Ladelinjen

Ladelinjen
Info
Type	Tramway
System	Trondheim Tramway
Status	Abandoned
Start station	Munkegata
End station	Lade
Operation
Opened	1893
Closed	1988
Owner	City of Trondheim
Operator(s)	Trondheim Trafikkselskap
Technical
No. of tracks	1 or 2
Gauge	1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in)

Ladelinjen was a tramway between Munkegata and Lade in Trondheim, Norway. The first part of the line was opened in 1893, but not expanded to Lade until 1958. The line was operated by Trondheim Sporvei and Trondheim Trafikkselskap until it was abandoned in 1988.

History

The first steps of Ladelinjen were constructed at the same time as Ilalinjen when the 3.5 km horsecar rail line between Ila and Buran at Lademoen opened in 1893. In 1901 the line was electrified and taken over by the municipal Trondhjems Elektricitetsværk og Sporvei. By 1908 the headway on the line was down to 4 minutes, with the line being operated by 12 tramcars. The line was at first built as single track, but in 1913 the line was rebuilt to double track and a new depot at Voldsminde built, though the double track on Bakke Bridge was not completed until 1928. A loop was constructed at Buran in 1921 and at Voldsminde in 1936.

The largest expansion of the line was in 1958 when a new 2.65 km line was built between Lademoen and Lade. This line was built as double track in the streets to Ringve School and onwards to the loop at Lade as single track. This last section was the only single track and non-street line built by the municipal Trondheim Sporvei. After the expansion Line 1 (to Ila) continued to terminate at Lademoen while Line 2 that traditionally had gone between Elgeseter and Trondheim Central Station on Elgeseterlinjen was moved so it insted went between Elgeseter and Lade. When Trondheim Sporvei bought A/S Graakalbanen in 1966 and merged operations, the line from Lian was extended to Lademoen and renamed Line 5. In 1982 Line 1 and Line 5 were merged so the lines operated were Lian - Lade and Elgeseter - Lademoen. Though the later was closed with the adandoning of Elgeseterlinjen a year later, and at the same time the loop at Lademoen was demolished.

The final fate of Ladelinjen came in 1988 when the city council closed the Trondheim Tramway and replaced it with busses. The stretch between Trondheim Torg and Ringve School was demolished, but the track between the school and Lade are kept and kan still be seen today. When Gråkallbanen AS started operations again in 1990 it only operated the lines on the west side of town since there were no exsisting tracks between it and Ladelinjen.