of the total length of the private lines. Altogether, Sweden has 11 010
km of normal gauge lines and 3 367 km of narrow gauge (of. Table 125,
page 594). Of the narrow-gauge lines, 77 % have a width of 0-891 meters,
and 15 % a width of 1-067; the remaining 8 °/o are divided between three
different gauges down to 0-6 meters, which last exceedingly small gauge
(the “Kosta system”) is met with on some of the smaller local lines, and
has a total length of altogether 154 km.
The Bridge across the River Öre till:.
The weight of rails per meter on the State railways varies between 40'6 and
27 kg. Besides those lines in the extreme north of Sweden which are designed
for the carriage of ore, the chief lines south of Uppsala are already partly provided
with rails of the first above-mentioned weight. The weight of rails on
the normal gauge private lines varies betveen 45 and 17‘a kg, and on the narrow
gauge, between 32'7 and 9"b kg pr meter.
On the State lines, steel rails are for the most part used, on the private
lines, both steel and iron rails. The rails are generally of English, German, or
Belgian manufacture. On the larger broad-gauge lines, the highest gradient is,
as a rule, 1 %, and the smallest radius of curvature 300 meters. The majority
of the stations on the chief lines of; the State railways and a considerable
number of stations on the larger private lines, have been provided with modern
shunt-locking and safety signalling apparatus, this, at some of the stations being
in connection with a central adjusting office.
The ample supply of wood in Sweden has made the cost-priee of sleepers
so cheap that their impregnation has not been considered economical. Now,
however, the State railways have begun to impregnate the sleepers, for which
purpose specially designed ahd portable apparatus is employed.
As a particular feature of the Swedish railways, notice should be called to
the numerous and, in some cases, splendid railway bridges, more especially
in Norrland, which have been necessitated by the great number of rivers to be
crossed. Many of these can be regarded as good specimens of Swedish engineering
skill, and among them should be chiefly mentioned the new bridge across
the Angermanalven at Forsmo, which is 263"6 meters long, and which crosses
the river at a height of 48‘s meters above the lowest level of the water. I t
has four arches, the longest of which, spanning the steam itself, is 104 meters
W)de. Its construction forms the most important bridge-building work hitherto
undertaken in Sweden and is worthy of special attention on account of the
new and the old Bridge over the Angermanalven at Forsmo.