The Tramway Museum at Munkvoll

The street tramway system in Trondheim dates from 1901 and there were subsequently three metre gauge lines in the city. After the system contracted in the 1980s only one remained, the Gråkallbanen, an 8.8 km route built in 1924 which begins in the city centre at St Olav’s Gate and goes west through woodlands and open country to Lian. Since 1988 it has been operated by a private company, but there are now plans, as in other cities, to restore or expand the network. The Gråkallbanen, is in many ways more like a railway than a street tramway running through small stations with signboards, across steel bridges, past colour light signals and on some sections through tunnels created by overhanging trees. A tramway historical society (Spoorveishistorisk Forening) was formed in Trondheim in 1979 and has been responsible for the development of a museum at the Gråkallbanen, depot at Monkvoll about 6 km from the city centre. It holds a collection of the various types of tramcar that have been used in the city, including a four-wheeled example from before 1914, as well as service vehicles, posters and tickets.