Photos from various trips to Austria and beyond

[Stefan88]

Being half-Austrian, having lived in Vienna as a small child, and having a lot of family in Austria, funnily enough I end up going out there fairly frequently!

 

Whilst it is now slowly getting similarly boring as in the UK (multiple units replacing loco hauled passenger trains, fewer locomotive types in use, goods traffic largely containers or block trains etc), some pieces of interest can still be found knocking around. And the museum scene has improved a bit lately, though they are still a long way off what we have here - the UK really does lead the world when it comes to heritage railways!

 

Anyhow, I'll start off with my rather extensive trips in and around Vienna from my latest visit in August/September. Not having my partner in tow gave me free-reign to see an awful lot more railway stuff than would have otherwise been tolerated, out of a list of around 23 different tourist lines, museum lines, museums and other events all doable from Vienna I managed to tick off 16. Unfortunately most of the museum lines only run on weekends even during the summer holidays so I was always going to have to choose between things and not do everything in the 2 weeks and 5 days I was out there, but I did tick off several lines I've never done before. It wasn't all easy though, I had my 2 year old with me who insisted I carry her everywhere on my shoulders. That combined with carrying a rucksack full of toddler paraphernalia, food and several litres of water and drink, and temperatures that barely dipped below the high 20's (C) und reached the mid 30's a fair bit with near constant blistering sunshine made it a very 'active' trip! The constant sunshine and phone camera also made for very poor photography!

 

First trip of the holiday was on the first weekend - the small railway museum in the former Roundhouse in Sigmundsherberg (on the Franz-Josefs-Bahn - the direct line between Vienna and Prague) were celebrating firing up a freshly restored tank engine for the first time (a class 93 2-8-2, 93.1421).

 

 

 

The station is also the end of a branch line that largely follows the valley of the river Kamp (Kamptal) almost all the way to the Danube northwest of Vienna so class 5047 railcars are stabled here.

 

 

Among the small collection of locos here are also a class 52 looking a bit sorry:

 

 

 

A class 1040 electric (first new electric loco built for the state railways after WW2):

 

 

A Köf II shunter (class X150)

 

 

And a class 2060 shunter

 

Edited January 21 by Stefan88

[Stefan88]

From Sigmundsherberg we then travelled on to Gmünd for the Waldviertel narrow gauge network. This has been 'sanitised' somewhat since being offloaded by the state railways on to the regional operator, losing some of its charm (i.e. lots of sidings ripped up and removed, horrible gold-dark grey paint scheme on the railcars) but at least it guarantees the lines future as a tourist attraction.

 

On the weekends and Wednesdays through the summer they operate trains with the old 4-wheeler stock behind a class 2095 diesel hydraulic loco, and once a month these are hauled by a class 399 0-8-0 tender steam loco. On this Saturday it was the afternoon return service on the southern branch from Gmünd to Groß Gerungs that was being operated with the 4-wheelers and diesel. In the newish covered terminus station at Gmünd the loco is seen at the front of its train just outside the hall, presumably to prevent the enclosed hall from filling up with fumes.

 

 

This class 5090 railcar has been laid up outside the loco depot for years, I can only assume it is being used as a parts donor for the 3 other railcars still in use.

 

 

Interestingly the steam loco had been fired despite it not being scheduled to run any of the trains this weekend, more on that later.

 

 

 

 

There are a few scheduled stops with 10 minute breaks so you can get out and take a look at the train, photograph the loco etc. At one stop there is a craft shop operating out of the former goods shed, another stop is where the steam locos have to stop to get more water during a lengthy incline, and near the end an old goods wagon on a siding has been turned in to a small museum, with a former U class tank engine coupled to it.

 

 

At the southern terminus in Groß Gerungs the conductor has to perform shunting duties when the loco is run around the train.

 

 

On the way back all was revealed - the steam loco Mh4 had run a special with the second spare rake of passenger stock.

 

 

 

The ~2 hour 45 minutes trip each way was a little too much for one of us

 

[Stefan88]

On the way in to Gmünd the second 2095 could be seen lurking by the diesel pumps next to a works trolley.

