This brief article concerns an interesting operation in Wien (Vienna), that will very easily fit into an itinerary of a family holiday as well as a trip purely for railway interest.

At 15 inch gauge (the same as the Romney Hythe & Dymchurch and Ravenglass & Eskdale Railways in the UK), this will not be for everyone and certainly features at the smaller end of bonafide narrow-gauge railways.  However, it is very good fun, highly recommended and does not take you far off the beaten track to do.

D2 at Prater Hauptbahnhof, 27/10/19 (JW)

The Liliputbahn (see website here) – named after an island populated by miniature people in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s Travels – is one of two 15 inch gauge railways in Wien.  This was the first and was opened in 1928; the other – the Donauparkbahn – followed in 1964, built by the same company for the Wiener Internationale Gartenschau in 1964.  This will be the subject of a future article.

The Liliputbahn is located within the Prater park, a matter of minutes on foot from Wien Praterstern station on the Wiener Stammstrecke; this enjoys frequent loco-hauled service on this cross-city axis.  One of its intermediate stations – that at Rotunde – has an interchange with tram line 1 at its terminus of Prater Hauptallee, which at the time of my most recent visit in October 2019 still had many of its services provided by the 1970s-era SGP E2-type vehicles.

The Liliputbahn takes a 3.9 km (2.4 mile) circular route through the park, effectively a double-track railway with a balloon loop at each end.  The park is very sylvan in nature and makes it a very pleasant, scenic, family-friendly activity, particularly in Autumn when the trees are turning orange.

The operating centre is Prater Hauptbahnhof and it is fair to say that although there are three other stations (Schweizerhaus, Rotunde and Stadion – the stadium in question being the Ernst Happel Stadion, Austria’s national football stadium), there is not much to get off at any of the others for – although if you have a return ticket and there is more than one train in use, there is nothing stopping you breaking your journey at one of these stations and returning with a different one.

Prater Hauptbahnhof is in the middle of the Wurstelprater theme park (which is free to enter) and is effectively a ‘theme park ride’ as much as a railway.  It is located in the shadow of the famous 1897-built Riesenrad ferris wheel, and indeed combined tickets are available.

Opposite Prater Hauptbahnhof station is the Republik Kugelmugel – actually a micronation, which declared itself independent in 1976…

A round trip generally takes 20 minutes, which means that a 30-minute frequency timetable is managed by one loco.  If resources and passenger numbers dictate, the service can be increased to provide a train every 5 minutes at very busy times, but 15 or 30 minute frequencies are the norm.  Generally if steam locos are going to be used, this will be in the afternoon, after 12:15.  Saturdays, Sundays and Austrian public holidays are the best times to find steam out.

There are two steam locos – Da1 and Da2, both 1928-built Krauss 4-6-2s – and four diesels (D1 to D4), all built to different designs between 1957 and 1967.  The diesels have been converted to run on vegetable oil which is all recycled from within the theme park.  Trials with a hydrogen loco have been carried out recently, however.

May 2020 will see the return of the popular Summer loco-hauled nostalgic train on the branch from Retz to Drosendorf, in the far north of Austria near to the border with the Czech Republic.

The “Reblaus Express”, as it is known, makes three round trips from Retz to Drosendorf (24.75 miles each way, and quite steeply-graded in places) each Saturday, Sunday and public holiday between 1st May 2020 and 1st November 2020.  I have not yet seen a timetable for 2020, but previous years have seen departures from Retz at 09:25, 13:25 and 16:25 and returns from Drosendorf at 11:55, 14:55 and 17:55.

Motive Power

The Reblaus Express actually begins on Saturday 21st March 2020 and runs until the end of April with a diesel railcar.  However, after that, loco-haulage will be the order of the day.

Usual loco haulage is an ex-ÖBB class 2143 diesel-hydraulic, and 2143 070 had virtually sole charge of the Reblaus Express in both 2018 and 2019.  On one occasion where this loco was not available, an ÖBB class 2070 deputised, whereas sister machine 2143 056 took charge for a very short period during August 2019.

