The construction of Flåm Railway II

The Flåm Railway is considered one of Norway's major engineering works, due to the height difference and the unique turning tunnel, which runs in an eight-figure loop over several levels. These are necessary so that the climb does not become too intense for ordinary train traffic. From the Myrdal plateau down to the bottom of the Flåm Valley, the height difference is 865.5 metres. It is stated that 80% of the section has an incline of 55 ‰. and makes the railway the second steepest in Europe. Rail laying began in the autumn of 1936, and four years later the Flåm Railway was opened for steam operation. In 1944, the line was electrified with electricity from Kjosfossen power plant. It was almost 20 years before the Bergen Railway itself was electrified. Despite dangerous work, a fast pace, poor security and unimaginable toil, there were only two fatal accidents at the Flåm Railway's facilities. Flåm village was historically located about 3 kilometres further up in the Flåm Valley. However, with the Flåm Railway as the name of the railway, Fretheim was over time renamed Flåm. The Flåm Railway is the country's most visited and well-known tourist attraction both because of the dramatic nature and the railway's special alignment to overcome the large height differences. By many named the world's most scenic train journey.