Ybbs Valley Railway
The Ybbstalbahn is a facility located in Lower Austria's wine district and largely disused narrow gauge railway with a track width of 760 mm ( Bosnian gauge). The original route originally followed the valley of the River Ybbs an der Ybbs Waidhofen to market community Lunz am See, where the mountain route begins after Kienberg gaming. In Gstadt also branched off a spur line to Ybbsitz.
On 11 December 2010, the ÖBB- ended operation. Then the infrastructure of Ybbstalbahn was taken over by the province of Lower Austria on 12 December 2010. Since then, only the sections Waidhofen an der Ybbs - Gstadt ( Citybahn Waidhofen the NÖVOG ) and the Ybbsthalbahn mountain route Lunz am See- Kienberg - Gaming ( Museum Train the northeast Lokalbahnen Betriebsges.mbH ) in operation. In summer 2013, the museum railway was extended in the western part of the section Lunz - Gostling. The other sections were blocked since the early summer of 2009 due to storm damage and were adjusted with the takeover by the country.
- 2.1 Historic Photo Gallery
- 2.2 Setting the mountain route and reactivation as a museum railway
- 4.1 Setting the valley section
Route description
Waidhofen an der Ybbs - Lunz am See
The Ybbstalbahn has its starting point at the narrow gauge platform at the train station of Waidhofen an der Ybbs, where the operating facilities such as vehicle depot, workshop and the facilities are housed on the standard gauge for the transhipment of goods. The first train operated several stations in the urban area of Waidhofen that serve the public transport in the first place, 5.5 km follows the Gstadt station, where the line branches off to the side Ybbsitz.
The main route follows on the Ybbs, which will result in two times crossed, the nearest large towns are Opponitz, here is the only tunnel on the Ybbstalbahn, and 25 km Hollenstein an der Ybbs ( Station Great Hollenstein ). From here the route is characterized by small stops away from larger settlements, which are mainly used by hikers during the summer, only in Sankt Georgen am Reith is notable local ridership recorded. At kilometer 44, the location is already in the district Scheibbs tourism community Gostling an der Ybbs is, it is followed by a further nine kilometers, the current terminus of Lunz am See.
The continuation on the Pfaffenschlag after Kienberg gaming and thus the connection to the standard gauge Erlauftalbahn in the district capital Scheibbs was set in May 1988 and is since 1990 as a museum railway Ybbsthalbahn mountain route through the association northeast Lokalbahnen Betriebsges.mbH operated.
The Lunz am See train station was, until the 1970s, starting point of a forest track to the valley of Ois with 700 mm gauge.
Gstadt - Ybbsitz
After Gstadt station the route branches off at a sharp left turn from the main road and crossed on a steel girder bridge, the Ybbs. The path of the valley of the Little Ybbs follows here serves several small stops and ends after just six kilometers in the market town Ybbsitz. The railway crosses it several times the national road at level crossings, which most frequently led in this section to conflict situations with automotive control arms.
Kienberg -Gaming - Gostling ( heritage railway )
As a starting point the museum railway is now the station Kienberg gaming, the former terminus of the kilometrierten of Waidhofen from the main line and at the same time Ybbstalbahn terminus of normalspurigen Erlauftalbahn ÖBB. Thus, the route description according to the practices of the operator is carried out in this direction. In Kienberg gaming are the operational facilities of the train: the engine shed with workshop, which has been increased since the takeover by the ÖGLB, a turntable, and a newly built car parking hall.
Shortly after leaving the station the train crosses the main road to gaming and a little later, on a steel truss bridge, and the road to the Pockaubach Gresten. The lines follows from here to the apex at Pfaffenschlag a steep, wooded mountain slope, at the first stop, the gaming is achieved above the town center. The more open terrain offers here a beautiful panoramic view over the village and the Charterhouse gaming, then dipped the train in a dense high forest, always steep rock sections to be crossed in deep cuts. In this section, the two landmarks of the Mountain Road, two steel viaducts in trestle construction, which otherwise came in Austria only in Stubaitalbahn apply. Both bridges are under monument protection. 2006 was opened the stop Hühnernest just after the chickens nest Viaduct. The maximum gradient is steepest in this section of the Ybbstalbahn 34.4 ‰, which is also the strongest pitch of all Austrian narrow gauge railways with a gauge of 760 mm.
