All language subtitles for Mighty Trains Series 3 5of6 Bergen and Nordland 1080p

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
norway is not only
famous for vikings,

It also includes
some of the most

Incredible train
journeys on earth.

But spectacular
scenery can be deadly.

Blocks of rock fell
down from the mountain

And hit
the railroad.

(Teddy)
staying on track
means moving mountains.

My favourite part of
my job is blow stuff up

(Teddy)
this rare, epic adventure

Takes me
way up north.

You're crossing
a line to another world.

The arctic world.

(Teddy)
join me as we ride across

The unforgiving terrain of
norway's bergen railway
and nordland line.

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
the kingdom of
norway boasts not one,

But two of the most spectacular
train journeys in the world.

You'll see the glaciers,
you will see the fjords

You will really feel that you're
climbing up to the mountains.

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
I'll jump on the nordland line,

To head north from
trondheim to bodo.

But first, the bergen line
or bergensbanen begins in

Norway's capital, oslo.

(Teddy)
traveling across

The country to the west
coast city of bergen.

This trip from oslo to bergen
has lots of beautiful landscapes

And fjords for
tourists to take in.

But before our train
can make the trip,

Maintenance crews here in
oslo have a ton of work to do.

(Teddy)
three times a year,

Bergen line mechanics
give their locomotives
a comprehensive tune-up.

They don't just look under
the 5 and a half ton hood.

They take the
whole thing off.

That gives us access
to all thecomponents,

For example the compressor, the
fan, the firefighting equipment.

I've been working
here for ten years,

And we work with everything from
electrical work to mechanical
work,

Changing parts, you learn
something new every day.

(Teddy)
on the other side
of the maintenance depot

Mechanics prepare to lift
an 88-ton passenger carriage

So they can examine
its wheel sets, called bogies.

We have to take
it out on this side.

(Teddy)
they've spotted a problem

With the bogie's pillows,
hollow, rubber disks

That act as shock absorbers.

These pillow here is old
and it's maybe not
holding the air,

So we can have leakage
when we're putting together.

(Teddy)
flat pillows can
mean more than a rough ride

They can make
the carriage unstable.

Pillows, they have to be 100%
so we're just replacing it

To be sure it's not
be an air leak later.

(Teddy)
only after a locomotive is

Declared fit for duty can it
return to the tracks of oslo
central station

Where chief conductor,
odd henrik, is responsible

For the train being ready
to cross the mountains.

It's a little bit of walking.

The train is
244 meters long!

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
the locomotive leading

The charge is the electrically
powered e.L. Eighteen.

It's 4.3 meters tall,
3 meters wide,

And 18.5 meters long.

The loco draws power from
an overhead line through

Its pantograph to drive the
motor and deliver over 7300
horsepower.

That's enough to pull a
maximum payload of 2,040 tons

The weight of more than
eleven hundred passenger cars.

Once odd is satisfied
with the exterior,

He joins engineer stian
ulsletten for the final check.

We are
checking the brakes.

Over the mountains.

Must be good brakes.

(Teddy)
when the equivalent of

1100 cars need to stop fast
good brakes are critical.

I use the pneumatic
brakes for the whole train.

I just push it
towards me like that.

(Teddy)
pneumatic brakes

Let the driver quickly
stop the whole train.

When he needs to stop faster,
there's a second option.

If I need some
more brake then,

Then I can use
the electro brake,

Only for the locomotive.

(Teddy) electromagnetic brakes
are strictly for emergency stops

These are sets of steel
bars fixed between
the wheels.

The steel bars
drop to the track

And are magnetized
by an electric current.

The super-magnetic bars
then grip the tracks,

Holding the locomotive
firmly in place.

If I don't use the brake
for the whole train,

And only for the locomotive,
you will get a little
dnt, dnt, dnt

Like that in
the wagons, you know?

My bag's packed,
I've got my ticket

And I'm ready to
grab my seat for what

I'm told is one awesome journey.

(announcer on p.A.)
please observe this
is the train to bergen.

