Schneeberg Railway (cog railway)
The cog railway on the high snow mountain is an existing of three cog railways in Austria and represents a continuation route a section of the Schneebergbahn; they been in operation since 1 January 1997 by the Lower Austrian Schneebergbahn GmbH ( NÖSBB ). The NÖSBB marketed since named Schneebergbahn only their associated gear train part of the way.
The gear train runs on the snow mountain in Lower Austria since 25 September 1897. It is equipped with a track width of one meter, with 9.7 km of track, the longest cog railway in Austria and has the situated on 1795 meters in altitude terminus Hochschneeberg the highest train station in Austria. The base station is located at 577 meters altitude. The train overcomes a difference in altitude of 1218 meters. The maximum gradient is 19.7 percent.
- 5.1 Station Puchberg am Schneeberg
- 5.2 Station Hochschneeberg
History
In the second half of the 19th century the mountain tourism became fashionable. The first shelters in the snow mountain area included already at that time around 10,000 visitors a year. The construction of a cog railway was a natural step. In 1872 there was the first plans to build a cog railway up to the snow mountain. 1885 was an engineer Tauber Vorkonzession for the railway line from Wr. Neustadt to Puchberg am Schneeberg. Based on the Concessionsurkunde of 25 September 1895 for the local train from Wiener Neustadt on the snow mountain with turnoff to Wollersdorf ( Schneebergbahn ) began on December 9, 1895 under the leadership of Viennese engineer Leo Arnoldi the construction of the railway station in Puchberg. The first section up Baumgartner was opened on June 1, 1897, the remaining distance to Hochschneeberg on 25 September 1897.
On 1 January 1899 took over the k.k.priv. Railway Vienna Aspangbahn ( EWA ), the complete facilities and operations services. At this time, the main shareholder of the EWA was the " Société Belge de chemins de fer " in Brussels.
On June 18, 1902 visited Emperor Franz Josef I, the Schneebergbahn and drove her to the high snow mountain. He visited the opened in 1898, the same hotel near the terminus, and the Elisabeth Church. The hotel still exists today under the name of Berghaus Hochschneeberg.
On 1 July 1937, the company was taken over by the Austrian Federal Railways ( BBÖ ) (which means " the amendment of certain provisions of the concession deed dated September 25, 1895 " moved to itself ), but the system remained in the possession of the railway Vienna Aspangbahn. After the incorporation of the EWA in the German Reichsbahn 1938, the operation of the snow mountain railway was also taken from her. On 1 January 1940, the cog railway was nationalized and slammed by the Reich Transport Minister without charge to the shareholder owned by the Reichsbahn.
After the war, 1945, the State Railways continued the Schneebergbahn. 1947 took over the re-established Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB ) operation, and brought him almost unchanged, ie exclusively with steam locomotives until the end of 1996.
On 1 January 1997, a partnership between the Lower Austrian transport organization Ges.mbH ( NÖVOG ) and the Austrian Federal Railways ( ÖBB) was established, which took over the operation of the gear train. The new company name is Niederösterreichische Schneebergbahn GmbH ( NÖSBB ). Only the infrastructure remained in the possession of the ÖBB.
In October 1998, a new building was built at the workshops Puchberg station. In the same year new vehicles were ordered. In the 1999 season the new Salamander railcars came on 24 July for the first time in addition to the traditional steam locomotives used. On September 11, 1999, these were baptized at a ceremony and the new workshop officially put into operation. In order to improve the infrastructure for Berghaus Hochschneeberg was begun with the construction of water supply and sewage disposal plant on the mountain ( which until then only by train was ) so that all the huts connected by 2003 along the route to the sewage system and water supply could be. As part of this also a new power line and fiber optic cable between Puchberg and the Berghaus Hochschneeberg was installed. Thus accounted for the supply and disposal rides that had until then carried out the web in the traffic-free time. By the year 2009, the Damböckhaus and the fisherman's hut could be connected. Since 2003, you can order tickets of Schneebergbahn also via the Internet.
In December 2010, the infrastructure of the snow mountain railway was acquired by the Land of Lower Austria in the framework of an infrastructure takeover pact. At the railway operation, however, this had no significant changes result.
Since 2012, the track is 100 % owned by the NÖVOG.
Rolling stock
Steam train
102 years long the snow mountain railway was operated solely by steam locomotives. This 200 -horsepower locomotives of the series 999 are with minor modifications to the present day in use. Wear the attached to ÖBB- times red and black paint.
To cope with the 1218 meters of altitude on the 9800 -meter-long stretch of the steam required with a total weight of 36 tons 700 kg coal and 4500 gallons of water, with 1500 liters must be taken at the station Baumgartner.
The Schneebergbahn originally had five steam locomotives. 1974 was transferred to Puchberg due to the increased volume of traffic a locomotive of the sheep mountain railway. (2007 sold to Salzburg AG) As a result, the fleet was supplemented by two new cars in lightweight steel construction. All locomotives were fitted with nameplates: 999.01 - Kaiserstein; 999.02 - Klosterwappen; 999.03 - Waxriegel; 999.04 - Stallion; 999.05 - Puchberg; 999 101 - Schneeberg.
In Nostalgia schedule of today a locomotive on holidays and Sundays from July to September and is fueled to order usually only. A steam train brings two of the dark green passenger cars with 100 seats on the snow mountain.
Salamander railcars
On September 11, 1999, two " Salamander " railcars were officially put into operation. For the design was required that it also produced a reference to the nature of the Schneeberg region. As the crowd over several seasons was very large ( 130,000 guests per year ), 2008 decided the Government of Lower Austria to purchase as part of a total investment of € 4 million, another " Salamander" trainset, has been in operation since 2010. A 30.41 m long, 41.25 -ton and up to 15 km / h set consists of control cars, intermediate cars and drive head with 544 kW of power.
