| The first narrow gauge line I ever saw on the Continent was the Zillertalbahn in the Austrian Tirol. That was back in 1968, I have been back to the area several times since then. My wife and I actually spent our honeymoon in Mayrhofen, which in those days was a fairly sleepy village.
In one sense the Zillertalbahn has benefitted from increasing car traffic because such is the level of traffic these days that congestion on the valley road means that the railway is the fastest way to get about. That was not the case back in 1968 when the improved road had just opened and many feared this would bring about the closure of the railway. The line has always been privately operated, and as well as steam traction on some trains the line is mainly diesel worked with substantial freight flows some of which are illustrated in these views. All the surviving steam locos are different, and include both simple and compound versions of the classic Austrian narrow gage 0-6-2T type produced by Krauss of Linz. By the time of my last visit in 1984 modern railcars were being introduced on the main passenger services with steam still operating on designated tourist trips each day. If you like your trains in spectacular scenery this is the place to go. Long may it continue to serve both the tourists and the people of the valley. |
The Zillertalbahn's oldest operation steam locomotive is 2-cylinder simple 0-6-2T number 2, built to a standard design in 1900 by Krauss of Linz. Carrying the name "Zillertal" the lococ was looking very smart by the coal stage at Jenbach on 28 August 1976 900x558 ZB_2_a_28-8-76.jpg |
Another view of 0-6-2T number 2 at jenbach on 28 August 1976 900x558 ZB_2_b_28-8-76.jpg |
This front end shot of number 2 emphasises the impact of the spark arrester chimney fitted to this engine 873x900 ZB_2_c_28-8-76.jpg |
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At the southern end of the line number 2 is seen at Mayrhofen on 28 August 1976 900x576 ZB_2_d_28-8-76.jpg |
Number 2 is ready to dpeart from Mayrhofen on 28 August 1976 900x576 ZB_2_e_28-8-76.jpg |
This was my very first shot taken at Mayrhofen on 31 August 1968. The engine is compound 0-6-2T number 3, named "Tirol" which had brought us up the valley from the railhead at Jenbach. The train includes some van traffic which was detached at the terminus 900x596 ZB_3_a_31-8-68.jpg |
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From another angle this is number 3 again at Mayrhofen on 31 August 1968 with the old station building still in use. Construction work in the background is a foretaste of the rapid development that would expand this village over the next decade, and two years later the Zillertalbahn had built and opened a brand new bus/rail interchange at this point 900x864 ZB_3_b_31-8-68.jpg |
This was quite literally the end of the line at Mayrhofen in 1968, with number 3 having pulled forward and detached a van. To the left is a standard gauge mineral hopper on a Rollwagen 900x592 ZB_3_c_31-8-68.jpg |
In 1970 the regular steam locomotive in use was number 5 "Gerlos", another 0-6-2T built by Krauss of Linz in 1930 and of altogether much chunkier appearance than its older sisters. This was the scene at Mayrhofen on 11 August 1970 900x602 ZB_5_11-8-70.jpg |
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Number 5 again in the valley just to the north of Mayrhofen on 18 August 1970 at work on the morning tourist train. The valley is quite wide and flat, and the long train presents no problems for this locomotive, but the mountains on both sides of the valley are steep and offer spectacular views. 900x602 ZB_5_a_18-8-70.jpg |
Number 5 seen at Mayrhofen on 18 August 1970 is edging forward before coupling onto its train for the journey backdown the valley to Jenbach 900x616 ZB_5_b_18-8-70.jpg |
Steam blowing off at the safety valves and number 5 is ready for departure from mayrhofen on 18 August 1970 697x900 ZB_5_c_18-8-70.jpg |
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The ZB's number 6 is a dinky 0-4-0T built by Krauss Maffei in Munich in 1916, and which in the 1970s was used for so-called hobby driver trips along the southern end of the line. This view was taken at Mayrhofen on 28 August 1976 900x568 ZB_6_a_28-8-76.jpg |
Number 2 again with its lightweight train of two coaches at Mayrhofen on 28 Augsut 1976 900x568 ZB_6_b_28-8-76.jpg |
This is the Zillertalbahn at work with one of the two powerful diesels bult new for the line by Orenstein and Koppel in 1967 pulling two standard gauge wagons on Rollwagen back to Jenbach. This was a relatively light load for these powerful locomotives 900x587 ZB_D8_12-8-70.jpg |
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This is much more like a realistic load for D8, one of the the two 1967 built diesels, seen here at Mayrhofen on 18 August 1970, with a train of cement hoppers on Rollwagen ready to make the trip back to the main line at Jenbach and then onto the main ÖBB system 900x625 ZB_D8_18-8-70.jpg |
Railcar set VT1 had a complicated history. The two outer cars are Duewag built tramcars which originally operated on a DB owned line. They were sold to the RTM in Rotterdam, who had the centre generator van built in 1963. Upon closure of that line the car moved to the Zillertalbahn in 1966, and was in regular use for a number of years until the new railcars arrived on the line in 1984. This view was taken just north of Mayrhofen on 12 August 1970 900x594 ZB_VT1_a_12-8-70.jpg |
VT1 again in the wide and flat valley just north of Mayrhofen on 12 August 1970. Whilst useful at off-peak times the limited capacity of this unit could be an embarassment if it were to meet a sudden large influx of customers at either Jenbach or Mayrhofen, and tourist traffic can be notoriously unpredictable in volume 900x603 ZB_VT1_b_12-8-70.jpg |
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By 1974 the livery applied to VT1 had been changed to all-over red, as seen in this shot taken at Jenbach on 21 August 1974. It is understood that this unit has now gone back to the Netherlands for preservation 900x558 ZB_VT1_c_21-8-74.jpg |
Railcar VT2 had been built by Talbot of Aachen back in 1954, and ran on the ZB for a number of years. Here it is seen at Mayrhofen with the new bus/rail interchange on 16 August 1970 coupled to two bogie trailers 900x593 ZB_VT2_16-8-70.jpg |