Departure time is around
oslo central 8:25.

(Teddy)
our nearly 500
kilometer trek begins in oslo.

The train runs through
farm country to honefoss

Then into
the hallingdal valley.

From there we pass
hardangervidda national park

With a stop in finse.

Then the train heads
through the raundalen valley

And along the edge of a fjord
before reaching bergen after
seven hours.

(Teddy)
it doesn't take long

For our train to reach
the first of the bergen line's

Most defining features.

So we're about to
go into a tunnel

And it's incredible
because on this bergen line

There's actually 182 of them,
and they stretch over

A length of
73 kilometers.

And to put that
into perspective,

If you stacked all those
tunnels on top of each other,

It would equal eight and a
half times the height of
mount everest.

But the rail network's
single-track tunnels

Can be a bottle
neck for trains.

So norway's rail system is
constantly upgrading
its capacity.

♪ ♪ ♪

10 kilometers south of oslo,
the town of åsland is

The site of the 3 billion-dollar
follo tunnel project.

When it opens,
the tunnel will have dual tracks

Allowing two way traffic,
or express service.

They're digging deep
to create what will be

The longest railway
tunnel in the country.

♪ ♪ ♪

Just now we are inside,

In front of four
tunnel boring machines.

(Teddy)
the tunnel boring machine

Or t.B.M. For short
is a massive multi-tasker.

A round cutter-head
munches through rock at

Two revolutions per minute,
using dozens of steel cutters.

Excavated material is
moved out on a conveyor belt.

While hydraulic cylinders
push the t.B.M. Forward.

If we have a very good day,
we may excavate nearly

30 meters of tunnel
during one day.

The t.B.M. Doesn't
just bore a hole,

It builds the tunnel as it goes.

Its hydraulic arms
lift and bolt concrete

Support rings into place.

Each ring weighs
almost eight tons.

The rings resist the
massive weight above

While keeping out
the moisture below.

And altogether, we will install
20,000 rings for this tunnel
project.

(Teddy)
but even rock-chewing
behemoths are not immune

To the daily grind
of norwegian bedrock.

We are changing cutters
and they are every day

Fighting against these
extreme hard rock conditions.

(Teddy)
up to 20 cutters
are replaced each day.

Many will say that this is
extreme hard rock conditions

But that's how it is
when we are tunneling in norway.

We are used to it.

(Teddy)
there's no room for surprises

When you're
deep underground.

Geologists and their probes
are way ahead of the t.B.M.'s.

We do a lot of investigations
beforehand and so we know more

Or less where its weakest zones
will be so we have a system

In place already
so we can be prepared.

(Teddy)
construction started in 2015

And the high speed rail tunnel
is expected to open in December
2021.

By 2030, it's estimated
that norway will spend

Nearly twenty billion
dollars to modernize

All 4,000 kilometers
of its rail network.

The follo line project is the
largest infrastructure project

On the construction
in norway today,

And it's a fantastic project.

(Teddy)
outside oslo,

We pick up speed to
160 kilometers an hour.

Back in the 1870's this jagged
terrain presented a nearly

Overwhelming obstacle
to anyone plotting a path.

When surveyors were given
the job of building a railway

Between oslo and bergen,
just finding a passable route

Was an unbelievable task.

And before it was built
eleven other paths were

Considered but all of them were
deemed too dangerous to build
on.

(Teddy)
the epic construction

Of the bergen line has captured
the imagination of historian

And author,
jan helge østlund for years.

You've written a
book on this railway.

When you were researching it,
what surprised you the most,

To learn
about this line?

The construction
workers and the period,

And all the challenges
they had to build this railway.

It was terrible
condition for the workers.

They had bad
food, bad weather.

Everything was against
them, but they did the job.

(Teddy)
archive construction
officially began in 1889,

After three decades of planning.

Workers from norway
and all over europe

Used hand tools like pick axes,
shovels and dynamite to force

Their way through
mountains and hard rock.

The bergen line officially
opened in November 1909,

After nearly 20 years
of treacherous work.