At an altitude of 699 meters the track reaches its apex at Pfaffenschlag, at the same time pass the parallel country road. In the same station the water supply of the steam locomotives is completed, then the route follows the valley of the Bodingbaches on its eastern slope. Again, run the tracks several times incisions in the rock, especially in steep terrain they are laid on massive retaining walls. After the stop Holzapfel, who served at the time of plan operation, especially of timber loading, soon followed by the first houses of the summer Lunz am See, where the railway line runs partly confined space between the roofs of houses and a rock wall. On August 4, 2007 Station Gasthof zur Paula was opened next to the eponymous restaurant and guesthouse. After crossing the Bodingbaches the museum train reached the station of Lunz am See, which was regulated by a treaty, shared with the plan of operation Ybbstalbahn ÖBB until 15 May 2010. After the route was towards Goestling already locked in the summer of 2009 for the schedule, the NÖLB ( Lower Austria Lokalbahnen Betriebsges.mbH ) the control of the railway traffic in Lunz am See train station was handed over from 15 May 2010 by ÖBB. On December 12, 2010, the station is owned by the country's northeast. Since 20 July 2013 the trains of the railway museum to Gostling an der Ybbs.
Ybbsitz station, the terminus of the branch line
Museumslok Yv.2 of Club 598 in Lunz am See
The Chicken Nest grave Bridge ( 2012)
Parked vehicles in the Museum Kienberg gaming station ( 2009)
History
Already in 1870 was intended to build through the valley of Erlauf and the Ybbs a standard gauge railway line from Poechlarn over Kienberg - Gaming to Lunz am See, which should be extended in a later expansion phase Gostling an der Ybbs to Hieflau in the Enns Valley. But the stock market crash of Vienna in 1873 prepared already in the planning project to an abrupt end. From this route, which would have followed essentially the historic Lower Austrian iron road, therefore only the Erlauftalbahn In 1877 was realized.
In the 1980s, representatives of the Ybbstales sought again to the construction of a local train, but only in 1893 were the tough negotiations with the Reich ministries are completed. The Imperial Council adopted yet on 26 December of the same year, a law concerning the manufacture of Ybbsthalbahn.
With Concessionsurkunde of 22 October 1894 for the local course of Waidhofen an der Ybbs after Kienberg Kienberg - Gaming ( Ybbsthalbahn ) the Concessionären has the right to Build and operations of a Locomotiveisenbahn of Waidhofen be executed schmalspurige Localbahn an der Ybbs of the state railway line Amstetten - Kleinreifling over Hollenstein, Gostling and Lunz to CONNECTIONS of the state railway line Poechlarn gaming ( Ybbsthalbahn ) awarded. Even before construction began, it was by a decree of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of 11 September 1895 setting up a joint stock company with the investment capital of 1.612 million guilders.
On June 1, 1895, ground was broken for the first stretch Waidhofen large Hollenstein in Waidhofen was. The opening of this subsection was held on 15 July 1896. Three years later, on May 15, 1898, came to the opening of the second section of wholesale Hollenstein to Lunz am See. In the same year, on November 12, the structurally most difficult third part of Lunz am See was released after Kienberg gaming for traffic. Thus, the construction of the 71 km long railway lasted only three years. The branch line of Gstadt after Ybbsitz was opened to traffic on March 9, 1899.
With the construction of the railway that many families nourishing timber floating was uncompetitive and set. The iron and steel processing industry, however, was better connected to the Erzberg and simultaneously to the main buyers in the Danube region and flourished.
Historical Photo Gallery
Brand new official car DF / s 102
Train with locomotive at the station u.12 Pfaffenschlag, 1898
Train with locomotive at the station u.15 Kienberg - Gaming 1899
Setting of the mountain route and reactivation as a museum railway
This gradient richest section of Ybbstalbahn with a length of 17.5 km was opened in 1898 and linked the upper Ybbstal to Lunz am See and Gostling an der Ybbs with the Erlauftal and the connection to the standard gauge with the district capital Scheibbs. The migration of the passenger potential on the private car and buses on the faster road connection to the Grubberg, as well as the flow of goods via Waidhofen an der Ybbs led to a steady decline of revenue, which brought the mountain route around since the 1970s and over again in setting discussions. This development eventually led in May 1988 actually terminating the operation.