The above is a link to a video uploaded to YouTube by user Andreas Suck of 2143 070.

Tickets

A single ticket costs €14 and a return (which acts as a day rover) is €19.  Children under 6 are free and adults over 62 qualify for a concessionary rate.  There is no UK rail staff travel privilege fare and Interrails etc are not valid.  More detail can be found in a PDF here.

Getting there

Retz lies just 3 miles from the Czech border, and is on the route from Wien to Znojmo, which sees an (electric) loco-hauled service to a roughly two-hour frequency.  Wien to Retz is about an 80 minute journey.

Combining it with other haulage opportunities

This is not the only regular nostalgic train that operates in Austria in the Summer.  The “Nostalgieexpress Leiser Berge” (to be the subject of a separate article in the near future) operates also with ex-ÖBB class 2143 power and makes a round trip from Wien Praterstern to Ernstbrunn, usually every Saturday between May and October.

You can have both locos on the same day, either as a (fairly long) day trip from Wien if you so wish, or as an interesting way to get from Wien to the Czech Republic.  In previous years, it has been possible to catch the “Nostalgieexpress Leiser Berge” from Wien Praterstern to Korneuburg, going forward after a bit of a wait on an electric loco-hauled regional express to Retz, from where the “Reblaus-Express” can be taken to Drosendorf and back at 13:25, arriving back at Retz at 16:05 – sadly too late to get back to Korneuburg have a second run with the Ernstbrunn train back into the capital, but it did connect nicely onto a regional train across the border into the Czech Republic.

Combining it with a family holiday

Clearly the shuttle nature of the operation lends itself quite nicely to permitting a day trip to one of the stations along the line; heading up on the first round trip, having a few hours there away from the trains and then returning on the Reblaus Express later.

The most obvious destination for this would be the end of the line at Drosendorf itself, a historic town and the only one in Austria with a fully-preserved city wall.  As the town’s website itself states: “Drosendorf has all the ingredients you need to dream; a lot of nature and a bit of town, a castle and a river, sunny meadows and shady avenues, blooming gardens and wooded rocks. But also inns with beautiful terraces, solid accommodations and many ideas for the future“.

However, the train also makes stops at various other points along the way, many of which have merits of their own – check out this official PDF (in German) for some detail on this.

Most European capital cities are good for loco haulage between a number of urban stations in close proximity to each other, and the Austrian capital of Wien (Vienna) is no exception.

The route that this article focuses on is the Stammstrecke, the trunk line that stretches largely beneath the city’s feet on a north-south axis.  It covers 10 stations in just over 8 miles – from north to south, these are Wien Floridsdorf, Wien Handelskai, Wien Traisengasse, Wien Praterstern, Wien Mitte, Wien Rennweg, Wien Quartier Belvedere, Wien Hbf, Wien Matzleinsdorfer Platz and Wien Meidling.

Although I’ve spent quite a lot of time on this route, I don’t appear to have any photos worthy of sharing! – a mixture of being on “fast” leaps and most stations being dingy underground affairs.  Here is 1144 243 at Wels, then – a loco I last saw working through Wien in October 2019 – 12 years prior to that, on 31/08/07 (JW)

Traction

The route is used both by the S-Bahn – which uses class 4746 “Cityjet” EMUs – and also by longer-distance regional services, which as a general (but not infallible) rule of thumb are formed of push-pull sets powered by electric locomotives.  Wien Mitte is also served by the City Airport Train (CAT), and the private operator Westbahn also features with a number of through trains to Salzburg (all EMUs) – although the latter will temporary withdraw from the route at the December 2019 timetable change while it goes through a fleet renewal.  In general, with the exception of the CAT at Rennweg, all trains stop at all stations through which they pass.

The locos concerned are all electrics: class 1016 and 1116 “Tauri” and class 1144 “Howling Gales” – roughly 30 different machines in a day, the split of which is generally in the region of 10 : 20.  As these machines are equally at home on long-distance workings and are generally drawn from common pools, this gives a good opportunity to get them in on “scratch leaps”.  Obviously, this is not the only route in Wien, and plenty more locos can be hoovered up in and out of the ‘upstairs’ platforms at Wien Hbf, as well as out of Wien Westbahnhof and Wien Franz Josefs Bf too.

