Innviertel locomotive Safari: December 2005. Report by Charlie Hulme
Around 1990 my wife and I made a number of journeys to Austria in the
sleeping cars of Train 225, the Oostende - Wien Express, which is sadly
no longer an option. It was a feature of this train that fresh bread
rolls would be provided for breakfast, and these would be loaded on to
the train during its early-morning call at Schärding, the first
stop in Austria. That trivial fact was all I knew about Schärding
until 2005, when it came to our attention that the branch lines in that
area might still be a place to find short trains hauled by diesel
locomotives, similar to the kind of thing I try to portray on my model
railway. Further research revealed that the town itself was an
attractive place with many well-kept old buildings, including the
so-called 'Silberzeile' of baroque frontages in the main square, seen
in my picture above. So off we went, travelling by air this time,
arriving on 9 December 2005 for a few days' stay.
We'd like to thank all the people of the Innviertel, especially the
railway staff, and the fine people at the marvellous Hotel Gugerbauer in
Schärding who made us so welcome. Thanks also to Heinrich
Seitner for his excellent report 'Das Rieder Kreuz' on the railways
of the area on the Digitale
Eisenbahn Fotoarchiv. As Mr Seitner says, little about these
lines has been published on the web.
Here's Schärding station, with 5047 046-4, one of the
railcars which are common on Austrian non-electrified branches. The
station has a very traditional Austrian track layout, combined
with a very well-built and well-kept modern station building.
Here, on 14 December passengers head for Track 2 to board main
line local train E 5913 08:07 Passau to Linz, formed of a 'City
Shuttle' push-pull set powered by electric locomotive 1142
682-2.
The same misty morning, A Germany-bound mixed freight passes, hauled by
a German loco. This train included that staple of model railway
manufacturers, a wagon loaded with wagon wheelsets.
Although we saw no passenger trains worked by my favourite type of
loco, the 2043 diesel-hydraulic, one did appear at Schärding each
morning to deal with the local freight traffic. This is 2043 012-0
in the sidings at Schärding on 12 December.Threatened with
extinction for some years now, it seems this class is making a small
comeback.
Schärding is a great place for railfans to watch operations; much
freight loading and shunting takes place right opposite the platform,
and if not much is happening there is always the station buffet! This
bogie wagon has just been loaded with timber using a grab-fitted lorry,
which has departed leaving the gentleman pictured here with the task of
fastening the load using the straps which travel rolled-up on the side
of the wagon. This involves partially unrolling each strap and then
hurling it with as much force as can be mustered in the hope of
clearing the load and getting it to the other side of the wagon ready
to be fastened.
This is the station building at Antiesenhofen befween Schärding
and Ried: what a nice model it would make.
So off we went in a 5047, working train R.3472 11:49, Schärding to
Attnang -Puchheim, changing at Ried im Innkreis (above) - the 'Clapham
Junction' of the area, where trains converge to make connections.
Pasengers board R.5973 11:51 Simbach - Neumarkt (right) and we head for
the Braunau-bound train R.5970, 12:11 from Neumakt on the far track;
the unit on the left will start from here at 12:35 as R.3473 to
Schärding.
Sadly we saw no sign of any loco-hauled trains on the Schärding -
Attnang-Puchheim branch, but we had great hopes of the Neumarkt-Kalham
to Braunau am Inn line, which intersects it at Ried im Innkreis.
At the station of Mining we wait to cross a train towards Ried, and
Eureka! It's R.5975 12:55 Braunau - Neumarkt with 2016 093-3 in
charge.
Resisting the temptation to jump off and hurry across the platform, we
contented ourselves with a couple of pictures.
At Braunau, time for a very quick look around the town. Braunau is not
a terminus: the line continues beyond the station, through the endge of
the town and across a long steel truss bridge over the Inn river to the
Bavarian town of Simbach am Inn, and beyond to Mühldorf and
München with services operated by the Deutsche Bundesbahn.
We returned to the station to find R.5991, the 13:55 to
Neumarkt-Kalham, waiting with a 2016 at the head in track 2
(background) while 2016 070-1 (foreground) backed on to two
coaches in track 1 to form the 14:02 to Steindorf bei Strasswalchen, on
the Westbahn main line not far from Salzburg, Braunau's other line.
Both trains were well-loaded, mostly with school students.
We made our way to the Neumarkt train for the return journey to Ried in
Innkreis.
Alighting at Ried we encountered 2016 093-3 on its way
back to Braunau with R.5974 14:11 Neumarkt to Braunau and
Simbach.
A quick trip across the icy platforms to take a picture of the train
we'd ridden, with 2016 073-5. The Neumarkt - Simbach
train waits on the left.
Ried im Innkreis station features a tootbridge carrying a public
right-of-way across the layout. Here's the general view from the
bridge, with much freight traffic in evidence. In the distance a red
speck....
... Yes, another 2016 doing a spot of shunting in the goods depot. Oil
tankers are the principal traffic.
After a stroll round the town and a visit to a fine Cafe-Konitorei, we
returned to the station for our railcar back to Schärding, in time
to note another loco-hauled working, R.5990, 16:35 Neumarkt to Braunau,
making its call.
Finally a look at the main line north from Schärding to the border
and Passau. These two pictures, taken by my wife Joanna on Sunday 11
December, are at a level
crossing on the recommended walk along the Inn and back to
Schärding. This is a Class 1016 electric hauling Eurocity EC 25,
Dortmund to Budapest ...
And this Class 1044 is at the head of E.5914, the 08:00 Wien - Passau
'Erlebniszug Donau'. Although a normal advertised service train, the
consist of this train includes two coaches restored to original green
livery, and on the rear a blue Wagons-Lits restaurant car.
Across the border - not that there are any border guards or other
formalities - Passau station: 1142 658-2 has just arrived with
its City Shuttle set as R.5912, 09:17 Linz - Passau.
The DB still uses some locos on local trains. This is RB.32164,
11:13 to Regensburg, with ex-East German loco 143 275-6 on the
rear ready to depart.
The Silberzeile by night - and a farewell (for now) to the Innviertel.
Created by Charlie Hulme, December
2005. Comments very welcome at info@davenportstation.org.uk