In order to forestall erosion on the track, the club ÖGLB founded (Austrian Society for Local Railways ), who has successfully operated the Lower Austrian Höllentalbahn as a museum railway at this point, the operating company NÖLB ( Niederösterreichische local railways ), in 1990 the museum operating on the land leased from the ÖBB route could open under the name " Ötscherland Express".
Economic Importance
The economic importance of Ybbstalbahn was very large especially from its completion in 1898 until about 1960. Today, major corporations like Welser Profile or the Böhler-Uddeholm Group have their main plants in Ybbsitz and Böhlerwerk and were for many years the main employer in the region. The strong links with the industry and its need for fast loading and transport, the railway became itself also an important employer.
Development in the 21st century
2006 and 2007 the route of the Ybbstalbahn of floods der Ybbs was damaged in several places, which had in the section between Great Hollenstein and Lunz plant shutdowns, rail replacement bus service from several months to order. Both times were corrected only after months, the damage it but only the navigability of the route was guaranteed. The fixing many speed restrictions, however, was not undertaken. Last was the school transport as the main pillar of the route to Lunz am See. With the timetable change in December 2008, the offer was further reduced due to the longer, due to the speed restrictions journey times on the track and changed the student transportation on buses. At the same time the offer of the branch line to Ybbsitz was reduced to only one pair of trains in winter timetable on weekdays with the timetable change in December 2008.
Setting of the valley section
A presented in November 2008 study by the transport planners of Lower Austria Friedrich Zibuschka recommended the complete cessation of Ybbstalbahn and its replacement by a network of bus routes. This would be much cheaper than clean and the continued operation of the train according to the study. On the railway line a bike path to be built, the section of Goestling to Lunz am See was the club ÖGLB offered an extension of his heritage railway operation. A joint initiative of clubs per Ybbstalbahn and Club 598 had collected about 5,700 signatures to obtain the Ybbstalbahn to November 2008. A decision was originally expected to Easter 2009, but postponed several times. In the meantime, there were private initiatives to establish a cooperative that should a euro acquire the Ybbstalbahn by the federal government and are looking for a provider for it. These plans are also supported by probahn, the Greens and ex- ÖBB boss Rüdiger vorm Walde.
In the early summer of 2009, in the wake of heavy rainfall in Ybbstal to landslides at several places between Gstadt and Great Hollenstein and in Ybbsitz, railway operations has since led to the short section to Gstadt in the rail replacement bus service with buses. Volunteers granted without the consent of the ÖBB route to a resumption of railway operations was, however, not despite announcement of ÖBB spokesman. In January 2010, the acquisition of several (already set in part ) branch lines, including the Ybbstalbahn were announced by the province of Lower Austria.
The Bayerische Oberland Bahn expressed interest in taking over the track, the province of Lower Austria, the purchase offer, however, referred to as completely absurd and the traffic quality is not better than the buses and rejected as expected. After another, remained without surcharge search for interested parties in September 2010, the province of Lower Austria took over on 12 December 2010, the Ybbstalbahn. The section Waidhofen an der Ybbs - Gstadt has since been operated by the NÖVOG as Citybahn Waidhofen. The sections Gstadt - Ybbsitz and Gstadt - Lunz am See have been set. As a re-use of the railway line is the construction of a cycle path to the discussion. A few days before the Lower Austrian Landtag election in 2013 promised Governor Erwin Pröll check again to make the preservation of the valley section option after the election. He believes it is realistic that the operation of the web can be a positive development, together with a newly built bike path for tourism in the Ybbstal.
On 15 April 2013, the first course Waidhofen a d Ybbs - Gstadt back and was hired because looked disturbed at the level crossings due to the early morning whistle of the railcar, the residents of the railway line.