From Oslo we took a train to Bergen. Along the way we stopped and got off at Myrdal Station, very much in the middle of nowhere. No roads. We waited with many others for the next train, a special train down to Flam After taking the train to Flam and back we continued on to Bergen. Myrdal station is in the middle of nowhere. Quite high in the mountains with snow either side of the tracks. (It is June, summer) Although the Flam train is a tourist train they try and link in with the Oslo to Bergen trains so you should not find yourself on a lonely station.
We were 4.5hrs from Oslo and 2 hours from Bergen. After about half an hour of wait at Myrdal Station the small train from Flam arrived. It is an old style but I think the engine was modern. 99% of the passengers were tourists, but only a small number went to Flam and back again like us, I do not know where they went Flam is a small village at the end of a fjord. The railway and the sea are its only contact points with the outside world. The trip on the line is a sight-seeing excursion, to admire the scenery and the construction. Although very short, (about an hour) the ride down to Flam is spectacular. The train does a 360 deg loop, descending all the time, within the mountain (tunnels) so you run from side to side of the carriage and get the same view.
We stopped at a small station so we could get out and admire the waterfall. There are a few nymphs who dance in front of the waterfall when the visitors arrive. I have heard that this waterfall is part of a hydro-scheme which powers the train.
We arrived in Flam with only a few minutes before the train leaves to go back up the hill to Myrdal. Sitting at the end of the fjord at Flam was a mighty cruise ship, so out of proportion with the rest of the scenery. We changed carriages as only one carriage was not booked by the 1000s of cruise ship passengers. Back up the hill, less spectacular as we had had good views coming down, also the sun was much higher, changing the light.
Although the scenery for the Flam Railway was amazing, it was actually very difficult to get good pictures. The sun was good, the train was slow, but I found it hard to get a picture that actually represents what was seen. The height of the cliffs and the steepness of the mountains just don’t come out in a picture ! And definitely not the noise of the screeching wheels going round the tight corners.
Next – The YMCA hostel in Bergen