 The administration office for the construction was established in 1923 and was until 1935 located at Voss . In that period , construction was led by Peter Bernhard Kristian Lahlum , who was also responsible for the Hardanger Line . After the Hardanger Line was completed , Lahlum retired , and the office was moved to Flåm where responsibility was taken over by Adolph M. B. Kielland . To start with , there were 120 men working on the construction , although this quickly increased to 220 . The numbers fluctuated between that and as low as 80 , although hit an all @-@ time high of 280 people in 1937 . To house the employees , eight barracks were built . Among the first things built were housing and station buildings , which could then be used by people working on the construction . The local economy was stimulated by farmers being paid for transport . Using horses , they would transport tourists by day and building materials by night . The competition was fierce , resulting in fights for customers , although it calmed down after traffic police were introduced . 