The construction workers
was called a rallar,

And there was thousands
of them building the line.

And not every one
of them survived.

(Teddy)
with oslo ninety kilometers

Behind us, the scenery
takes a distinctly alpine turn.

And the uneven cliffs in
the distance are an omen

Of the potentially
lethal conditions ahead.

In 1971 a huge block of rock
fell down from the spot where

We're standing now and hit
the road and the railroad,

And swept it out in the fjord.

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
I'm traveling across norway

On the spectacular
bergen railway.

Why would you tell someone
that they have to take
this rail journey?

Because you have all
the exciting contrasts.

You'll see the glaciers,
and the fjords, it's amazing!

It's the best line
we can offer you.

(Teddy)
as we enter the hallingdal

Valley you see why norway
is called 'the stone country'.

One of the many amazing things
about norway is that more than

50% of the surface area
of the land here is made up of

Mountains so that gives you
a sense of how difficult it

Is to build railways here
through all that stone.

It's really amazing.

(Teddy)
and difficult to maintain

Those picturesque peaks
can cause serious damage.

The mountains and cliffs
that make the bergen line

So spectacular
also make it dangerous.

Geologist trine helle simmenes
is looking for trouble spots.

(Teddy)
trine and her crew

Touch down 600 meters up
bjornafjellet or bear mountain.

350 kilometers west of oslo,

It looms over
the bergensbanen track,

Waiting to strike again

In 1971 blocks of rock
fell down from the mountain

Right here we're
standing and hit the road

And the railroad,
and swept it out in the fjord.

(Teddy) fortunately, no trains
were passing when an estimated

145 tons of rock fell,
demolishing a 150 meter-long

Section of track and dumping
it in the fjord below.

(Teddy) to warn against future
catastrophe trine uses

A laser-guided prism system
to detect any movement
on the rock face.

This is a prism,
and we're drilling

The small thing into the
rock and it works like a mirror.

(Teddy)
once the prisms
are drilled into the mountain

A laser is beamed from
a station one kilometer away.

To record the prisms'
precise coordinates.

Geology teams check the
prisms a few times a year,

Looking for movement.

If the prisms' coordinates
have changed it means the rock

May have become loose
and could be ready to fall.

(Teddy)
once in position they drill

Holes into the rock face so they
can screw the prism into place.

The work we're doing up here
is very important work.

If we see that the rocks move
then we need to take preventive
action,

That could be put up a rockfall
fence at the base of the slope

So that the rocks
cannot hit the travelers.

(Teddy)
it's impossible to prevent
every kind of debris hazard,

Which is why the driver's cab
is like a fortress on rails.

The front window is reinforced,
so if a stone is one kilo,

It can hit the front window
at 360 km/h and not go through.

(Teddy)
driver stian, is
nearing the end of his shift.

A new driver takes
over at ål station

For the most grueling
part of the upcoming journey.

(Teddy)
from al station the
train begins the climb into

The hardangervidda
mountain range.

Where rocky terrain and steep
inclines place a unique strain
on a locomotive's wheels.

(Teddy)
which is why the
bergen line maintains

A specialized wheel
maintenance center in oslo.

Mechanic, arne nilsen
ensures every wheel

Sticks tight to the track.

We fix wheels for them,
and any other parts
they need fixed.

(Teddy)
the norwegian railway system

Has trusted this lathing machine
to keep its train wheels

Pristine for three decades.

What's special about this
machine is that there is one,

Maybe two operational
ones in norway.

This is an elderly lady
from 1985 and she demands

To be treated
with respect.

(Teddy)
using preprogrammed measurements

The lathe shaves material from
the wheels to make them
uniformly round.

This is like a photocopier,
and it follows whatever profile

We program it to.

(Teddy)
the wheels are heated to make

The metal easier to shape
but not so hot that they warp.

Now I'm removing the shavings
that have come off the wheel.

This stuff is about three
or four hundred degrees celsius

So it's a good
idea to avoid it.

(Teddy)
just one cracked or warped
wheel can cause an incident.