 

 

 

The mainline station also seems to have the odd bit of action. Waiting to head back to Vienna was a short 3-car double deck push-pull set being pushed by a Hungarian MAV class 470 (ex class 1047, same as an Austrian class 1116 Taurus), 470 010 sporting a livery about Hungarys 'golden' national football team in the 1950s. The Hungarian Taurus's (Taurii?) get used a lot on passenger services on this route to make up for Austrian locos running services well in to Hungary (such as Railjet services to Budapest).

 

 

 

Further locos were parked up to be used during the week, as well as single and double deck push-pull stock (often mixed together and referred to as a Camel due to the differing heights). Interestingly another MAV Taurus without any advertising on it.

 

 

 

This 5047 was parked up on the goods shed loading track, apparently it is out of use due to a mechanical issue and a decision has yet to be made whether to repair it or scrap it. Rather a strange place to park it up as these are not used in this area.

 

[Stefan88]

The next day, Sunday 27/08/23, was another busy day. The small museum in Zwettl were operating trains on the branchline they are situated on, running a few return trips from Zwettl to Waldhausen where the local firebrigade had a fundraiser. The branchline runs from Schwarzenau on the Franz-Josefs-Bahn via Zwettl and on south now terminating at Waldhausen but used to run a further ~20km on to Martinsberg-Gutenbrunn. It is still used for regular freight from Waldhausen and another former station near it, largely for wood chippings (in special containers loaded on container wagons), and presumably also logs.

 

Unfortunately they weren't running their operational class 92 0-8-0 tank engine for this event, running a diesel shunter in front of their 4-wheelers.

 

 

 

At Waldhausen the loco ran around, then pushed the train in to a siding to allow the green coach to be parked up and the return was in the single (now a little crowded) blue/ivory 2nd/luggage coach. This had been freshly restored, sadly this meant some of the windows didn't open as they had either been painted shut or seized up and needed freeing up!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Zwettl the former engine shed is where the small museum is located, sadly this was closed as all their volunteers were busy operating the train and station facilities.

 

[Stefan88]

A class 93 is in the sidings awaiting restoration.

 

 

And the next train of the day was assembled and ready to depart for Waldhausen. The first train was at 10am and there weren't a huge amount of passengers, by this point the station had gotten quite busy and there seemed to be a lot more people getting on to the second train.

 

 

After going out for lunch with my mother it was time for the afternoons activities - this time a trip from Gmünd on the northern branch of the narrow gauge network. This is shorter than the southern branch, with journey times around an hour each way, thus a morning and an afternoon service is run on this end where as on the southern branch there is just a single return journey. Additionally the northern branch has its own branch, splitting in 2 at Alt Nagelberg with the 'main' route heading north to Litschau and a branch heading to Heidenreichstein.

 

The same loco and rake as the previous day was in use, having done the full route to Litschau during my previous holiday 2 years ago, and having missed out on the other branch as they don't operate regularly outside of July and August, we got off at Alt Nagelberg to take the branch to Heidenreichtstein. This branch is operated by the Waldviertler Schmalspur Verein (WSV) as the Wackelstein Express (rocking stone express - the Waldviertel area is known for having lots of 'rocking stones' due to its geology). I last went on this line 20 years ago. With the line splitting in 2 here it then carries on as 2 separate tracks for almost 2km before the branch to Heidenreichstein veers off to the right, allowing parallel double exits and entries of the two trains. A little performance they do is for one train to overtake the other then vice versa for a good 5 minutes or so.

 

The WSV train was hauled by a class 2091 diesel - a 1-Bo-1 diesel electric from the 1930s that had a (little used) built in luggage compartment that were in regular use until replaced by class 5090 railcars by the mid 1990's. This particular one, 2091.09, is unique in the class as it had the luggage compartment rebuilt to a much smaller profile to allow better visibility from the drivers cab, the rest of the class have a much higher hood on that end, earlier ones also only having a single small windshield on one side! The rest of the train consisted of a pair of 4-wheelers, one of which kitted out as a small buffet/bar, a 4 wheelers luggage van and a former bogie open goods wagon turned in to an open passenger car - you can guess which one we spent most of our time in, despite the on and off drizzle (and before social services get involved - my daughter refused to go in the covered coach, grabbing hold of the railings tighter than a just stop oil protester!).

 

 

 

 

 

Arrival in Heidenreichstein - sadly barely enough time to photograph the run around let alone anything else as we had to leave immediately to get back to Alt Nagelberg in time to meet the return trip from Litschau.

