The worlds last original ÅHÅ train for public rides...

... is in our garden!
A very big attraction in Sweden in the 50:s and 60:s!
6 trains and tracks was traveling around Sweden to different happenings and there was at least 5 amusement parks with their own trains.
Most of the texts on this site is in swedish but here is a short story about how we got a railway...
Written right now because there is 500 cards in Japan with this blogg adress on them...


http://japan2015.scout.se

We heard that the mini railway "Lilleputtjärnvägen" at the Furuviksparken was for sale on E-bay. We place a bid, just to show our interest and when the time for the auction run out, we had the higest bid! And then they started the auction from zero again…
Same story again, we place a bid of 50 000 Skr (about 4500£) and the auktion went out and started a third time. We won again and decided with the seller to check it on place to continue the discussion. We testdrive the engine for a shorter distance and while the children have fun at the amusement attractions Uffe check the line…
We tell them that we want to buy it and continue our vacation. We didn´t hear anything from them until December when we told them again that we still are interested. A new silence until April 7 , when we got a mail saying that we can contact Furuviksparken direct. That we do, and after some price discussion we realise… We have bought a railway!!! Now we have to find out how to take it home… It´s after all 600km away!
Since we already have a big trailer Uffe drive up to Gävle to collect all the tracks that still lays on the ground. He worked 13 hours day 1 and the next day he loaded the trailer and the car with 1 ton of railway, including the heavy driving unit that is in the tender. To load this I laid tracks in the trailer and roll it in. After a 9 hours night drive I reach home and now I only have 2 tons left in Gävle…
To bring the rest of the railway home I rented a heavy lorry and a 18 year old friend who already has a licence for trucks followed. You can´t drive alone according to driving time rules… 9 hours drive, 3 hours sleep, 4 hours loading and back again. At home half the village come and help unloading.
And then it was just to rebuild it!
;-)