Regular maintenance keeps
the wheels turning smoothly.

It's alpha
and omega, simply put.

If the train doesn't have wheels
you can't drive it, you know?

(Teddy) falling rock and steep
mountainous terrain aren't

The bergen railway's
only challenges.

The line's wooden sheds
protect against snow build-up,

But are vulnerable to fire

And on isolated
stretches of track

Passengers are at risk.

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
I'm discovering norway

On the legendary bergen railway.

240 kilometers west of oslo,

We're climbing into
the hardangervidda mountains

Towards finse station.

On the outskirts of geilo
the green ski hills show why

The bergen railway is
just as popular in the winter.

A lot of tourists
take this train,

People come from all over
the world, but do you find

A lot of norwegians
it as well?

Yes, especially
in the holidays during

Winter because y'know,
norwegians love skiing!

Right!

(Teddy)
the snow is good for skiers,

But it can be
a disaster for trains.

Up here, the winter
can last for seven months

One-and-a-half meter high
snowbanks are common and

Can stop a train
in its tracks.

Like a covered bridge,
snow sheds shield the most

Exposed stretches of track.

Snow sheds were built
to protect the tracks.

We're actually going
through one right now.

One of the major problems
though, is that a lot of

The sheds were made
of wood, so they're

Easily destroyed by fire.

In June 2011, it's believed that
sparks from a welding accident

Set fire to
a snow shed near finse.

A bergen railway train with
over 250 passengers was
trapped inside.

(Teddy)
the train was evacuated,

And nobody was hurt,
but the shed and the train

Were consumed by the flames.

With 170 wooden snow sheds
along 13 kilometers of track,

There's a major push to
replace them before another

Fire threatens
lives on the line.

We don't want
high risk of fire.

So with the steel construction,
we take that risk away.

(Teddy)
this new 65-meter-long shed

Uses 305 structural steel beams,
with steel plates for the walls
and roof.

Each beam weighs nearly
1,000 kilograms and must be

Trucked in from oslo.

Because the site is perched
on a cliff in a remote area

It's risky
business for the workers.

We have to deal
with the nature around us.

And the rocks above
us have to be secured.

(Teddy)
carl turns to
the expert guidance of

Geologist trinne
helle simenes.

These are challenging conditions
because the cliffs are very
steep,

There's a lot of fractures
making blocks that could easily

Fall down and damage
the railway.

We have rocks with very
different properties,

Lower down in the valley,
we have soft phyletic rocks,

And here we have
very hard gneiss.

It's a hard rock
with lots of fractures.

These rocks are so hard
and sharp that even

The small fragments
can make a lot of damage.

(Teddy)
another challenge
is norway's epic winters,

Which limit construction
to just five months a year.

On the bergen line,
we have now replaced

700 meters with
the steel construction.

(Teddy) replacing all 13
kilometers worth of bergen
railway sheds

Will take nearly 40 years.

♪ ♪ ♪

So we are a good ways
into our journey now

And you can tell
that the landscape

And the terrain
has changed drastically.

Now we're approaching
finse which is the highest

Station on
the entire line.

It's actually the highest
elevation station north

Of the alps and I'm told
that it's really, really

Beautiful and already you can
see the scenery is just
breathtaking.

(Teddy)
in winter, the exposed plateau

Gets hammered with snow.

So the track west of finse has
been covered by a tunnel to cut
down delays.

Soon we're coming up
on the finse tunnel.

It's a major feat
of engineering.

It was built in the 1990's
and at over 10 kilometers long

It's the longest
tunnel on the entire line.

And the opening to the
tunnel is really narrow,

There's only about a meter
of clearance on either
side of the train.

(Teddy)
like so much of
the bergen railway,

The finse tunnel
is a single-track.

Slowing down.

Which means when the train
in front of us gets stuck inside

There's no
way we can pass.

There is a freight train in
front of us which have some

Problems so we have to
wait until we can go further.

So what happens
now with our train?

We have to
stay and wait.

There is no, we are
in the middle of nowhere!

This is finse station.

