Trains and other things: Runsala, Jakobshyttan, Godegård, Motala, Laxå

I'm on my weekend trip to the central Sweden and today I'm visiting some places along the "Godsstråket genom Bergslagen" railway between Hallsberg and Motala.

The railway has been recently upgraded to double track between Stenkumla and Runsala.

Here is a photo taken near Joxtorp.

At Runsala (Rus) the railway was rebuilt to a more straight route than before

This part of the railway is thus completely new

Before the railway was located around this hill

Somebody picking mushrooms, not many people around here otherwise

First train today for me is this Green Cargo 42333 from Boden to Nässjö

Rc4 1153 and 1160

A milestone on the road between Mariedamm and Godegård

While driving to my next location I could catch up same train I saw earlier

At Jakobshyttan I spot train 95187

It is a class Tb manufactured by Nohab in 1969. Tb is a diesel-electric locomotive built for combined freight and snowploughing service.

DLL 3104 from Infranord

Train 95304 from Alvesta to Kristinehamn

Tågab Rc2ÖBB 007

Tågab TMZ 108

Small lake near the railway

Godegård had a station house until 1975

Today there is only a technical facility

Train 5360 from Nässjö to Hallsberg

Rd2 1093

Td 411

Godegård mansion

From Wikipedia: "The Grill's estates at the village of Godegård, the manor and the ironworks, dominated the community during the 18th century. Mining had been done in the area as early as in the Middle Ages, and by the early 17th century, an ironworks was already established at Godegård. The ironworks was bought by Louis De Geer in 1618. He improved and expanded the factories and recruited skilled Walloons iron workers to teach the Swedes how to use a finery forge. When he died, the ironworks and the first manor passed on to his son Jean De Geer. After a fire in 1719, the new manor was built. It was completed in 1725."

"Settling down in Sweden after his profitable journeys to China, Jean Abraham was looking for something to invest in. He started negotiations for the purchase of land, manor and factory at Godegård, at that time the largest ironworks in Östergötland, and bought them all in 1775. Jean Abraham continued the expansion of the ironworks and made significant restoration of the manor. He also built an English garden, designed by Fredrik Magnus Piper, with several gazebos in a Chinese style. The ironworks was closed in 1896, but the manor remained in the Grill family until 1980. It became a listed building in 1977. Jean Abraham collected all of his letters, accounts and notes in an archive at Godegård, now known as the Godegård Archive. As of 2003, the archive, containing over 7,000 document, is in the Nordic Museum. It has been digitized and is available on line as result of a request from the Macau Historical Archives in 2003."

Godegård church

Degerön had also a station until 1975

The railway between Mjölby and Degerön was upgraded to double track in 2012

From Degerön and northward the railway is a single track. The plan is to upgrade this part until Hallsberg before 2025.

Apples

Motala verkstad station house

Here is a photo of the station in 1938

Last time I was here in 2015, it was even possible to enter the building, but not anymore

Scary

While I'm in Motala, I take advantage to visit the second largest lake in Sweden - Vättern

At Råssnäsudden it is possible to get near the lake

It is a very windy day, the storm named Knud entered Sweden from the west with wind speeds up to 30m/s at the west coast, but it was "only" around 20m/s at this part of Sweden.