 

 

 

[Stefan88]

This curious works vehicle was parked up there, seems to be German in origin.

 

 

Another 2091 (2091.02) was also parked up in original green livery, after years of private ownership and being hidden away in their engine shed it seems to now be owned by the WSV and is operational.

 

 

 

A standard gauge 4 wheeler open on a transporter wagon parked up at one of the intermediate stations, this form of goods traffic was the norm on this network, first with Rollbock type wagons (effectively a narrow gauge bogie attached to each axle of a 2 axle wagon), then later these transporter wagons. A pair of these could be used to transport a standard gauge bogie wagon.

 

 

 

We were a little early for the return from Litschau so we had to wait 5 minutes where the lines diverge for the other train to come to allow a double entry in to Alt Nagelberg.

 

 

 

 

[Stefan88]

 

 

 

And then back to Gmünd.

 

 

 

 

Before driving back from Gmünd another quick look over to the mainline station to see if anything was happening - perfect timing! The R320 Silva Nortica was due to arrive imminently! This is the only direct train between Vienna and Prague to run on this line, with all other services running along a different route via Brno since 1992. Hauled by a ubiquitous Austrian ÖBB class 1116 (1116 084), it was composed of a variety of different coaches - just not so easy to tell with them all being in the same livery - a modernised 1st class Y/B, Czech type Z's and former Austrian type-Z/Eurofima coaches.

 

 

 

 

 

[Stefan88]

 

 

And that was enough for one weekend! Then it was off to the car to head back to Vienna for the next couple of weeks.

[Stefan88]

During the week I was in the Hauptbahnhof (main station) in Vienna one evening. Whilst I prefer the twin terminus station it replaced (old Südbahnhof) it does still give some interesting trains in between all the Cityjet EMUs and Railjet long distance push-pull sets.

 

5047 railcars run on the 'Innere Aspangbahn' between Vienna and Wiener Neustadt hourly - more on that later.

 

 

Then after the railcar went as I was about to leave I saw something interesting pull in - an express bound for Bucharest via Budapest, hauled by a MAV 480 (Bombardier Traxx) and composed of MAV and CFR stock.

 

 

 

 

 

Evenings seem to be the best time to go here to get some variety, this seems to be when all the international day services terminate and the sleeper services set off. I spotted 1144  268 (former class 1044), once the flagship and workhorse of the state railways but now largely relegated to local/stopping push-pull sets and freights, on a sleeper service bound for Italy via Villach.

 

 

 

Later in the week I spotted some more variety, a pair of dutch NS Vectrons heading the Nightjet sleeper service to Amsterdam (and Hamburg - the train splits in Cologne if I recall). Normally it would just be a single Vectron hauling this train, the second one was being dragged along as it had been stranded in Vienna due to bad weather in flooding a couple of days previously which had forced the return train to Amsterdam to be cancelled.

 

 

It was certainly a draw with lots of spotters gathering around on this platform and the adjacent one, asking the driver lots of questions.

[Stefan88]

Another one I could tick off during the week was the tram museum in Vienna. Done it to death and know it inside out, but always worth a look. They open on Wednesdays in addition to weekends.

 

This was originally a prototype 4 axle bogie tram (type C3 numbered 160), an order was never placed with the city opting instead for articulated license built DüWAGs. After running in regular service with a bogie trailer for a few years it was withdrawn and used as a works vehicle to tow Stadtbahn (now line U6) LRVs from the Stadtbahn to the central workshops that are only connected to the tram network. The Stadtbahn/LRVs weren't normally allowed to run on the tram network so had to be towed to the workshops. It seems to have been withdrawn recently and passed on to the tram museum as it wasn't there during my last trip 2 years ago.

 

 

As we were leaving a 3-car rake arrived and was reversed in to one of the halls not open to the public.

 

 

[Stefan88]

Another one we could do during the week, running Fridays through July and August in addition to weekends, was the 'Reblaus Express' on the branch line from Retz to Drosendorf along the Czech border. Another line that was passed on from the state railways to the regional operator but has managed to survive (most were torn up and paved over for cycle paths). A diesel hydraulic class 2143 hauls a set of 4 wheelers and a bicycle van for the return trip 3 times per day. I did want to get to Retz by train for this one as it is a nice route and normally doesn't take much longer than driving, but half of the line was running on replacement bus services due to works on the line and I didn't fancy over an hour on a crowded bus each way with my 2 year old, so just drove there from Vienna in my mums car.