We're over 1200 meters
above sea level right now.

We're also very,
very, remote up here,

There's no
road access to this area.

That freight train you
see is blocking our line

So we can't go farther on.

(Teddy)
so, all 440 passengers
on board are stranded.

Until they can
unblock the tunnel.

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
the bergen railway's

Finse station is more than
1200 meters above sea level,

In norway's
hardangervidda mountains.

We're stopped here because
the freight train in front

Of us lost momentum
when climbing the mountain.

Now it's stuck
in the finse tunnel,

Waiting to be rescued.

(Teddy)
norway's rail traffic

Controllers like
bjorn jullumstrø

In the oslo center,
are trained for exactly

This type of emergency.

It's not often that we have
freight train stuck in the
tunnel.

But it can happen.

(Teddy)
custom track-view
software has mapped every

Detail of norway's rail
network from the train
drivers' perspective.

In this situation it's to have
the help from the finse side.

We have a trains there,
we will use them to help

The freight train to
get out of the tunnel.

Our team in finse
gets their orders.

We have a plan.

Our train is going to
pull that train, that way.

(Teddy)
our el18 locomotive and
all eight passenger cars

Will pull the 1,000-ton freight
train out of the finse tunnel

Deliver it to
the station's sideline.

Then we'll pass beside the
freight train to continue our
journey.

Okay, everyone
has to come on board.

Hurry up.
Come on!

I'm almost the last passenger to
get on and we've gotta go
quickly.

(Teddy)
inside the snow shed,

Engineers couple the trains.

We have pulled the freight
train back and we're going

To deposit it on a parallel
line right beside us here.

Thankfully though, we have
this siding here and that's

What's going
to save us today.

(Teddy)
our journey is underway again.

But this delay will affect
dozens of passengers' travel
plans.

(over telecom)
we have left finse station.

The train is now one hour
and forty minutes delayed.

We are getting information
from the norland.

Maybe they will have
a new ferry for you.

So, you've got a bit
of a travel delay?

What's happening?

We were hoping to go
along the fjords on the boat.

The problem is that there
is only one boat left today

And we hope that we
will be able to catch it.

(over telecom)

We will arrive at myrdal
in about five to six minutes.

(Teddy)
at myrdal station,

Some of our passengers
will hop on the train

To the village of flam
where they'll board ferries

And cruise ships that glide
through norway's fjords.

Luckily for passengers
heading to the fjords

We arrive in time for
them to catch their train.

Myrdal station is
336 kilometers west of oslo

And the flåm railway branch
runs north of the bergen line.

The twenty kilometer trip
descends 866 meters to
sea level at flåm.

(Teddy)
the flåm line began

Construction in 1924 to
open up the flåm valley

One of norway's
hidden treasures.

It's easy to see
why it was so well hidden.

The track is
short but steep.

It's a feat of
railway engineering.

Bengt hammer specializes in
the history of the flåm line.

I know that descent from
myrdal down to flam is

Quite steep for
a train, isn't it?

Yes.

And before they built the
line as a normal gauge railway

They had a long discussion in
the parliament and by the
engineers,

So they send many to
study the swiss railways.

Switzerland's glacier
express uses a cog-and-chain

System to pull itself up
the steep slopes of
the swiss alps.

(Teddy)
as a standard gauge line,
the flam railway is built to

Gradually travel the twenty
kilometers to and from flåm.

So no extra mechanical
devices are needed.

Here on the flam railway,
there are several waterfalls

But they're not just
part of the scenery,

They also
help power the train.

The kjosfossen falls are
one of the line's first stops.

The cascade runs through
a two-generator power plant

Beside the falls creating
enough electricity to power

The flåm line, flåm village,
and the bergen line railway.

Wow, look at that!

It's the most spectacular
waterfall on the line,

And spectacular doesn't
even do it justice.

Incredible!

After the kjosfossen falls
the train crisscrosses

Down the flåm valley.

The scenery
is incredible.

It's hard to imagine that
they've built this so many years

Ago using hand tools,
it just boggles the mind.

