The central signalling post at Copenhagen goods yard will be moved tomorrow, 3 September 2016, from Copenhagen to Gedser, a small town at the southern tip of the island of Falster. The tower is widely known as the Yellow Mansion on account of the 1975 comedy The Olsen Gang on the Track, number seven of the much-loved film series about the exploits of a fictional Danish criminal gang. GPA has been involved in both the external and internal renovation, including the final layout and decor of the tower.

A new life for the tower
The central signalling post was decommissioned in 2010 and was due to be demolished before it was saved by the Olsen Gang Fan Club’s tireless efforts to have the tower scheduled as a monument. The tower is therefore about to embark on the journey to Gedser where it will undergo extensive renovation and refurbishment in order to be exhibited at the railway museum Gedser Remise (Gedser Engine Shed).

The renovated tower, which is expected to be completed during the course of 2017, will house exhibits communicating the function and history of the building together with its operational importance and connections to film history. The original wing of the structure will be recreated, providing the opportunity to establish hospitality and lecture-hall facilities on site.

The old tower, which was declared preservation-worthy by the Heritage Agency of Denmark in 2007, was designed by the Danish architect Heinrich Wenck (1851–1936), who also designed Copenhagen Central Station. GPA has many years of experience and extensive expertise in renovating and refurbishing station buildings. As advisers on this unique project, GPA has redesigned the building to make it possible for visitors to experience a combination of the architectural heritage of railway engineering and film history and to provide an appropriate setting for events and more informal gatherings.

A dedicated fan club
The Olsen Gang Fan Club initiated the project and secured the necessary funds to move and renovate the tower. The foundation A.P. Møller og Hustru Chastine Mc-Kinney Møllers Fond til almene Formaal was the main sponsor, donating DKK 1,000,000 to the project; Realdania contributed DKK 250,000 and the remaining capital to realize the project, DKK 100,000 in total, was raised by the many enthusiastic members of the Olsen Gang Fan Club.

Egon: I have a plan!
Moving day is meticulously planned and will create a spectacle worthy of the Olsen Gang’s leader, the criminal genius and habitual offender by the name of Egon: the 40-tonne tower will be lifted some 30 metres into the air from its location at Otto Bussesvej in Copenhagen, across the railway power lines, deactivated for the occasion, and onto a large flatbed truck. The truck will then drive the 10-metre tower to Sydhavnen, where it will be transferred to a vessel and sailed to Gedser. In Gedser, the tower will be lifted from the vessel and onto its new foundations the following day. 

 

GPA will supervise moving day tomorrow and naturally share photos from the event via Instagram and Facebook.