Lillestrøm

The imaginatively named 'F6' train (so close to being a 'refreshing' name) runs direct from Oslo Sentralstasjion to Tronheim Sentralstation making 16 stops on the way: 9 conventional, 4 request stops, two 'boarding only' and one 'disembarking only'. Irritatingly, my rear facing window seat was adjacent to a blank bulkhead rather than an actual window.

Initially we headed north east so as to head up the Lillehammer side of Mjøse, Norway's largest lake. In the countryside outside of Oslo the snow was mainly just the remnants of drifts, whose concentrated bulk the spring thaw hadn't quite overcome; over the first 90 minutes of the journey this transitioned to an unbroken carpet of snow and most of the lakes were frozen over.

By the time the train was pulling up the gentle climb out of Lillehammer, the thermometer read 3c. At this point the train began to follow the steep sided valley of the river udbrandsdalslågen - Mjøse's main tributary. Whilst it isn't a particularly wide valley the clouds drifting through it meant the far side was visible only intermittently; at other times smaller whisps of cloud snaked between the trees on the valley sides.

A little before 18:00 the sun rallied briefly, in an attempt to dispell the clouds; it quickly disappeared below the valley tops (now full mountains, rather than mere hills). A few deer or reindeer could be seen near the track, in groups of six or so, most didn't seem to mind the train, but looked on curiously.

The railway itself was a curious mix of old and new - Oslo Sentralstasjion is an ultra modern structure, but beyond Olso's commuter belt stations had an almost Victorian quality. Stations had low, exposed platforms and shunting yards and even made use of traditional red danger flags (perhaps more reliable than battery electronics in the cold). Traditional and well kept station houses looked like something out of 'The Railway Children', only the overhead power cables revealing the undeniable modernity of the trains themselves.

The weather remained various shades and textures of grey through most of the journey, even producing a brief flurry of snow around 19:00. It hadn't dampened the impact of the towering peaks, vast lakes and rushing rivers, even lending them a mysterious quality. Around 6 hours into our not quite 7 hour journey the sky finally turned blue in the failing light, although dark clouds remained on the horizon.Read more