 

A class 2070 shunter was busy assembling freight trains, I assume freight services to and from CZ were being diverted along a non-electrified line that links up to another mainline. A class 2016 diesel electric and a 1016/1116 electric were also active but hidden behind rows of container wagons so could barely be seen let alone photographed.

 

 

After an all you can eat BBQ grill at the station restaurant for €12 or something like that we boarded our train and headed for Drosendorf.

 

 

In Drosendorf the loco was ran around, again the conductor had to get his hands dirty and play shunter.

 

 

 

 

Interestingly the bicycle van also had a generator in it to provide power to the train rather than the loco providing it, no idea why.

 

 

 

The 2nd/luggage coach I picked because it had windows that came all the way down (Ganzfenster), all the other coaches had half windows (Halbfenster), makes leaning out a lot easier! This coach also had a few rows of seats removed to provide a childrens play area, my daughter made good use of the tubs of Brio they had!

 

[Stefan88]

As we approach Retz we wind our way through the many vineyards surrounding the small town.

 

 

 

After seeing the 2143 run around its train and set off for the third and final time the shunter crew of the 2070 parked it up for the day.

 

 

 

 

A former ÖBB (state railways) bicycle van (ex covered goods wagon, type Gbs) was parked up at the end of the carpark. Goods traffic was largely containers, these are for wood chippings, however some log wagons were also knocking around.

 

 

[Stefan88]

 

After a brief wonder around the town centre and an icecream we drove back to Vienna.

[Stefan88]

The next day was another busy one. Plan was to do whats left of the Ybbstalbahn first, then afterwards head over to Mariazell to ride on the museum tramway and a little boat ride around the Erlaufsee lake. Plan didn't pan out naturally, got to the Ybbstalbahn Bergstrecke (Ybbstal railway mountain section) starting point in Kienberg-Gaming 5 minutes too late, so switched my plans around to do the other stuff first and return to Kienberg later for the afternoon return trip. Annoyed I then drove on having seen the train wasn't in the station, and then passed it on the level crossing a few hundred meters down the road! On we went to the Erlaufsee to do the boat ride.

 

 

And from the edge of the lake we caught the tram. It is rather unusual in that it is entirely a standard gauge museum operation built from scratch, there was never a tramway here. It originally ran from the station at Mariazell on the 760mm gauge Mariazellerbahn down to the nearby Erlaufsee lake, and now has been extended to the edge of Mariazell (the station is some distance away from the town centre) using some of the former 760mm trackbed from the section from Mariazell to Gußwerk that has been out of use since 1988 and a newly created alignment from where the old line curves away from the town. It is only partially electrified - the section from the railway station down to the lake mostly has no overhead to diesel and steam locomotives are used, the rest has overhead to operate the electric trams in their collection.

 

At the lake there is a turning loop.

 

 

 

At Mariazell they have some lines laid along the back edge of the station area.

 

 

The Mariazellerbahn used to be my favourite line in Austria - narrow gauge, electric, run entirely with electric locos from 1910-14 (rebodied in the 1950-60s), colourful passenger stock in a variety of liveries, platforms made of heaped ballast, lots of double-heading. Sadly all long gone, since 2013 run entirely with modern Stadler EMUs in a hideous gold/dark grey livery, concrete platforms, sidings removed from most stations. A handful of the old locos and a small quantity of coaches have been retained and are run on weekends but you need to get up very early to catch them - usually leave around 8:45 from St. Pölten, which would mean leaving Vienna an hour and a half earlier at the very least, and I'm not a morning person!

 

Anyhow here is some of the ghastly stock - the 'nostalgie' rake of coaches wasn't in Mariazell as I had expected, a technical fault with the old loco meant the train had been cancelled that day. This EMU has some 1st class panorama coach coupled to it for a later service back to St. Pölten. The tram was being delayed from leaving because the service from St. Pölten was running late. Despite being composed of a pair of 3-car units it was completely packed. The set was then split with the rear unit leaving pretty quickly to head back to St. Pölten and the leading set following the track to park in the stub siding on the former route to Gußwerk.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Stefan88]

 

 

Here the new tram route leaves the trackbed of the old railway line. A turning triangle has been erected and the standard gauge follows the old trackbed for a few hundred meters more.

