Schneeberg Railway

This article is about the Schneeberg Railway in the Vienna Basin, with standard gauge and narrow gauge sections. For the cog railway, see Schneeberg Railway (cog railway).

Schneeberg Railway - main section Wiener Neustadt−Puchberg am Schneeberg
Puchberg am Schneeberg station Left: the tracks of the cog railway. Right: the standard gauge railway
Overview
Line number	163
Technical
Line length	28.205 km (17.526 mi)
Track gauge	1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Minimum radius	150 m (490 ft)
Maximum incline	5.2%
Route map elev (M) or length (m) in metres km km elev (M) or length (m) in metres Southern Railway to Vienna Südbahnhof -1.519 Wiener Neustadt Hbf Mattersburg Railway to Sopron Wiener Neustadt Schneeberg 0.000 Aspang Railway to Aspang Southern Railway to Spielfeld-Straß 1.047 B 26 2.105 Wiener Neustadt Anemonensee 3.674 A 2 Süd Autobahn 280 M 0.000 5.289 Bad Fischau-Brunn 280 M ~6.300 Bad Fischau 0.686 6.598 Brunn an der Schneebergbahn A 2 Süd Autobahn 1.657 8.611 Weikersdorf Vienna High Source Line 8.793 Vienna High Source Line MABA siding 2.997 ~10.300 Curti limestone works Feuerwerksanstalt 3.054 10.408 Prossetbach Stainer siding 3.311 10.545 Winzendorf 332 M to Steinabrückl 12.850 Urschendorf B 21b 3.644 ~14.300 Strelzhof A 2 Süd Autobahn 4.852 Willendorf−Neunkirchen Railway to Neunkirchen Gutenstein Railway to Wittmannsdorf 15.410 Willendorf 385 M 328 M Wöllersdorf 5.519 16.120 Rothengrub Gutenstein Railway to Gutenstein 17.525 Unterhöflein 20.607 Grünbach am Schneeberg 557 M 22.143 Grünbach School ~22.800 Grünbacher coal works 22.988 Grünbach coal works 23.992 summit 678 M 26.809 Rigips & Co. 26.820 Pfenningbach 26.850 Pfenningbach 590 M 27.831 Pfenningbach 0,577 M rack railway 0.000 28.010 Puchberg am Schneeberg 577 M 1,796 M Hochschneeberg 9.805

The Schneeberg Railway (German: Schneebergbahn) is a local railway line in Lower Austria running from Wiener Neustadt to the Hochschneeberg mountain.

Location

Between Wiener Neustadt and Puchberg am Schneeberg (the main section) it runs as a standard gauge adhesion railway, and on the Puchberg am Schneeberg–Hochschneeberg extension as a narrow-gauge cog railway . The main section from Wiener Neustadt to Puchberg am Schneeberg had a branch to Wöllersdorf from the outset. The section built later from Sollenau to Feuerwerksanstalt (extension) is now closed and renaturalised.

The line's name - the Schneeberg Railway (Schneebergbahn) - was not only used in the title of the original operating company, the Schneeberg Railway Company Limited, (Actiengesellschaft der Schneebergbahn), but has also been adopted by its latest operator, the Lower Austrian Schneeberg Railway Company (Niederösterreichsche Schneebergbahn GmbH or NÖSBB) founded on 1 January 1997. However, the NÖSBB uses the name Schneebergbahn only for the cog railway section of the route.

Management

Whilst the operation of the standard gauge section of the Schneeberg Railway is handled by the ÖBB, the management of the narrow-gauge rack railway is carried out by the Lower Austrian Schneeberg Railway Company founded in 1997, in which the state of Lower Austria - in the guise of the "Lower Austrian Transport Organization Company" (NÖVOG) - and the ÖBB each have a 50 percent share.

The journey time on the main section from Wiener Neustadt to Puchberg am Schneeberg takes regional trains approximately 45 minutes on the non-electrified single track. On average 15 to 20 Regionalzüge trains run in each direction daily.

The Schneeberg Railway on the extension line from Puchberg am Schneeberg to the Hochschneeberg is a narrow gauge rack railway that has become an important tourist attraction in southern Lower Austria, transporting 120000–130000 registered guests per year.

