If you're arriving in Bergen by train, you're passing through the 7.7 kilometre Ulriken Tunnel. But until 1964, trains took a completely different route - a winding 32 kilometre line that curved around the mountains via Nesttun. That old line still exists, and on summer Sundays you can ride it on a heritage railway.
The original Vossebanen opened in 1883 as a narrow-gauge line connecting Bergen to Voss - Norway's first railway west of the mountains. When the Bergen Line to Oslo was approved, the track had to be converted to standard gauge, completed in 1904. For sixty years this was the main route for all Bergen-Oslo trains.
Then came businessman Fritz Rieber with a radical proposal: bore straight through Mount Ulriken. Parliament approved the plan in 1956, largely based on Rieber's private financing. The tunnel opened in 1964, cutting 21 kilometres off the route. The old line via Nesttun became redundant overnight.
Volunteers from Norsk Jernbaneklubb preserved the 18 kilometre section between Garnes and Midttun. The line runs along the Sørfjord - water on one side, steep mountains on the other - passing through five tunnels. Trains run Sundays from mid-June to mid-September, departing from Garnes. The journey takes just under an hour each way.
A few things to know: this is a volunteer operation, so check their website before visiting. The 1913 steam locomotive is the star attraction, but it's over a century old and sometimes needs repairs - in which case they run a 1950s motorcar instead. The museum at Garnes is modest. But for the experience of riding original teak carriages through proper fjord scenery on a historic main line, visitors generally find it worthwhile. Just don't expect a comprehensive museum - it's primarily about the ride.
To reach Garnes, take the commuter train to Arna and walk about ten minutes.