 

 

 

 

Interestingly the old overhead of the railway has been retained and is mixed in with the tramway overhead.

 

 

Passing the parked 'Himmelstreppe' (stairway to heaven) EMU on the way back to the lake.

 

 

Then once back at the lake we immediately set off to head back to the Ybbstalbahn to make sure we arrived with plenty of time to spare. In hindsight we should have had a quick lunch before leaving as there was nothing beyond a few packaged snacks at the Ybbstalbahn.

[Stefan88]

Upon arrival in Kienberg-Gaming the train was parked up waiting. This station used to also be the end of a standard gauge branchline, this has since been cut back to the nearest major town of Scheibbs. Either the entire line to Scheibbs or just the track itself was offered to the Museum railway, who ripped it all up and sold the rail for scrap. Short-sighted in my view, they could have had themselves a standard gauge heritage line to complement their narrow gauge one, something in very short supply in Austria, or even extended the narrow gauge along the standard gauge trackbed. Given the disgusting fate the rest of the Ybbstalbahn, promptly being ripped up and paved over as a cycle path on all but a few km in Waidhofen an der Ybbs not long after the state railways offloaded it on to the regional operator, either of these options would have been preferable. As it stands there is now a vast wasteland of ballast where all the standard gauge tracks used to be.

 

The loco is a unique diesel electric built in the 1920's, nicknamed tramway because of its appearance.

 

 

 

The line quickly starts gaining height, riding up the valley side high above the town of Gaming and its monastery before disappearing off to the next valley and over a pass and then heading down to Lunz am See.

 

 

There are 2 iron trestlework viaducts, one called the Hühnernest (chicken nest).

 

 

 

At the midway pass station of Pfaffenschlag.

 

[Stefan88]

Arrival in Lunz am See:

 

 

For me a rather depressing sight, these two coaches were part of a set of 4 painted in this livery, the third is displayed in one of the former stations on the ripped up section and the fourth, a buffet/bar coach, is in use on the Waldviertel network. I travelled on this full set 20 years ago in 2003, on a steam special behind Yv2, an 0-6-4 tank another club/society had restored to working order, along the full length of the then still in use line from Waidhofen to Lunz.

 

 

 

 

The two trestlework viaducts on the return trip:

 

 

[Stefan88]

Once back at Kienberg-Gaming I noticed they had left the front doors of the engine shed open, so naturally I had to have a nose.

 

The lines only steam engine, U class U1, a former German Army 0-6-0 diesel (HF130C if I recall), 0-4-0 diesel 2190.01 buried in the background inaccessible (which if I recall correctly derailed and slid down the embankment last year) and 2099.01, a Romanian Faur LH45.

 

 

 

 

 

 

In the mean time the 2093 had run around its train and backed it in to the platform siding before then returning to the shed.

 

 

 

[Stefan88]

Another busy day the next day, early start to get to the Modellbahnbörse in Liesing, a model railway fleamarket held monthly outside of the summer and winter holiday seasons next to Liesing railway station on the southern edge of Vienna. I had never managed to be in town when one of these was held, and have heard of various rare and unusual models cropping up here, sadly (not for my wallet) nothing of interest for me this time, prices weren't anything special either that I noticed, but I was in a rush with the little one on my shoulders.

 

After making thoroughly sure there wasn't anything I fancied buying we hopped back on the train for the Hauptbahnhof, where after a little waiting this turned up:

 

 

 

 

An 0-6-0 class 2067 shunter with a rake of 4 wheelers and an 0-4-0 class 2062 shunter on the other end, hauling a special to Perchtoldsdorf, a small village just outside the city limits on a short branchline that goes on to a quary at Kaltenleutgeben. The line beyond Perchtoldsdorf is currently out of use as it requires some repairs. After an hour and a half the train returned to Hauptbahnhof (took around 20-30 mins each way) for the second of three return trips of the day.

 

Before setting off the push-pull set running between Vienna and Bratislava pulled in next to us, these are typically composed of an Austrian ÖBB driving trailer and 1 or 2 matching intermediate coaches, and then 1 or 2 Slovak ZSSK coaches (used to be a 1st class but only saw 2nd class coaches this time). Strangely the locomotive was uncoupled and drove off, and an identical class 2016 'Hercules' turned up and took its place.