Diagrams can be found in the files section of the European Rail Gen gen group.  As ever, please note the etiquette that if you benefit from the gen, please pay the favour back by posting your sightings back to the group.

Other railway-related things to see and do

Just a short work from Praterstern station, in the Prater park, is the Liliputbahn 15 inch gauge railway which is well worth half an hour of your time.

Ex-ÖBB shunter 2060 009 is plinthed at Stammersdorf, a 13-minute tram ride from Wien Floridsdorf station.

Ticketing and Practicals

Obviously, as bonafide mainline passenger trains, Interrail rovers and FIP are valid on the ÖBB services.

However, there is also local rover ticket which covers the loco haulage through Wien’s central core.  The local transport organisation Wiener Linien offer 24 hour, 48 hour, 72 hour, weekly and monthly rovers which offer good value and cover all public transport in the Wien city area (boundaries listed here); at €8.00 for 24 hours, this clearly makes it much better value than ‘blowing up’ a full day’s rover for some local travel.

The City Airport Train (CAT) is a loco-hauled, non-stop express passenger service which acts as a city transfer from Wien airport (VIE).

Operated jointly by ÖBB and the airport authority, it has run since 2003 between Flughafen Wien station and Wien Mitte.  The 12-mile journey is booked to take 16 minutes.  CAT services run every 30 minutes, 06:09-23:39 from the airport and 05:37-23:07 from Mitte.

CAT logo on the bodyside of 1016 014, 31/10/19 (JW)

Traction

The CAT is worked in push-pull formation by a (semi-) dedicated fleet of ÖBB class 1016 “Taurus” electric locos painted in the green and grey CAT livery: 1016 014, 1016 016 and 1016 036.  Very occasionally, red locos can deputise, and equally rarely, the green ones can escape onto other work.

There are two diagrams per day, worked in such a way that all the xx:09s from Flughafen and xx:37s from Mitte are worked by one set, and the xx:39s from Flughafen and xx:07s from Mitte by the other.

The 1016s have been a more recent deployment on the CAT.  Initially, the service kicked off with three 1014s (1014 005, 1014 007 and 1014 008), later replaced by two 1116s (1116 141 and 1116 142).  However, sensibly, the dual-voltage 1116s were swapped for the pure 15kV ac 1016s in 2012.

1016 014 at Flughafen Wien, 31/10/19 (JW)

Ticketing and Practicals

From reports I read online, some haulage enthusiasts do not always use the CAT.  Let’s start with the potential reasons why not: maybe the restricted scope of different machines that tend to appear on them, maybe because neither rover tickets or FIP are accepted on them (specific tickets need to be purchased – see below), maybe because it drops you in the city centre and not at the main station – although Wien Mitte is on the Wiener Stammstrecke which itself is a hotbed of intensive loco-hauled activity! – or maybe because there is a cheaper loco-hauled alternative in the Railjet services which do directly serve Wien Hbf.  These are all valid; not everyone’s travel itineraries are the same.

However, I would certainly highly recommend the CAT to you above the alternatives, and there are a number of (very) good reasons for this.  Very usefully, they guarantee that if you miss your outward flight from VIE due to a delay of more than 30 minutes on the CAT, they will reimburse you the cost of a new plane ticket; that kind of ‘insurance’ when using public transport to an out-of-city airport is potentially worth its weight in gold (although even the airline staff use the CAT, such is its reliability).

Free left-luggage lockers at Wien Mitte are also provided, as well as the ability to check hold luggage in there too (for Austrian Airlines, Lufthansa, Eurowings, SWISS and Brussels Airlines only) – these are then conveyed in a special compartment in the lower deck of the Steuerwagen.  Also, my fiancee – who I can safely say does not like trains quite as much as I do – liked it, which is a very important point to consider if on a ‘normal’ holiday!  The trains are a premium product, essentially an all-first-class offering, with leather seats, power points, WiFi, information screens, free magazines and a lot of luggage space.  We found it worked well as an introduction to the city, giving us some time and resources to familiarise ourselves with the capital on the short journey into its heart.

