Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab
A Norwegian infrastructure and development company created to support the Løkken mining enterprise through power generation, railway operation, shipping, and transport.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab, commonly known as Salvesen & Thams, was a Norwegian communications and infrastructure company established in 1868 in connection with mining activity around Løkken Verk in Meldal. Its original purpose was closely tied to the industrial requirements of the Løkken mining district: the company developed and operated infrastructure that enabled ore production, processing, energy supply, and movement of materials and people between the mine, the coast, and Trondheim. The company's origins lay in the formation of the Ørkedals Mining Company by Wilhelm Thams, owner of Strandheim Brug at Orkanger, and Christian Salvesen, associated with Turnbull, Salvesen and Company in Leith, Scotland. The enterprise acquired several small mines in the Løkken area. In the late nineteenth century, Christian Thams, Wilhelm Thams's grandson, became involved in the operation and pursued the acquisition of Løkken Mine, which was secured in 1896. The development of the mine required more than extraction alone. As Norwegian law at the time restricted foreign ownership of power plants and railways, Salvesen & Thams was structured as a locally owned company associated with Thams and Salvesen so that it could obtain the necessary permissions and build essential infrastructure. Its major early projects included the Skjenaldfossen hydroelectric power plant, the Thamshavnbanen railway linking Løkken Verk with the port at Thamshavn, and operation of the steamship Orkla between Thamshavn and Trondheim. These assets connected an inland mining operation to maritime transport and helped create an integrated industrial system. Although the mining enterprise relied substantially on foreign capital, the communications company supplied locally controlled infrastructure and operating capacity. The mining company acquired Salvesen & Thams in 1904. After the First World War, the company broadened its transport activities into bus services. It participated in the creation and operation of Trondhjem-Orkladal Billag and later became involved in other regional bus enterprises. In 1931, Orkla Metall was established at Thamshavn, later associated with Elkem Thamshavn, and Salvesen & Thams was responsible for operating the smelting plant for a period. Shipping operations ended in 1959. A corporate reorganisation in 1963 transformed Salvesen & Thams into a holding company focused principally on ownership of the power plant and railway rather than their day-to-day operation; its bus interests were subsequently sold. The closure of the Løkken mine in 1987 marked a decisive change. Rather than disappearing with the mining operation, Salvesen & Thams was given a new development-oriented role: helping generate employment and economic activity in Meldal to offset the loss of mining jobs. Its later activities extended into tourism, fishing, real estate, and transport investments. Bus transport became an especially important source of income. In 1989, the company joined Hemne Municipality and Kredittkassen in supporting Hemne og Orkladal Billag, a bus company facing severe financial difficulties. The investment became successful, and in 2001 Hemne og Orkladal Billag merged with Trondheim Trafikkselskap to form Team Trafikk. Salvesen & Thams later sold its interest to Nettbuss at a profit. The company therefore represents a long industrial transition: from mining infrastructure provider and transport operator, through an industrial holding phase, to a locally oriented development company. Its historical identity remains associated with the Løkken mining district, Thamshavnbanen, the Skjenaldfossen power system, and the wider economic history of Orkdal and Meldal.
History
Mining at Løkken Verk dates back to 1633, when the mine was opened under the authority of Christian IV of Denmark-Norway. Mining rights were initially controlled as a royal privilege. During the nineteenth century, the operation was privatised and became associated with Løkken Kobber og Kisværks Interessentskab. In 1868, Wilhelm Thams and Christian Salvesen established the Ørkedals Mining Company and acquired several small mines around Løkken. Wilhelm Thams owned Strandheim Brug at Orkanger, while Salvesen was connected with Turnbull, Salvesen and Company in Leith, Scotland. Christian Thams, Wilhelm Thams's grandson, returned from Switzerland in the early 1880s and became involved in management. He recognised that efficient large-scale production required control of the principal Løkken deposit. The Løkken Mine was acquired in 1896, after the limits of manual mine dewatering had become increasingly clear. The mining company had substantial foreign financial participation, but contemporary Norwegian restrictions made ownership of power plants and railways more complicated for foreign investors. Chr. Salvesen & Chr. Thams's Communications Aktieselskab was consequently established as a locally owned vehicle associated with Thams and Salvesen. It was able to obtain permissions and construct infrastructure that the mining operation needed. The company built the Skjenaldfossen hydroelectric power plant and the Thamshavnbanen railway between Løkken Verk and Thamshavn. It also operated the steamship Orkla, which connected Thamshavn with Trondheim. The mining company acquired Salvesen & Thams in 1904. Following the First World War, the company entered bus transport and participated in the development of Trondhjem-Orkladal Billag. Its responsibilities expanded again in 1931 when Orkla Metall established a smelting plant at Thamshavn. Salvesen & Thams operated the plant until a corporate reorganisation in 1963. After the reorganisation, the company became primarily a holding company, retaining ownership of the power plant and railway but no longer operating them directly. Maritime operations had already ended in 1959, and the company's bus interests were later sold. The closure of the Løkken mine in 1987 ended the industrial activity that had originally defined the company's purpose. Salvesen & Thams nevertheless continued with a new regional mission: supporting the creation of employment and replacement economic activity in Meldal. It pursued interests in tourism, fishing, real estate, and transport. Bus investments ultimately produced some of its strongest financial results. In 1989, Salvesen & Thams joined Hemne Municipality and Kredittkassen in assisting Hemne og Orkladal Billag during a period of serious financial difficulty. The company recovered successfully, merged with Trondheim Trafikkselskap in 2001 to create Team Trafikk, and was later sold to Nettbuss. The company's historical development mirrors the changing structure of Norwegian regional industry. It began as an infrastructure arm of a mining economy, later supported metallurgical production and public transport, and eventually became a locally focused investment and development company after the mine's closure.