 

 

After arriving in Perchtoldsdorf, where we were greeted with a brass band and some food stands.

 

 

 

 

 

After returning to the Hauptbahnhof:

 

 

Then back to my mums for a barbeque at lunch!

[Stefan88]

After lunch we jumped in the car and drove to the railway museum at Strasshof. Normally I would have taken the S-bahn but this was ending short with replacement bus services taking over part way there, with a 2 year old and 32C sunshine I opted for the car, especially after having fixed the aircon (suspected Pine Martin chewed through the wires for the pressure sensor!).

 

Whilst I have been to Strasshof many times, I hadn't been there when they had a loco in steam! And what a loco, it was the Gölsdorf kkStB 310.23! The place is similar to Didcot Railway Centre, being in a former steam loco depot and having rides that go from one end of the site to the other and back.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Weirdly that same day later in the evening I finally won a model of this loco on ebay! I've been after the highly detailed Roco model of this loco for over 8 years!

Edited September 25, 2023 by Stefan88

[Stefan88]

One way the museum makes some money is to provide storage space for mainline operators as the place is quite out of the way (reducing risk of graffiti) and they have plenty of sidings, here some prototype Nightjet coaches from Siemens are being stored. These will form a 7 coach push-pull sleeper set to replace the current sleeper stock, and speed up reversing out of some terminus stations such as Frankfurt.

 

 

 

 

They also make some money repainting locomotives, some of the class 1014's briefly used by ZTT and Grampet Cargo class 1142's were tarted up here.

 

After taking some up close photos of some locos and stock knocking around here to aid with my modelling we headed home, again the cars aircon proved a welcome relief!

[Stefan88]

During the week I ended up getting off at the Grillgasse station in Vienna, here a class 2143 has been parked up for years. There was also a rather curious transfer table for the sidings, seems a bit overkill for a few sidings in the middle of nowhere, there was plenty of space for the extra points!

 

 

 

[Stefan88]

Another weekday trip was to the Schneeberg, the highest mountain in the State of Niederösterreich that surrounds Vienna. It has a metergauge rack railway running up it, and a non-electrified branchline to the town of Puchberg am Schneeberg at the foot of the mountain.

 

As much as I wanted to get there by train, the pricing was expensive, so it made more sense to take the car. I had planned to get the Austrian regional 'Klimaticket', but unlike Germany which has made cheap public transport passes easily and readily available, typically on a phone app and pay as you go on a monthly basis, they are considerably more old fashioned to obtain in Austria - I needed to get an annual pass, that is only valid from the 1st of the month (not great when my trip spanned the end of one month and start of another almost equally), and needs a photocard being sent in the post, or you can get a temporary one if applying at a station ticket office. Half of the trips I wanted to do would have been on replacement bus services due to works closures, and everything would have to be crammed in to the final week. Now I know whats involved I can look in to getting one in advance the next time I'm over there for more than a week though.

 

The branch to Puchberg from Wiener Neustadt is served mostly by class 5022 2-piece Desiro DMU's, 5047 railcars are still used during peak hours early in the morning and in the evening/at night. Service is largely hourly from the early hours right the way through to 1am, pretty impressive I thought for a branchline through not particularly built up areas.

 

From Puchberg the rack railway goes up the Schneeberg, until the late 1990's it had been almost entirely steam operated using the original 0-4-2 tank engines from the 1890's (other than a brief forray with diesel railcars in the 60s that ended up being used on another line). Since the late 90s DMUs consisting of a loco part on the valley end, pushing a centre coach, a driving trailer, and in front of that a low level covered wagon that brings up supplies and takes down rubbish from the hotel/restaurant at the top. They are called Salamanders and painted like a Fire salamander which are native to the area.

 

Here you can see the silhouette of the Schneeberg, taken while travelling on the train on a later date. The rack railway gets you to around the peak on the left of the massif, to reach the higher peaks you have to walk!

 

 

With my toddler on my shoulders I got as far as where the path in the middle disappears, that took about half an hour (about half the time the signs said it would take  😉 ). As you have to book on to which train you want to take down (provided it has any free seats) I had a time limit of an hour and a half at the top, so headed for the lower of the 3 peaks where I took this photo.

