European Railroad Discussion > Vordernberg Rack Line In Austria

Am looking for some info to go with some film I shot in 1974.  After steam was gone in 1978 I lost track of info.
(1) Did the rails go all the way to Eisenerz, and if so was that where the ore was loaded on cars, or was that in Probichl?
(2) Am looking for info on the class 97 steam engines.  How many were built and when, and what happened to them all.
(3) I believe there was at least one larger engine, a class 197?  I think it was a 0-12-0T, but have no info on it.  I did get at least
one film clip.  
(4) In the one film clip there is a 97 class leading a 197 behind the cars, and a red diesel behind it.  I believe in the next scene further up, the diesel was
gone....What was the diesel, and was it cog or just a regular OBB diesel that pushed them out of the yard.  How many were built for this cog line, and info
on them.
I couldn't seem to find much online about the above.
Oh, here are a couple of photos I scanned awhile back that might of interest on this line.
Thanks in advance,
Greg Scholl
 

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Check with the folks at the Museum.

https://www.erzbergbahn.at
 

Greg, I did a partially successful web search, so you've probably already found this info.
 < < (1) Did the rails go all the way to Eisenerz, and if so was that where the ore was loaded on cars, or was that in Probichl? > >

Built in 1890-91 as the "Erzberg Railway", the line ran between Vordernberg and Eisenerz, using the Abt cog system.  The railway carried iron ore from the Erzberg Mine on the eastern outskirts of Eisenerz.  The summit of the line was Prabichi, which was the highest railway station in Austria.  At some point, the line was taken over by the Austrian Federal Railways (OBB).  As you mentioned, they used steam until 1978.  The OBB mothballed the line in 1988 after the mine ceased production.  OBB had removed the cog rail.....leased the line to the Erzberg Railway Assn, and in 2003, the association was able to purchase the line from OBB.  The association runs passenger trains on the line using a fleet of blue and cream railbusses.  There is a railway museum in Vordernberg near their terminous.  I found very little information on the internet concerning the railway, the railway's locomotives, or the museum in Vordernberg.

 

lynnpowell Wrote:
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> Greg, I did a partially successful web search, so
> you've probably already found this info.
>  < < (1) Did the rails go all the way to
> Eisenerz, and if so was that where the ore was
> loaded on cars, or was that in Probichl? > >
>
> Built in 1890-91 as the "Erzberg Railway", the
> line ran between Vordernberg and Eisenerz, using
> the Abt cog system.  The railway carried iron ore
> from the Erzberg Mine on the eastern outskirts of
> Eisenerz.  The summit of the line was Prabichi,
> which was the highest railway station in
> Austria.  At some point, the line was taken over
> by the Austrian Federal Railways (OBB).  As you
> mentioned, they used steam until 1978. 

The OBB
> mothballed the line in 1988 after the mine ceased
> production. 

Lynn, Yes I saw this thing under a different link I believe
the part above about mothballing the line in 1988 was new to me.
Thanks for that.  I have already written my script but if I can find out
more info I can surely insert it in the next few days.
   I did find a few photos, but generally they had little info with them.
I know a ton of folks shot this line in the steam days, cause there was a huge
register at this Hotel in Vordernburg where fans signed the book and left railfan messages.
I wish I had shot a picture of this mammoth book, that almost looked Biblical!
Greg

gregschollvideo.com

 

Yes, the ore was transferred in Eisenerz. Here some pictures from the ore bunkers, with a class 197 (0-12-0) rack engine switching some cars (October 1971). Only three engines of this type were built in 1912 and were supposedly the most powerful rack steam engines at the time. Interestingy, they were built with saturated steam. Not sure if they ever were converted to superheated steam, but they receved the Giesl ejector type of stack.

Thomas Eckhardt
Hurricane UT



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/14/19 15:31 by Krokodil.

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Great visits to Vordernberg in both summer and here in Winter 1973.
John McIvor
http://svsfilm.com

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gregscholl Wrote:
> (4) In the one film clip there is a 97 class
> leading a 197 behind the cars, and a red diesel
> behind it.  I believe in the next scene further
> up, the diesel was
> gone....What was the diesel, and was it cog or
> just a regular OBB diesel that pushed them out of
> the yard.  How many were built for this cog line,
> and info
> on them.

There was a single cog diesel, built in 1962 as a demo by SGP following their similar units built for CSD a year earlier.  An 0-8-0 with siderod drive and a separate drive for the rack, it was originally numbered [ naturally ] 2097.01 -- but when it was purchased by the ÖBB a few years later it was numbered 2085.01, and if you search the internet with that info you'll find plenty of information.  Photos of it in road service are not common.

SZ