Graakalbanen
A/S Graakalbanen was a private company that built and operated the Gråkallen Line of the Trondheim Tramway between 1924 and 1972.
To supplement, the company was a large land owner, and sold housing lots along the line to increase ridership and generate income.
The same day, he sent a number of letters to people and associations, inviting them to found a private company to build and operate the tramway.
[1] In March, the municipality was contacted, and the city council gave a small sum for preliminary investigations.
They could later be sold as housing lots, which would give the company additional capital, and create a basis for sufficient ridership.
A new board was appointed, led by Mathias Eckhoff, and also having Ferdinand Bjerke and Nils Christoffer Bøckman on it.
The contract to purchase the real estate was signed on 13 October 1916, and on 2 November a regulation plan competition was announced, funded with NOK 5,000.
The company chose the proposal made by Ferdinand Bjerke, and engineer working for the Norwegian State Railways.
However, more of the track was offered to be built and paid by the city, increasing the leasing costs from NOK 7,000 to 12,000.
By terminating at Ilevolden, the company could choose any rolling stock, including the higher 1,200 V current used on the Ekeberg Line of Oslo.
If the city chose to start the rebuilding of track from the current 200 cm (79 in) width, it would allow Graakalbanen to buy wide stock.
At the same time Graakalbanen started preparing the first lots for sale, including installation of water, sewage and roads.
In June 1919, the engineering company Grøndahl & Kjørholt took over the work, planning to be finished to Lian by 1921.
Not before Trondhjems og Stridens Sparebank issued a loan of NOK 1.6 million was it possible to continue construction.
The management felt this was because Munkvoll was not close enough to the recreational areas of Bymarka, and proposed a quick expansion to Ugla.
At the same time, the ticket price was set high compared to the city trams, at NOK 0.60 for adults.
To create additional traffic, two of the board members established their own company to build a tavern at Ugla.
[12] In addition to the constant sale of housing, Graakalbanen chose to sell a large section around Ugla as cabin lots.
The Ekeberg Line in Oslo, that had been the inspiration for Graakalbanen, had after all been established some years earlier, and could take advantage of the war boom.
By building a branch line from Ugla to the lake Kyvannet, the company could freight ice down to its offices in Sandgata 2.
To finance the line extension, Graakalbanen decided to create a new company; A/S Ugla–Lian was organized in such a way that it would have no expenses, only income.
Wholesaler Johan P. Dahl bought the largest share, for NOK 10,000, that he gave to the construction workers.
During World War II, the new field was confiscated by the German occupation forces, and again the association was offered free land.
Also during the war, the increased amount of money and lack of things to spend it on, caused most of the available lots owned by the company to be sold.
[21] The high revenue during the war had given the company a large amount of cash, but also a worn down fleet.
The money was invested in a new turning loop at Lian and St. Olavs gate, and a double track between Breidablikk and Nordre Hoem.
[21] Unlike Trondheim Sporvei, who had sufficient profits to purchase new material, Graakalbanen was forced to sell assets.
Traffic numbers fell rapidly, and the company needed to replace its aging fleet.
The rolling stock was painted the same yellow and blue, but the coat of arms used by Trondheim Sporvei were not used on Graakalbanen.
Trondheim Sporvei needed buses for the closing of the Singsaker Line, and made a deal with Graakalbanen, where the latter would purchase four new Büssing buses and rent them out to Trondheim Sporvei for the amortization cost, in exchange for renting excess trams.
