Höllentalbahn (Niederösterreich)
| Höllentalbahn (Niederösterreich) | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Operation | |
| Owner | Payerbach Hirschwang GmbH |
| Operator(s) |
Austrian Society for Local Railways (ÖGLB) |
| Technical | |
| Line length | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Number of tracks | Single track with passing loops |
| Track gauge | 760 mm (2 ft 5 15⁄16 in) |
| Minimum radius | 60 m (197 ft) |
| Operating speed | 25 km/h (15.5 mph) |
| Maximum incline | 2.5 % |
| Höllentalbahn | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Commercial operations | |
| Original gauge | 760 mm (2 ft 5 15⁄16 in) |
| Original electrification | 550 V DC Overhead line |
| Preserved operations | |
| Owned by | Payerbach Hirschwang GmbH |
| Operated by |
Austrian Society for Local Railways (ÖGLB) |
| Length | 5 km (3.1 mi) |
| Preserved gauge | 760 mm (2 ft 5 15⁄16 in) |
| Preserved electrification | 550 V DC Overhead line |
| Commercial history | |
| Opened | 1918, Freight traffic 1926, Passenger traffic |
| Closed | 1963, Passenger traffic 1982, Freight traffic |
| Preservation history | |
| 1979 | Taken over by the (ÖGLB) |
The Lower Austrian Höllental Railway (German: Höllentalbahn) is a narrow gauge electric railway with a track gauge of 760 mm (2 ft 5 15⁄16 in), which runs from the Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) station of Payerbach Reichenau on the Semmering Railway for approximately five kilometres through the market town of Reichenau an der Rax to Hirschwang.
The railway opened in 1918 to serve a paper mill and was opened to passengers and general goods traffic in 1926. Apart from local commuter traffic the railway also served tourist groups as a feeder for the Rax Cable Car, the first cable car in Austria which also opened in 1926. At the beginning of the 1960s large scale investment was needed, so in 1963 passenger traffic was stopped and replaced by post office buses. The goods traffic, in particular to the paper mill in Hirschwang, continued until 1982.
In 1977 the Austrian Society for Local Railways (ÖGLB) was created, and in 1979 began operating passenger trips for tourists on weekends in the summer. Since other traffic has ceased the ÖGLB has also been responsible for maintenance of the railway. The original operator of the railway, Payerbach Hirschwang GmbH, is still in existence and the legal owner.
The original electrical locomotives E1 to E3 are regarded as icons of the railway. They were originally supplied with several sister locomotives for the building of the Karawanken Railway Tunnel. Constructed in 1903 they rank amongst the oldest electric locomotives still operating anywhere in the world. After several changes they received their characteristic appearance, which lead to the nickname “driving summer-house”. A further electric locomotive (E4) was supplied 1927 by AEG Vienna, however this locomotive was only used for working at Hirschwang.
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Wikipedia