CAT Dosto interior, 31/10/19 (JW)

A single ticket on the CAT, purchased at the station costs €12 single or €21 return (valid for six months).  However, if you purchase your ticket online, you make a small saving: €11 single or €19 return.  Children aged 14 and under travel free.

It is obviously best used for its intended purpose as an airport transfer service, but you could if you so chose certainly pitch up at Mitte, buy a return, have one loco out to the airport, wait there for 45 minutes, and come back with the other – total time for the round trip being 1 hour 18 minutes.  The trains pass through Wien Rennweg and the ‘main’ part of Wien Mitte station, so it should be no problem for you to see which individual locos are in use whilst spending some time travelling up and down the Wiener Stammstrecke.

Austria is another country to see withdrawn locomotives plinthed at unlikely locations well away from the nearest operational railway line.

1955-built ÖBB class 2060 diesel shunter 2060 009 is, however, on former railway property – the site of Stammersdorf station, on the northern outskirts of Wien (Vienna), which closed in 1988 (see photo here).  Almost all trace of the railway has been obliterated from Stammersdorf, with the exception of the station building (now dilapidated and with little by way of betraying its former purpose) and two track panels on the site of the former platform area, upon one of which the 2060 now sits (upon the other are a pair of steam loco wheels).

How to get there

The 2060 is easily viewed and is permanently on accessible public display.  It is precisely adjacent to the platforms of the terminus of the no.30/31 tram line operated by Wiener Linien.  These both serve Wien-Floridsdorf railway station – a 13-minute ride away.  A little trip to see the 2060, therefore, might provide you with a useful diversion in amongst sampling the loco haulage to be found in the city, for example on the Wiener Stammstrecke.

To see the Google Maps map and street view of 2060 009‘s location, click here.

News from Austria this afternoon, 30th October 2017 is of a remarkable event involving an ÖBB class 1144 “Howling Gale” electric loco, 1144 259.

At approximately 11:50, the 50-year-old driver of the loco, which fortunately was hauling ECS at the time, stepped off the footplate at Neumarkt-Kallham station for a break.  However, it appears that the brakes were either not applied or leaked off, as the train then rolled away – unmanned – towards Wels.

As there was no method of automatically bringing the train to a stop, arrangements appear to have been quickly made to bring the 1144 to a halt by bringing it into contact with a Siemens Desiro EMU forming a local service from Linz, which had been evacuated.  This occurred at Haiding station, 22 km (13.6 miles) distant.

Further information does not appear to be available just yet, such as the speed of the 1144 at impact, but this is sure to come out as more is known.

The above is a link to a YouTube video uploaded by laumat.at media e.U.

Both trains suffered damage, but appear not to have derailed.  Fortunately, there were no injuries, but the route has still not fully reopened to traffic.

Some good news from Austria is the imminent return to traffic of diesel-hydraulic loco 2143 056.

If you followed this site’s Haulage Calendar through the summer of 2017 you will doubtless have been familiar with the tireless use of Regiobahn’s blue and orange machine 2143 062, which has put in many shifts on special trains from Wien to Ernstbrunn.

Regiobahn/Verein Neue Landesbahn are now soon to restore sister machine 2143 056 to traffic, which will be in “blood orange” livery with its original number of 2143.56.

It appears that ‘056 is intended to complement, rather than replace ‘062, as the video linked below (from Facebook) shows them engaged in a multiple-working test on shed at Mistelbach in July 2017 – prior to work on ‘056’s repaint commencing.  I reckon the pair sound pretty good!

Verein Neue Landesbahn also have 2143 070 in 1980s-era livery which is currently in the works at St Pölten – but it is possible that next year may see a fleet of three 2143s available for use on the special trains to Ernstbrunn.

Check out this article which was a preview of Summer 2017’s heritage diesel operations in Austria, to give an indication of what may be in store in 2018!