European Railroad Discussion > An Afternoon on Semmering Pass, Austria

On September 23, 2024 I spent the afternoon in Semmering, Austria at the summit of Semmering Pass on the line south from Vienna. Semmering is located between two tunnels and is a UNESCO world heritage site. Like other famous grades across the alpine region, this one will soon be bypassed by a new base tunnel between Gloggnitz and Mürzzuschlag. Local passenger trains will continue to travel the original scenic line.

1. Adjacent to the station in Semmering is this vintage rail diesel car on display next to some kind of railway building, possibly once a substation.

2. I started out above the tunnel portal on the south side of Semmering which provides this panoramic view. A southbound railjet is just departing with a non-matching OBB 1216-class Siemens Taurus.

3. The next railjet rolled through without stopping with a proper, matching OBB 1116-class Siemens Taurus. The platform to the right is not accessible and not in use. And not a freight train in sight!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/10/25 16:12 by NMlurker.

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There is a pedestrian hiking trail over Semmering Pass that provides excellent access in the Semmering area. The right edge of the tunnel portal on the north side of Semmering is just visible to the right of the gray, metal pole in the foreground. There is no shot of the tunnel without being on railway property.

4. The first freight arrives behind an OBB 1116-class Taurus and an 1144-class on a train of gondolas filled with scrap metal. Pretty sure they were Czech CD Cargo cars.

5. And speaking of the Czech Republic, the next train of interest was another railjet passenger but in the attractive blue and white scheme of Ceske Drahy (CD), the federal railway of the Czech Republic. We will see this train again later.

6. I had no sooner packed up to move to another location along the trail when this train popped out of the tunnel and I barely got a shot off. Two Ceske Drahy (CD) 193-class Vectrons lead a train of partially enclosed loaded autoracks, likely Skoda-built vehicles.

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Wonderful shots!  And good explanations.  

7. Too bad you can't see from this nose-on shot but the side of this OBB 1116-class loco says "Rail Cargo Hungaria Member of OBB." There are several of these with this paint scheme. The train was entirely empty stake-side flat cars.

8. Obviously not a properly lit shot but a very interesting train of empty Groupe CAT autoracks behind three Vectrons in three different paint schemes. The lead unit is a CD in white and blue, the second is a Cargounit operated by CD Cargo (black with red graphics), and third is a European Locomotive Leasing unit lettered CZ Train.

9. I would see this locomotive two or three times around Vienna. It is an OBB 1216-class Taurus in a special scheme that declares "world record 357 km/h". I do not know where this speed was attained (223 mph). Note the tunnel portal above the rear of the locomotive and the pedestrian path at the left.

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10. An OBB 1293-class Vectron in my preferred large 'OBB' lettering scheme brings a unit tank car train through Semmering.

11. Two stealth mode EuroSprinters (ES 64) make a light engine move. They are owned by the Swiss transport company HUPAC but registered in Germany. Not sure who is operating these. Interestingly, above the right buffer it says "Siemens Krauss Maffei".

12. And now a mismatched railjet: a red OBB 1216-class Taurus with a minor addition to its paint scheme - six stars and the phrase "part of the best" - and a Ceske Drahy railjet set in blue and white.

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13. My favorite shot of a freight because it is running 'wrong' main and provides a better 3/4 angle plus a very clean 1144-class followed by an 1116-class on another scrap metal train. My notes say that the cars were ermewa and rail cargo Hungaria.

14. A northbound railjet makes use of the third main track with a non-matching OBB 1116-class somewhat the worse for wear on the nose.

15. Followed shortly by another northbound railjet with a 1216-class Taurus pushing. The shadows are encroaching. What happened to all the matching railjet locomotives? And all the while I was coveting that white house that I wondered may have been railway-related at one time.

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16. Now back to the station platform I record a northbound empty autorack (ARS Altmann) behind a Railpool 6193-class Vectron.

17. A southbound OBB freight with an 1144-class and 'large print' 1293-class Vectron with a train of flat cars loaded with vans. I enjoy these almost as much as the loaded open autorack trains.

18. And here is the CD railjet that we saw earlier coming back north. Given the cycle time (one hour, thirty minutes) I will guess that it went as far as Bruck an der Mur.

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19. At this point I am waiting for my train back to Vienna but the trains kept coming. Two 1144-class electrics have emerged from the tunnel with an empty PKPCargo (Polish) coal train.

20. Ah, here is one of the 1116-class OBB railjet locomotives that actually match the railjet coaches on a southbound train that did not stop at Semmering.

21. OBB's version of a rock/ballast transport train. For those in the US I would say 'GREX-style.' An 1144-class and a large print 1293-class team up on this one. The tunnel portal is just barely visible at the far right.

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22. I think every hour or so there was one these EMUs that I now see have a subtly different labeling: S-Bahn Steiemark for suburban train Styria, the name for this region of Austria. As this is a southbound train still not my train but I liked the signal indication.

23. The shadows are growing longer as another through railjet emerges from the tunnel in push mode.

24. The above train being pushed by an OBB 1216-class Siemens Taurus. This would be the final shot that I took as the shadows completely overtook the tracks.

There would be three more trains before I boarded the northbound 4:47 PM railjet back to Vienna. There was a southbound railjet with an OBB 1216-class loco and Ceske Drahy railjet cars. An unusual 1116/1116/track inspection vehicle/1116 OBB northbound move. A northbound OBB mixed freight behind an 1144-class and 1016-class EuroSprinter. My notes record Mobiler containers, tank cars, eurailpool cars with "little yellow bins," and empty ARS Altmann autoracks. As I was coming down the mountain above Payerbach-Reichenau horseshoe curve I could see this train way down below across the valley east of Payerbach-Reichenau. It was a thoroughly enjoyable day on Semmering Pass.

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NMlurker Wrote:
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> 8. Obviously not a properly lit shot but a very
> interesting train of empty Groupe CAT autoracks
> behind three Vectrons in three different paint
> schemes. The lead unit is a CD in white and blue,
> the second is a Cargounit operated by CD Cargo
> (black with red graphics), and third is a European
> Locomotive Leasing unit lettered CZ Train.

The third locomotive was likely picked up at
Krieglach following repairs.

NMlurker Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> 10. An OBB 1293-class Vectron in my preferred
> large 'OBB' lettering scheme brings a unit tank
> car train through Semmering.
>
> 11. Two stealth mode EuroSprinters (ES 64) make a
> light engine move. They are owned by the Swiss
> transport company HUPAC but registered in Germany.
> Not sure who is operating these. Interestingly,
> above the right buffer it says "Siemens Krauss
> Maffei".

Siemens bought Krauss Maffei AG the largest
locomotive builder at the time, when Siemens
decided to do more then just build electrical
equipment for locomotives. After the Euro-
sprinters were replaced by Vectrons they
dropped the reference to Krauss Maffei.

I show ES64U2-101 as leased to Bahnlogistik24 GmbH
out of Dresden, Germany.
 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/05/25 15:08 by SOO6617.

Thanks for that additional information.

Nice set!

That 5144 in your first photo has an interesting history:  Built in 1951 by SGP it is from the first class of the postwar Austrian railcars, and all five used as a starting point control trailers built in 1938 for the prewar VT44 / 5044 class.

I think the building in that photograph might be a former substation  [ Trafohaus ] rather than a control point.

Best, SZ