loop was not feasible, and in June 1946 a large loop that went down Dronningens gate for a block was opened. On 13 September 1947, the Lian loop was built, with a radius of only 20 m (66 ft). At the same time, the small garage at Lian was expanded to house two instead of one wagons.
  On 18 July 1947, the first (and only) double track section of the dedicated right-of-way was built. Inspired by Oslo, where all the suburban lines had this, 800 m (2,600 ft) was rebuilt between Breidablikk and Nordre Hoem. This gave a lot better regularity, since the two trams could meet anywhere along the section, and thus both trams would not become delayed if one was. By 1949, all the track had been upgraded to 35 kg/m, and the speed could be increased from 35 km/h (22 mph) to 40 km/h (25 mph).
  After the war, ridership stabilized at 1.7 million. At first the company operated with 30-minute headways, using trailers during the summer and in rush hour. Introducing 15-minute headways could not be done until six trams were available; so after the rebuilding of a trailer to a tram in 1950, the increased frequency was introduced. During the 1950s, the amount of recreational travel to Lian decreased, but this was compensated by increased traffic from new housing built along the line. By 1955, the commuter ridership exceeded the recreational ridership.
  With the delivery of the new trailers in 1947, the capacity of the depot exceeded the fleet, so one tram was always stored at Lian. A new depot was therefore built on the other side of the tracks at Munkvoll. Construction started in 1952, and finished the following year. It had five tracks; three had places for storage of six wagons, while two were for the workshop that could service two trams simultaneously.
  To supplement the aging stock, the GB Class 3 singe tram and trailer, from Hønefoss Karrosserifabrikk (Høka) was ordered in 1954. Delivered in September 1955, it was put into service in December. Because of the increased traffic, a new signaling system was introduced in 1957, and a double track was built from Bergsli gate to Ila. This section had been causing problems for cars, since the trams would operate on the wrong side of the road. To allow a future 10-minute headway, a new signaling system was installed in 1958 up to Ugla. Up until then, tokens had been used to regulate traffic.
caption: Original Munkvoll Depot to the right
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