page_title: Kristiania Sporveisselskab
section_title: Horsecar operations
hierarchical_section_title: Kristiania Sporveisselskab / History / Horsecar operations
caption_attribution_description: English: Kristiania Sporveisselskab horsecar in Kiregata. Norsk bokmål: Hestesporvogn 11 i Kirkegata. Datering svært usikkert, kan være tatt mellom 1875 til 1892.
context_page_description: A/S Kristiania Sporveisselskab or KSS, nicknamed the Green Tramway, was an operator of part of the Oslo Tramway from 1875 to 1924. The company was established in 1874 and started with horsecar operations on the Ullevål Hageby Line, Gamlebyen Line and the Grünerløkka–Torshov Line. The network was electrified with in 1899 and 1900, whereby the company was bought by Union-Elektricitäts-Gesellschaft. It delivered new Class U trams. Within a few years the company had also opened the Vålerenga Line and Kampen Line. It took over Kristiania Kommunale Sporveie in 1905, taking over its fleet of Class S trams and the Sagene Ring, the Vippetangen Line and the Rodeløkka Line.
  The company was based at Homansbyen Depot. From 1912 it started an extensive cooperation with its main competitor, Kristiania Elektriske Sporvei. KSS also took delivery of the Class SS trams and from 1921 the Class H trams. The company build part of the Sinsen Line in 1923. Both companies were municipalized in 1924 to become Oslo Sporveier.
context_section_description: Oslo was at the time a highly segregated community with little interaction between the higher and lower classes. Amongst the concerns of the upper classes was that the trams would become popular with the lower classes and that there would be more interaction between classes. At first there were no regular stops, the horsecar would simply lower its speed and allow people to jump on and off where they wished. This was especially important on hills to keep the momentum and not wear out the horses. The horsecar would stop for elderly passengers and those of sufficient prominence. The company took delivery of seventeen sleds for use during winter. These proved much less suitable for operations, as the horses could not pull the same load on snow as on rails. The turnover time for horses was reduced, resulting in increased headway. The company therefore decided to salt and plow the tracks and instead use the horsecars during winter.
  Profits were made immediately, and in 1877 an additional seven cars were delivered, allowing the headway to drop to five minutes. The company became a major retailer of used horses. These were sought after due to the good treatment they received at the company. However, if they ever walked down a street with tracks they would follow these blindly and it was difficult to get them to diverge off the route. From 1878, the fare increased to 15 øre for all routes. KSS opened its first extension on 18 March 1878, when the first part of the Grünerløkka–Torshov Line opened from Storgata to Thorvald Meyers gate. It was further extended to Beyer Bridge on 12 April 1879. In conjunction with this a new depot was built at Olaf Ryes plass with place for fifty horses and a number of horsecars. The Vestbanen Line was extended to Munkedamsveien on 5 May 1879.
  Once these expansions were made the company fell more into a state of operation. From 9 July 1880 all routes terminating at Stortorvet were merged, resulting in direct services from Homansbyen to Oslo and from Grünerløkka to Vestbanen. This also meant that passengers no longer had to buy a new ticket for a transfer. Between 1887 and 1892 the company took delivery of seventeen new vehicles from Skabo. During the 1890s the company carried out some double tracking. The final batch of fifteen horsecars, built by Falkenried, were delivered in 1897. They were so heavy they needed to be hauled by two horses and were designed with the intension of being used as trailers for the electric trams.
caption: Horsecar in 1880
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