Postcard: Odense Hovedlinie by Banegården (1912)

Terminus: Banegården.
Archive: Henrik Boye.
Publisher: H. Schmidt Fot. Lideallé.
Date: 1912.
City: Odense (Denmark).

View the image in high resolution. Please reach out if the image is being used, and please share your tram photos.

Add a comment

Location on a map

Photos of Odense Hovedlinie: Fruens Bøge - Hunderup Skov

Poster: Odense Hovedlinie with railcar 15 (1930-1940)Take the Tram To Tivoli Zoo and The Funen VillageBy Henrik Boye, Odense Sporveje - 1930 - 1940.

Decorative plate: Odense Hovedlinie with railcar 5 at Hunderup Skov (1974)1911 Odense Sporveie 1952By Henrik Boye, Skotman Jensen - 1974.

Postcard: Odense Hovedlinie with railcar 7 on Klaregadebroen (1951-1952)By Henrik Boye, Sporvejshistorisk Selskab (SHS).
1951 - 1952.

Postcard: Odense Hovedlinie on Vestergade (1931)By Danmarks Grafiske Museum, Henrik Boye, Møntergårdens billedsamling.
1931.

Cardboard tag: Odense Hovedlinie at Banegården (1938)Odense Landsmødernes by Andersen & Blæsbjeg Mærkat nr. 1701By Andersen & Blæsbjeg, Henrik Boye - 1938.

See all about Odense Hovedlinie: Fruens Bøge - Hunderup Skov.

Photos from Odense Tramway (OS)

Model tram: Odense, the back (1930-1940)The Lady's Book. 765 765.By Henrik Boye, IG Odense - 1930 - 1940.

Postcard: Odense Skibhuslinie with railcar 12 on Skibhusvej (1937)By Henrik Boye, John Lundgren, Sporvejshistorisk Selskab (SHS).
January 1937 - March 1937.

27:47

Odense Sporveje 100 years (1911-2011)On October 5, 1911, A/S Odense Elektriske Sporvej began operations. On the same day, the old Odense tram will leave from the Sporvejsmuseet to Flakhaven in Odense and will be on display at Denmark's Railway Museum for the rest of October. The fifth of October — is it exactly 100 years since the Odense Electric Tramway Company began operating its first track? And on this centennial, October 5th, can you see the old Odense track, now at the Gedsholm Tramway Museum in front of Odense City Hall, just as it appeared when first shown to the public on September 12, 1997, after being fully renovated from October 6 through the rest of the month? Can you view the track at the Danish Railway Museum, which currently hosts an exhibition about modern trams and light rail, now making their way back to Denmark's three historic tramway cities: Odense, Copenhagen, and Aarhus? If anyone knows the history of the Odense Tramway, it's Ole Iskov. His father worked for the Odense Tramway Company, and his deep interest in tramways stems from a lifelong fascination. Ole Esgaard authored a book about the Odense Tramway, published by the Tramway Historical Society in 1986. You're mentioned in the foreword of that book. The American author Ray Bradbury’s book, "Dandelion Wine," features a main character, Douglas, who at 12 years old experiences something about the tramway in his hometown in the USA. Why did you mention that book? I can't help but compare it to myself. I was also me—I was 14 when they closed the Odense tramway—and I feel the same way as Douglas in "Dandelion Wine," which isn’t a science fiction book, unlike Bradbury’s usual style. He says something like, "The nice carriage driver comes and drives his tram and says, Hey kids, hop in—it's free today. It’s the last day," Douglas says, "the last day." They can't do that forever—he’d driven the tram his whole life, knew its sounds, its smell, and so on. And I think the same thing happened to me, too. When I arrived in Odense in 1950 and worked with the tramway for two and a half years, I always knew it was going to close—a beautiful day. But it wasn’t until July 1, 1952, when I saw all the carriages idle in Sønderborg, that it really hit me—no more trams. It was serious. Never again. And what strikes me is that the same thing happens again in R. Bredberg’s book. I moved from Svendborg to Odense in January 1950 because my father, a machinist at Svendborg Municipal Electricity Company, was hired as a foreman at Odense Tramway. He was trained as a machinist and apprenticed with Thomas B. Trige before attending the Mechanical Engineering School. He knew Thomas B. Trige, and apprentices usually received a few kind words from him when they became "Svenne." So, my father attended the Mechanical Engineering School and became a machinist, working alongside an electrical installer. He also worked with AP Møller for a few years in the 1930s, including on the tanker Jan Mærk. Mærk came ashore before the war and was employed by the Copenhagen Lighting Service, working at HC Ørstedsværket and the good damage repair shop. My father also chose his predecessor, the old post foreman Andersen, a trained machinist. That’s why it felt right for me to come to Odense, just like Odense's tracks. Even though I knew from the newspapers that it was going to shut down, I already had a slight interest in the trams of Copenhagen. I was born in Copenhagen and lived on line five, which was the last tram line there, so I had it in my blood. The first time I was with my father in the depot, I saw all the trams—it was truly exciting. They were mostly out and running, but some remained in the depot. Strangely, I even got a greeting from the depot director that day. He thought it was fun to walk around and see what kind of kids were in the depot. He was always kind. I’d previously gone for a ride in Odense and was very excited. The trams I saw were red and blue. I was used to the yellow ones in Copenhagen. It was fortunate that my father's face meant we kids got free passes—though only on school days or weekdays, not on weekends, holidays, or evenings. But when the trams finally ran, I gradually learned all the motor cars—and I remember every single one. Number 12 was one of them, sold to Uppsala in 1945, along with number six. I knew many drivers—I eagerly stood close to them—and even many conductors, though I'm not sure they all knew me. I was a shy boy, after all. But the conductors were nice, and I always enjoyed my rides.By SporvognDK - 1911 - 2011.

3:44

Johnny Wøllekær from the Stadsarkivet about the city's historical development (2022)City archivist Johnny Wøllekær talks about Odense's development from trams to motorway to light rail and urban transformation. Thanks to Historiens Hus for lending photos.By Odense Letbane - March 28, 2022.

Odense at Hunderup Skov (2024)Converted to "Ice Cream". Waiting room is still the same place.By Henrik Boye - April 27, 2024.

See all photos from Odense Tramway (OS).

Last updated: November 19, 2025.

Postcard: Odense Hovedlinie by Banegården (1912)

The picture shows

Description

Add a comment

Location on a map