(Teddy)
in flåm travelers can either

Extend their trip out on
the fjords, or head back

Up to myrdal to continue
their scenic journey by rail.

(Teddy)
back on the bergen railway,

I'm on the final leg of
my west bound journey,

But we're in for
one more travel surprise.

We have some
traffic information.

When we come to voss,
this train is cancelled

Between voss and bergen.

(Teddy)
after pulling
the 1,000 ton freight train

Our e.L. 18 locomotive
must head back to oslo

For an immediate inspection.

So, at voss, our last
big stop before bergen,

We're going to switch
trains to a new train?

Yeah.
That's right.

This is a lot of logistics
for you to work out.

Yes!

(Teddy)
odd has spent 38 years working

On the bergen railway.

His passengers
are in good hands.

As we pull
into voss station

There's a brand new
commuter train that's been

Brought into service
one week ahead of schedule

Just to keep me and my fellow
bergen-bound passengers on time.

Yes,
just a moment.

Yes this is the
train to bergen.

There is no reservation
so you can take a seat anywhere.

So now we're jumping on our
new train here in voss which

Is going to
take us to bergen.

Not part of the original plan,
but part of the adventure!

We'll roll through stanghelle
and past bear mountain.

Then we'll hug
the sør fjord

Before our final 15 kilometer
stretch into bergen.

Hey!

So this is your new
office on the new train!

Yes,
yes it is.

(Teddy)
the final 100 kilometer stretch

From voss to bergen takes us
through the western fjords
that define norway.

This is one
of the fjords in norway.

The other side
is called osterøy.

(Teddy)
it's a truly awesome end

To the first leg
of my amazing journey.

Well, we made it to bergen
a little late but what
an adventure,

And we're not done yet.

Next up we're headed
on an epic journey from

Trondheim to bodø
on the nordland line.

(Teddy)
the city of trondheim is

629 kilometers
north of bergen.

It's called the viking
capital of the world,

And it's where my
rugged trip north begins.

(Teddy)
it's 5.30 am
at trondheim station

And time to fire up the nordland
line's diesel locomotive.

It's one of the
few engines that reliably

Runs on this line into
the arctic circle.

It sounds
like american, yeah.

It's a gm diesel.

That rumble is a magical
sound for einar ulriksen

Who's worked on this
line for four decades.

Very good engines.

Yah, like
a muscle car!

The nordland locomotive,
known as the nsb di 4

Measures 4.34 meters high,
3.17 meters wide,

And 20.8 meters long.

The di 4 locomotive has
nearly 3300 horse power,

And pulls five
passenger cars.

That includes a café
car in the middle,

And a family car
near the back.

Chief conductor, inge bekken
checks the passenger cars before
they're coupled.

I see on every wheel,
looking down to see if

Something on the wheel
is damaged or something.

(Teddy)
the train is set for our journey

Into one of the most rugged
landscapes in the railway world.

I'm going to drive
for five and a half hours.

What makes this line different
is all the unmarked crossings.

You have to pay attention.

You have to be prepared
to stop the train immediately.

(Teddy)
the nordland line spans

729 kilometers from
trondheim to bodø.

And it's one of the few
railways on earth that

Crosses the arctic circle.

It's also built across
incredibly difficult terrain,

That required 293
bridges and 154 tunnels.

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
the nordland line departs

Trondheim by hugging the
shore of the trondheimsfjord.

At steinkjer station we'll
veer inland through the town

Of mosjøen,
before journeying way north

Into the arctic circle,
and past saltfjellet
or salt mountain.

We'll head west at fauske
along the skerstadfjord

To our final
destination of bodø.

And it seems like we're kind of
getting out of civilization now,

We're getting into a rural area.

Yeah, you see
it's a farming land,

People living here,

But it's a long distance
to the next town.

(Teddy)
that remoteness can leave trains

Vulnerable to the destructive
forces of mother nature.

So maintenance crews
fight back with some

Destructive forces
of their own.

Dynamite actually always wins.

It crushes everything.