 

 

On the other side it overlooks the end of the rack railway and a large chapel, the hotel/restaurant is out of frame to the left.

 

 

The starting point, Puchberg am Schneeberg.

 

 

In Puchberg there is a small museum in the former staff building at the far end of the station (only open weekends), and outside the new station building extension built for the rack railway one of the original tank engines is on display.

 

 

2 of the original 6 are still operational if I recall, and one comes out to play once a month or so during the summer. The diesels take about 40 minutes each way, the steam special take at least an hour longer going up, and the same amount of time coming down.

Edited January 5 by Stefan88

[Stefan88]

Saturday 9th September was another busy day - 2 key events, first the annual Tramway day in Vienna (renamed Öffitag - Öffi short for Öffentlicher Verkehr - public transport), organised by the public transport operator in Vienna (Wiener Linien) with support from the VEF (Verband der Eisenbahn Freunde - preservation society that have a large collection of operational trams).

 

The exhibition wasn't overly interesting (a Hydrogen bus on display, various simulators with long lines and various stands about various things to do with public transport), when I went previously 2 years ago it was in one of their tram depots so there were various trams on display, lots of maintenance equipment on display, displays with their rescue vehicles etc. However I knew this would be the case this time, what with it being in a public park next to a major underground hub station (Karlsplatz), the draw for me were the free tram rides in preserved historic trams running a circular route around the Ring (boulevard that encircles the city centre).

 

 

 

 

After this we did a quick visit to the railway museum at Schwechat on the outskirts of Vienna near the airport, this is also run by the VEF. No photos this time as I'd already photographed what I could on a previous visit, it is generally all stored indoors and space is too tight for decent photos. Here are a couple from a previous visit 2 years ago, Bo-Bo electric class 1045 from the 1920s, and an old wooden 4 wheeler being rebuilt from the ground up - it looked about the same 2 years later.

 

 

Edited January 5 by Stefan88

[Stefan88]

After some dinner it was time for the second big event of the day - a parade celebrating 100 years of the state railways that were originally formed in the aftermath of the first world war and the breakup of Austria-Hungary. The parade took place in the goods sidings of Strasshof station, a few km down the line from the museum. A huge parade took place here in 1987 to celebrate 150 years of railways in Austria, this wasn't anywhere near as large as that but still a once in a lifetime (or generation) event, having not been born yet when the last one took place!

 

There were 2 parades, one in the afternoon and one in the evening. The afternoon one sold out while I was thinking about which one to go for, so I immediately booked a seat in the grandstand - cost a whopping €6 and included vouchers for 2 drinks! This time I took the schnellbahn to Strasshof station, from the bus stop outside a trio of buses ferried people to the event - a new battery bus belonging to Postbus (a subsidiary of the ÖBB state railways), an old Mercedes O 302 in ÖBB livery and another regular contemporary bus.

 

Unfortunately the evening show began at sunset, so most of it was during dusk and in the dark, this meant floodlighting and a lightshow. The afternoon show apparently wasn't any better for photography as it was more blistering sunshine and searing heat. Here is a selection of the least poor of some pretty poor photos of the event, there was a fair bit more but the photos were really bad. The whole thing lasted around an hour and a half.

 

On the way from the station to the bus stop some of the trains from the earlier show were returning back to their starting points, here a 5047, or to be exact 5047 001, the first of its type, and which also took part in the 1987 parade when it was brand new.

 

 

Once in the grandstand just during sunset you could catch a glimpse of what was to come.

 

 

 

 

The parade kicked off with the ÖBBs world record locomotive, class 1216 Taurus II, the fastest electric locomotive in the world.

 

 

Then it was on to Schnellbahn (S-bahn) types past through to present. First the class 4030, this was the EMU type built for the newly opened Vienna S-bahn in the early 1960's, with the last withdrawn at the end of 2004. This was always my favourite type, very loud and noisey, and for a long time a staple on the S7 line that goes to the airport - why they always used the oldest stock on the airport line for decades always baffled me!

 

 

 

 

This is the only complete unit left in existence, and was restored to working order last year by the VEF to celebrate the 60th birthday of the Vienna S-bahn system.

Edited January 5 by Stefan88