Austria Triple

Three Austrian railways feature in this production. The Achenseebahn, a metre gauge Riggenbach 'ladder' rack line, was built in 1899. It is steam worked, carrying tourists 6.5 km from Jenbach to the Achensee, some 400m higher. The ruling grade is 6.25:1, or 16%.

The locos were built by Wiener Lokomotivfabriek at Floridsdorf, near Vienna, in 1889. They have tilted boilers, and drive the rail wheels through a reduction gear with a ratio of approximately 2:1. They propel short trains of 1-3 light 4-wheel carriages. Victorian artefacts such as a hand operated traverser are still in use. The rack section is emphasised, but not to the exclusion of the scenically beautiful adhesion section. Substantial on-train footage offers the sensation of a ride on this dramatic line.

The 760mm gauge Steyrtalbahn, opened in 1889 is Austria's oldest narrow-gauge railway. It once ran from Steyr to Klaus, a total of 55 route km. 17km are now operated as a tourist line, using classic Austrian NG 0-6-2 tank engines of the type pioneered on the Steyrtalbahn itself. Most famous is the 760mm gauge Zillertalbahn. From Jenbach, it runs for 32 km south to Mayrhofen. The line opened in July 1902. The modern Zillertalbahn operates local and freight services. Tourist trains are operated by steam locos. In this video, two of the four steam engines are seen. One is 0-6-2T No.5, built in 1930; the other is the 0-8-2 tender loco No. 4 of 1909. Filmed 1997. Maps, stills, diagrams.