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Schneeberg Railway - branch
Bad Fischau-Brunn−Wöllersdorf
Schneeberg Railway - branch; Bad Fischau-Brunn−Wöllersdorf
	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
Route map
	Legend

Schneeberg Railway extension
Puchberg am Schneeberg–Hochschneeberg cog railway
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
Route map
	Legend

Schneeberg Railway - main section
Wiener Neustadt−Puchberg am Schneeberg
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
Route map
	Legend

Schneeberg Railway - link line
Sollenau (Aspang Railway)−Feuerwerksanstalt

Feuerwerksanstalt. Right near the road: the
trackbed of the Schneeberg line

Technical

Track gauge

1,435 mm (4 ft 81⁄2 in)

Route map

Legend

					Aspang Railway from Vienna
					from Wittmannsdorf
				0,0	Sollenau Aspang Railway
					Aspang Railway to Felixdorf
					to Ebenfurth
					to Felixdorf
					to Felixdorf
					Southern Railway
					Bridge Spring water pipeline
					Gutenstein Railway from Wittmanndorf
				6,9	Steinabrückl
					Gutenstein Railway to Wöllersdorf
					Branch from Wöllersdorf
				8,8	Feuerwerksanstalt
					Branch to Bad Fischau-Brunn

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

Location

From Wiener Neustadt to Puchberg am Schneeberg it runs as a standard gauge, adhesion railway (main section) and from Puchberg am Schneeberg to the Hochschneeberg as a narrow-gauge, cog railway (extension).^[1] 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.^[2]

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.^[2]

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 laid on.^[3]

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

References

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