Sidecar for transporting goods
Since 2006, the railcar take Güterbeiwagen with the snow mountain. The trailers are called " Baby Salamander " because they are similar in design and shape a reduced Salamander railcars. Thus, the web provides the huts on the mountain snow. After solving the initial problems, the first vehicle has proven in use. In 2008, another was put into operation.
Diesel-electric Baudienstlokomotive
Since May 2010, one of the two produced by Stadler Rail diesel locomotives 14-15 gear is used. The second of the ordered locomotives are leased long-term to the Sheep Mountain Railway.
This locomotive can be used remotely controlled and, since it also has electrical and compressed air connections, used for track work. Since it is used at peak times as a reserve train passenger, her exterior styling was kept in the " Salamander " look.
Preparing for the season
In order for the rides can be met on time early in the season, already weeks before the hard work to rid the body of the track snow begins. By 1964, the snow removal was carried out exclusively with a wedge plow. Then the Lok pioneered with a non- self-propelled high-capacity snow blower their way through the snow. In order to perform effective snow removal today, since the year 1993, a tractor is used with mounted snow blower for Ersträumung the track system.
Route
The ride up the mountain snow begins in the station in Puchberg am Schneeberg ( 577 m). After about one kilometer, the web comes to the stop " Hengsttal ". This station was rebuilt in 2008 and the name of Schneebergdörfl in Hengsttal changed. The occasion was the opening of the gallery of the artist vocabu near the station. After the station " Schneeberg Dörfel " the railway climbs the mountain, " stallion", the foothill of the Schneeberg.
After about a third of the trail follows the stop Hauslitzsattel, a passing loop operation. The course is radio controlled today and can be operated from the locomotive from. When only steam trains were in use, was located at this stop, a water tank, which was dismantled due to lack of demand.
After almost half of the track was completed, the gear train reached the station " Hengsthütte " at an altitude of 1012 m. The nearby at the station Hengsthütte is cultivated throughout the year.
After the station " Hengsthütte ", at 5.9 km, the train reached the station " Ternitzerhütte " at an altitude of 1,231 meters. Between these two stations, one half of the entire route, is also an alternative location, as well as a water station. In good visibility to the passengers opened on the snow mountain massif with the 1888 m high Waxriegel when Köhler house one of the most beautiful views. At this point, the train enters the mountain: From the stallion it goes over a causeway across to the snow mountain.
After 7.3 km the gear train reaches the "Station Baumgartner " at an altitude of 1397 m. The five-minute stay is used by many passengers in order to strengthen the widely known Buchteln run by the owner. The station is also a passing place and water station for the steam trains, the only one that is still in use. Although the railcars here must hold no water, the traditional residence has been maintained even in these trains. As only were exclusively steam trains in operation, each engine had to refuel at one of the original three water stations 1,500 liters. The water had to be brought to the train to the water tanks. Meanwhile, however, a water line was installed, so that each time there is sufficient water available.
Immediately after the station Baumgartner, the train goes through a designated " High Wall" stone embankment, the beginning of the steepest part of the route, which lies almost completely in the maximum slope of 200 per thousand. Here catch rails are mounted next to the tracks in several sections to prevent derailment and crash of carriage ( eg by wind gusts). The train passes through here one of the most important drinking water resources of Austria, the headwaters of the Emperor fountain source in the Hell Valley, which feeds the First Vienna Mountain Spring Pipeline. Therefore, the entire snow mountain was declared a marine reserve. After overcoming the tree line at an altitude of 1660 m, the train enters the alpine zone of the snow mountain. On a clear day opens the passenger before the train plunges into one of the two loop tunnels, the panorama of Krummbach stone and Rax.
The spiral tunnels were built primarily to minimize the need for snow removal. Especially in this passage can snow walls ( cornices ) at an astonishing height. With each meter, with the gains of the train at altitude, to the passenger opened an ever more far-reaching views over the surrounding countryside to the Semmering and Schneealpe. Finally, after passing through the second loop tunnels, reached the cog railway to 9.7 km terminus Hochschneeberg at an altitude of 1796 m. From here led to the 1980s a short field railway track to the Berghaus high snow mountain on which the cargo of the Berghaus was transported with a manually shifted Lore. This was replaced by an extension of the rack railway track.
Stations
Station Puchberg am Schneeberg
Originally had the Schneebergbahn a boiler house for the accommodation of six steam locomotives, which also served as a workshop and a wooden storage building for passenger cars. Since the 1999 season is a built on modern lines stabling and workshops hall available, the office building has been renovated. In this new building, the Salamander railcars and three steam locomotives are housed and maintained. Almost all the work is done here by the Lower Austrian Schneebergbahn own. The old storage building will accommodate currently unused machines and continue to the passenger cars.
Station Hochschneeberg
Initially, there was no station building at the mountain station at Hochschneeberg, for accommodating the staff was built here but later a small building, which was used until 2007 as a mining station. Since this but did not meet the requirements, the Lower Austrian state government decided to construct a new railway station on the snow mountain plateau. Construction began in summer 2007 and was completed in spring 2009. The grand opening of the mountain station took place on July 17, 2009. Here the third, in 2010 procured railcar is housed.
Fire on the snow mountain
In August 1992, sparks triggered from the chimney of a steam locomotive on Hochschneeberg fire out. It was followed by a conflagration, which was favored by the ongoing drought. The fire-fighting operations were difficult because there is no water on the mountain. Several fire departments from the surrounding area helped with the fire fighting, including helicopters and the gear train itself were used. Even in 2008, traces of fire in the landscape were identified.