Steyrtalbahn 125th Anniversary Train, 2014

The Steyrtalbahn's 125th anniversary train ran on 19th August 2014, the precise date of the anniversary of the line's opening in 1889 as the first 760mm gauge line in Austria. The loco is no 2 "Sierning" (Krauss Linz 1994/1888), the loco which hauled the first train and one of three built for the railway's opening. They were the first of the Austrian 760mm gauge 0-6-2T's. Until recently it has run as OBB no 298.102. The line was closed by the OBB in 1982 and has been run by an enthusiast group since 1985.

The line normally runs only at weekends and was opened specially for the day, charging a normal ticket price despite including several runpasts. It loaded to 8 full 4-wheeled carriages. The photo stops weren't over-successful as many of the passengers were locals who didn't really understand the needs of photographers, but then it wasn't primarily a gricing day, and anyway the weather was mostly poor. I was one of at least 4 Brits on the train. Numerous people were in period dress and enjoyed posing next to the loco at most of the stops.

The loco raising steam outside the loco shed at Grunburg, the line's southern terminus and its operating centre, just after sunrise:

This is 498.04 (Krauss Linz 1512/1929) in the shed at Grunburg, one of 8 of these locos built for the state railway between 1929 and 1931. Together with a similar loco on the Zillertalbahn they were the last of the Austrian 0-6-2T's. It's in working order.

This is no 6 "Klaus" (Krauss Linz 6925/1914), the last loco built for the Steyrtalbahn before it was taken over by the state railway in 1931. It was in steam at Steyr Lokalbahnhof, the northern terminus, as spare loco but in the event wasn't needed.

This is at Grunburg waiting to set off on the return trip to Steyr. 

At the end of the trip the train ran back to Grunburg as an empty train. Happily by then the sun had come out properly and most of the passengers had departed other than the clerical gentleman talking to the driver at Steyr Lokalbahnhof.

Finally the empty train sets off from Steyr.