3,000 in grants for preliminary work. It was presumed that the railway would be private, but the committee wanted to receive partial state funding. While the government favored the railway, the grant was a lower priority among the many proposed railway lines at the time. In 1888, an engineer from the state investigated the route, and recommended that the line be built via Rådal to increase the population which it would serve. In addition, Fanahammeren and Stend were regarded as transport hubs at the time. Following this, shares were issued for NOK 50,000 in the company, but this was not sufficient to finance the railway. Instead of raising more capital, Krüger tried to reduce the cost. He proposed reducing the minimum curve radius from and reduce the gauge from the gauge used on the Voss Line to . This would allow the railway to have sharper curves and allow it to pass around any obstacles and hills, removing the need for cuttings and tunnels. Engineer Nicolay Nicolaysen Sontum started planning the cheaper railway in 1889, and he estimated the cost to NOK 500,000. After the project was marketed in the Bergen press, shipowners Fredrik Georg Gade and Johan A. Mowinckel supported it, as did major Wollert Konow (SB). An application for a concession was sent on 15 March 1890, in which Gade and Mowinckel guaranteed the necessary capital. This made Nesttun-Os the first railway in Norway to be built without state grants. The construction contract was signed with Sontum on 29 March. The concession was granted on 2 February 1891 and had a duration of 40 years from the date the line started operation. The delay was in part because there was a debate about the gauge in the Parliament of Norway. The company opened for sales of shares on 3 March 1891. The largest owners were Gade (20%), Mowinckel (10%), Os Municipality (5%) and Krüger (2%). The municipality used a whole year's budget on the share purchases, and borrowed money to be repaid in 40 years. In addition to the share sales, the railway received free real estate from many farmers. The railway was constructed in narrow gauge, the smallest gauge ever built in Norway. The smallest curve radius was 50 metres. This combination made it possible to avoid any tunnels whatsoever and the longest bridge was 8 metres. But it also meant that all goods had to be