KINNEKULLEBANANS JÄRNVÄGSPARKER Undersökning och kulturhistorisk värdering av stationerna Blomberg, Forshem och Österäng

Abstract

This thesis aims at examining three Swedish railway parks along Kinnekullebanan, in the context of the landscaping activities carried out by both the local privately owned narrowgauge railway companies and the Swedish State Railways during the 19th and 20th century.

How has these three railway parks looked between 1889 and 2020 and when has the changes occurred? What cultural-historical values do they have today?

The work begins with pictural and literature studies followed by three site surveys and cultural-historical evaluations of each of these three railway parks. The work ends with discussions regarding their similarities, differences and future.

It turns out that the Swedish State Railways did not affect the three railway parks much after Kinnekullebanan was nationalized in 1948. It also appears that the three railway parks differ significantly when it comes to their present state and cultural-historical values. It remains unclear how the Swedish privately owned narrow-gauge railway companies organized and managed the landscaping in their railway parks before 1948.