The journey up the mountain takes 53 minutes using modern coaches. Heritage trips using steam traction and the original carriages still take 1 hour, 17 minutes. The trains to the Hochschneeberg run hourly depending on demand. Adverse weather conditions can cause restrictions or changes to the train service. Services are operated from late April to late October depending on the weather. In addition, in April, special trips to the Hengst Hut are added.

Railway lines in the Wiener Neustadt region

Schneeberg Railway extension Puchberg am Schneeberg–Hochschneeberg cog railway Cog railway on the Hochschneeberg Overview Line number 198 01 Service Route number 523 Technical Line length 9.851 km (6.121 mi) Rack system System Abt Track gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) Minimum radius 80 m (260 ft) Operating speed 15 km/h (9.3 mph) max. Maximum incline 19.6% Route map km elev (M) or length (m) in metres 0.000 Puchberg am Schneeberg 577 M 0.205 Sebastianbach 1.098 Hengsttal 613 M 3.040 Hauslitzsattel 824 M 4.523 Hengsthütte 1,012 M 5.060 5.940 Ternitzer Hütte 1,231 M "Kaltwassersattel" ("cold water saddle") 7.360 Baumgartner 1,398 M "Hohe Mauer" ("High Wall") 8.532 tunnel 1 177 m 8.886 tunnel 2 202 m 9.672 Hochschneeberg   relocated 1,795 M 9.805 Hochschneeberg 2009   1,796 M 9.851 end of track until 2009

Schneeberg Railway Bad Fischau-Brunn−Wöllersdorf branch Wöllersdorf station – junction with the Gutenstein Railway Overview Line number 166 Technical Line length 5.519 km (3.429 mi) Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Minimum radius 170 m (560 ft) Maximum incline 2.0% Route map to Wiener Neustadt 0.000 Bad Fischau-Brunn 280 M to Puchberg am Schneeberg 0.686 Bad Fischau 1.657 A 2 Süd Autobahn Vienna High Source Line 2.997 MABA siding 3.054 Feuerwerksanstalt 3.311 Stainer siding to Steinabrückl 3.644 B 21b 4.852 A 2 Süd Autobahn Gutenstein Railway to Wittmannsdorf 5.519 Wöllersdorf 328 M Gutenstein Railway to Gutenstein

Schneeberg Railway Feuerwerksanstalt–Sollenau link line Feuerwerksanstalt. Right near the road: the trackbed of the Schneeberg line Technical Track gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) Route map km to Bad Fischau-Brunn 8.8 Feuerwerksanstalt to Wöllersdorf Gutenstein Railway to Wöllersdorf 6.9 Steinabrückl Gutenstein Railway to Wittmanndorf Vienna High Source Line Southern Railway ← to Felixdorf│to Leobersdorf → Aspang Railway to Felixdorf Ebenfurth–Wittmannsdorf railway to Ebenfurth 0.0 Sollenau (AR) Ebenfurth–Wittmannsdorf railway to Wittmannsdorf Aspang Railway to Tattendorf

Photos

• 
  The original locomotive No. 22 Klaus was operated by the ÖBB as 92.2220 until the 1960s
• 
  Boundary stone for the Schneeberg Railway
• 
  Willendorf station
• 
  An ÖBB 5047 at Puchberg station
• 
  Two-car set of Class 5147 at Brunn Halt
• 
  Steam engine monument
• 
  The Schneeberg Railway and its neighbouring lines around 1915 (special map of the state records

See also

• Austrian Federal Railways

Sources

• Alfred Niel: Der Schneeberg und seine Bahn, Verlag Kurt Wedl, Melk 1967
• Informationsbroschüre der Österreichischen Bundesbahnen: Die Schneebergbahn seit 1897, ÖBB 1992
• Slezak: Vom Schiffskanal zur Eisenbahn – Wiener Neustädter Kanal und Aspang Railway (2. Auflage), Verlag Josef Otto Slezak, Wien 1989
• Alfred Luft: 75 Jahre Schneebergbahn 1897–1972, Verlag Verein der Freunde der Murtalbahn, Murau 1972
• Slezak: Schneebergbahn bei Wien (ESA Heft Nr. 18), Verlag Josef Otto Slezak, Wien 1985

External links

• Austrian Federal Railways (in German)
• Lower Austriaische Schneebergbahn (in German)
• Gemeinde Puchberg