- 2001
Creation of Team Trafikk
[1]Hemne og Orkladal Billag merged with Trondheim Trafikkselskap to form Team Trafikk.
- 1989
Investment in Hemne og Orkladal Billag
[1]Salvesen & Thams joined Hemne Municipality and Kredittkassen in supporting the financially troubled regional bus company.
- 1987
Løkken mine closes
[1]The mine closure prompted the company to redirect its activities toward local job creation and economic development.
- 1963
Reorganisation into a holding company
[1]The company stopped directly operating the smelter and became principally a holding company for the power plant and railway.
- 1959
Shipping operations end
[1]The company's steamship-related operations were terminated.
- 1931
Orkla Metall established at Thamshavn
[1]A smelting operation was established at Thamshavn, with Salvesen & Thams responsible for running it.
- 1904
Mining company acquires Salvesen & Thams
[1]The communications company was acquired by the mining enterprise whose infrastructure it had supported.
- 1896
Løkken Mine acquired
[1]The principal Løkken Mine was acquired after increasingly difficult manual dewatering made larger-scale investment necessary.
- 1868
Ørkedals Mining Company established
[1]Wilhelm Thams and Christian Salvesen founded the mining company that acquired several small mines around Løkken.
- 1633
Mining begins at Løkken Verk
[1]Mining activity at Løkken Verk began under the Danish-Norwegian crown, establishing the industrial foundation for the later Løkken mining community.
Products and positioning
A historically important Norwegian industrial infrastructure company that evolved from supporting copper and pyrite mining into a diversified holding and regional development enterprise.
Industrial railway
Thamshavnbanen
A railway linking the Løkken Verk mining area with Thamshavn. It was developed to move mineral output and supplies from the inland mine to the port and formed one of the company's central infrastructure assets.
Hydroelectric power
Skjenaldfossen hydroelectric power plant
A hydroelectric facility built to provide power for the Løkken mining and industrial system. The plant remained among the company's principal holdings after the 1963 reorganisation.
Steamship service
Orkla
A steamship service connecting Thamshavn with Trondheim. It complemented the railway by extending the mining district's transport system to the regional urban and maritime network.
Bus transportation
Regional bus transport
The company entered bus transport after the First World War and later invested in regional bus operators, including Trondhjem-Orkladal Billag and Hemne og Orkladal Billag. These activities became an important part of its later commercial portfolio.
Brand decisions
2001
Formation of Team TrafikkM&ABackground
Hemne og Orkladal Billag, in which Salvesen & Thams had invested, was combined with Trondheim Trafikkselskap.
Action taken
The two bus companies merged to create Team Trafikk.
Aftermath
Team Trafikk was subsequently sold to Nettbuss, reportedly generating a profit for the participating owners.
1987
Shift toward regional development after mine closureStrategyBackground
The closure of the Løkken mine removed the industrial activity around which the company had originally been organised and threatened employment in Meldal.
Action taken
Salvesen & Thams redirected its role toward creating new local jobs and pursued investments in tourism, fishing, real estate, and transport.
Aftermath
The company continued as a development and investment enterprise rather than ending with the mine.
Sources1 sources
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