(loud explosion)

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy) I'm rolling north on
norway's spectacular nordland
line.

We've followed
the trondheimsfjord

Through tunnels
and over bridges

To the depths of hell.

One of the biggest engineering
difficulties of the nordland

Line came from the hundreds of
bridges that needed to be built,

And now over a century
after construction first began

On the line keeping
the bridges standing

Is an ongoing battle.

How's it
looking, stefano?

(Teddy)
this is a section
of the original hell bridge.

It was replaced in 2016 by a
modern double-track structure.

This bridge was on
the original nordlandsbanen.

It was put into
service in 1902.

A lot of the details of
this bridge are identical

Or very similar to the
details of bridges in service.

(Teddy)
this antique section now has

A second life as a structural
test-lab, near hell station.

It allows engineers like
gunnstein to get a unique

Look at how norway's
old bridges are aging.

There's a sensor in the
tip of this sledgehammer

That is read by that computer.

(Teddy)
researchers start
with a "hammer test"

To figure out where the
bridge might be most vulnerable.

When I hit the bridge here,
we see the read-out
on this computer.

The impact from the hammer.

(Teddy)
sensors are placed on
two identical bridge components.

The hammer hits a point
connected to both parts,

Causing vibrations.

The sensors read the vibrations'
frequencies to

Determine which points on the
bridge are structurally sound

And which parts
are in need of repair.

And if the signals from
the sensors are different,

Then we suspect that there is
a damage in one of the joints

On either side of the beam.

(Teddy)
to simulate the stress load
of trains crossing the bridge,

They use a 'shaker test' where
sensors read the bridge's

Total structural integrity.

We found some severe damages
that have not been found

In the regular
inspection scheme.

But that just shows
the work we're doing here

Is important and
producing results.

(Teddy)
this old bridge helps extend

The working life of norway's
rail infrastructure.

180 kilometers into our journey,
and the farmland of the midland

Region gives way to
the forests of the nordland.

(Teddy)
several of the line's 44 stops

Are by request only and seem
to be in the middle of nowhere.

In remote locations, the rail
crews need to look out for each
other's needs.

This was a call for another
train we're going to meet in
lassemoen.

And they wondered we have
some coffee for them,
for the crew.

I get a green light and we have
to leave the coffee on the
platform

To take it on themself.

(Teddy)
300 kilometers ahead on the line

These workers have
something stronger than

Caffeine to perk
up their day.

Ready?

Fire!

Çloud boom!)

My favourite part of the job is
getting paid to blow stuff up.

(Teddy)
here, a section of track runs

Along a rock face that's
dangerously close to crumbling

Into the river below.

(Teddy)
tommy karlson and his explosives

Team are preparing a new
rail bed on firmer ground.

But they need to remove
twenty meters of cliff to do it.

Today we are blasting around
350 cubic meters of rock.

(Teddy)
they have to blast
away an entire rockface

Without damaging the tracks.

Then clean it up
before my train passes.

The train is coming in around

2 hours so they need around
1 hour to clean the tracks.

(Teddy)
they're using 200 kilos of

Explosives to blast a
50-ton section of the cliff.

But they can't afford
to blow this job by rushing.

We have a lot of dangers
with this job, the height,

We are 14 meters down,
and of course you've

Got all the dynamite.

Dynamite actually
always wins.

It crushes everything.

Therefore you have
to be careful with it.

(Teddy)
once the dynamite's in place,

The crew fills the blast
holes with heavy gravel.

The extra weight directs
the dynamite's energy
into the rock face.

Then we can control
it a little better,

It won't go down
straight into the river.

(Teddy)
thirteen hundred kilo mats

Made from old truck tires
and thick steel wire

Keep rockfall off the track,
and control the blast.

We don't want rocks
to fly up in the air,

We want them
to stay in this area.

We're going to blast now.

Okay!

Fire!

Çloud boomñ

The blast went perfect!

When the blast goes
off you can feel

The vibrations in
the mountains and in the ground.

It's a good feeling.

(Teddy)
one hour later
all the rubble is cleared

Just in time for
my train to pass.

(Teddy)
we're in heart of the nordland

And approaching the
historic town of mosjøen.

So we've
stopped at mosjøen station,

And the next stretch of
this line has a really
troubled history,

The tracks themselves were laid
by prisoners of war who were

Forced to complete this section
of the railroad by nazi forces
in world war ii.

(Teddy)
12,000 soviet prisoners built

140 kilometers of track
north deep into the arctic.

It's a stretch of track that
reveals a history many in norway

Are ashamed to admit.

♪ ♪ ♪

(Teddy)
I'm on norway's
remote nordland line.

After mosjøen station
we're heading towards

The arctic circle,
through a stretch

Of track
with a dark past.

12,000 soviet prisoners
of war built the line for

The occupying german
army in world war two.

Just hundred meters from here,
you can still find a lot of

Relics of
prisoner war camps.

This was about supplies to
feed their war machine, right?

That's right.

This part of norway,
the winter conditions

Are extremely harsh,
what sort of work

Conditions would
these p.O.W.'s have had?

(over intercom)
this train is now on saltfjellet

680 meters
above the sea level.

(Teddy)
as we enter the barren tundra
of the saltfjellet national park

It's easy to see how the
prisoners building this line

Would have been exposed
to punishing weather.

We cross the arctic circle
in just a few moments

And after that we'll
officially be in the arctic.

I've been looking forward
to this part of the trip
for a long time.

It's really exciting!

You can
feel it mentally.

You're crossing a
line to another world.

The arctic world.

(over intercom)
and you will see

The arctic circle
on the right.

(Teddy) the train has slowed
down because that monument that

We are just passing
now officially marks

The arctic circle
from this point on,

For the rest of the journey,
we are way up in the arctic.

(Teddy)
as we enter the polar region,

We're still a few hours
from our final destination.

The train is traveling north
towards the saltdalsfjorden.

Then it will weave its way along
the forty kilometer coastline

Of one of norway's
most spectacular fjords.

All the way to bodø.

(Teddy)
the route takes us back into

Rocky alpine forests,
where loose rock risks

Damaging the tracks,
trains or both.

Maintenance crews are
constantly clearing the tracks,

But they also try to fix
the problems before they start.

(Teddy)
200 kilometers down the line

An 83-ton section of loose
cliff threatens to fall

Onto the nordland track below.

If we don't fasten the blocks
then maybe rain snow and ice
loosen them.

They fall on the tracks
and make the trains,
ah, collision.

(Teddy)
the situation
calls for reinforcement.

The crew bores holes
one point five meters

Deep into the rock face.

(Teddy)
a stick of super glue ensures

The support rods won't budge.

These two
components are mixed.

And then it fastens in
about one and a half minutes.

This bolt alone prevents ah,
sixteen tons from falling down
the railway.

(Teddy)
even though
we're in a polar zone

The northern summer sun
is taxing the equipment.

Compressor can't get
enough cooling, too hot.

(Teddy)
the team removes the engine

Cover of the machine
and a cooling breeze

Puts the compressor
back on track.

For drilling the nut.

And then
we tighten.

Not too much, not too less!

Now it's safe!

(Teddy)
now this stretch of the nordland

Line is protected
from the rock above.

In the running
battle against the forces

Of gravity and nature
the norwegian rail service

Has its prime directive.

Keep those
trains chugging.

We have powerful,
very powerful uh, engines.

And they run and
they run and they run.

Everybody knows
that these locomotives,

They are
the nordland line's soul.

(Teddy)
the last stop on
this line is bodø,

It's got one of the most
beautiful coastlines in

The whole world and it's the
perfect view to end an epic
journey.

Across two of norway's
most remarkable railways.

We're here in bodø,
and this marks the end

Of our norwegian
train adventure.

And in about an hour,
this train is going to

Do it all over again,
after being refueled

And topped up with supplies.

On a over night run
back down to trondheim

Through the land
of the midnight sun.

♪ ♪ ♪

♪ ♪ ♪