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A brief history of the MariazellerbahnOne might ask: Why build a railway through such difficult terrain, using mainline construction standards despite the narrow gauge, just to reach a small town surrounded by high mountains? Had it something to do with the rich commercial value of the forests in the region, promising prosperous goods traffic? Well, while the rich amount of wood alone was ample justification for building what was then a modern transportation system for goods, the main reason for the development of the Mariazellerbahn was for the transportation of passengers.Mariazell was and still is one of the most important Catholic sanctuaries of Central Europe, not only for the German speaking Austrians, but also for the Magyar (Hungarian) and Catholic Slavonic peoples from deep within the borders of the former Austro-Hungarian empire. They all made a pilgrimage to the church of "Magna Mater Austriae" - the great mother of Austria - regardless of their language or ethnic origin. The carved wooden statue of our Lady of Mariazell dates back to the 13th century and she alone might know how many people have walked over the "via sacra", the Holy Road to the sanctuary in a far away corner of Styria. Mariazell was possibly the busiest tourist resort in Central Europe, if you consider pilgrimage as the earliest kind of tourism. Typically the town was overcrowded, regardless whether it was a holiday or not. No wonder that the emergence of railways was watched with increasing interest by the local authorities. First attempts to get a rail link date back to the mid-19th century, when the western railway from Vienna to Salzburg was built. But it was not until 1898 that the first section of rail line from St. Pölten to Kirchberg was opened, together with the branch line from Ober Grafendorf to Mank. Due to the difficult mountainous terrain and financal considerations, it was decided that the railway should be a narrow gauge line of 760 millimetres, a standard set by military authorities. The owner and operator was the "Niederösterreichische Landesbahnen" (Lower Austrian Provincial Railways), the first trains running with the 0-6-2 U-class and four wheel coaches with open balconies, that were common on minor railway in Austria in those times. Building the difficult extension took eight years. The first goods trains reached Mariazell in December, 1906, and the first passengers arrived in May, 1907. The line was a complete success from the first day. Mainstays of the operation were the Mh and Mv-class locomotives, 0-8-4 Engerth-style articulated engines and eight-wheel bogie coaches. But so many people wanted to travel to Mariazell that the possibilities of steam operation were quickly exhausted. Even a ban on advertising for the line was imposed by the board of directors! Ways to encrease capacity were examined, and after a lot of debate, it was decided that the line should be electrified. Without the benefit of a previous example, the line of more than 90 kilometres was electrified with AC current of 6500 Volts - a task never performed before. Operation started after successful test runs in 1911. The successful legacy of the Mariazellerbahn is demonstrated by the following facts: This Railway was, despite being a narrow gauge line, the first mainline to be electrified with AC current. It received a lot of attention as a prototype for subsequent standard gauge electrification. It's still operating with most of the original equipment delivered by Siemens more than 90 years ago. In addition to the engines, the hydropower stations (albeit now equiped with new generators) and a lot of the catenary poles are still in use. Yes, the 1099s of today are in fact the E-class engines built between 1911 and 1914! Even though they might look quite modern, they received new bodies during a general reconstruction around 1960. Frames, bogies, and the electric equipment is still original - what a proof of quality! One 1099 is able to haul 7 eight-wheel coaches over the steep mountainous section. For longer trains, double heading is necessary, which became a rare sight over the years. But with introduction of the "Full Trains" of the Friends of the Mariazellerbahn, railfans again can enjoy this magnificent sight once again at regular intervals! Unfortunately, the proposed connection to Styria never came to realisation. Plans for a route south over the mountains to connect with another narrow gauge line from Kapfenberg on the southern mainline reached an advanced stage, but the outbreak of World War I prevented any railway project of little strategic use from ever being built, such as a proposed connection with the nearby Ybbstalbahn. This missing link of Mariazell with the rest of the province it lies within, and the iron curtain which prevented people from Eastern Europe to go on pilgrimage, caused the railway to steadily lose its importance as a regular means of transportation. The railway faced an uncertain fate because of the increased importance of private road traffic. Necessary improvements and modernisations remained undone, closure of the section to Gußwerk, and the cessetion of goods traffic on the whole line led to a further demise, which culminated in the closure of another section of the diesel branch line in the winter of 2002. present situationA year long struggle to keep the railway alive did not go unnoticed by the public, and not just by railfans. First attempts to provide additonal attractions were made by railway employees, who brought the original steam engine 399.06 back to the line and restored her to original condition as Mh6. While this effort employed high standards to preserve the heritage of the Mariazellerbahn, it became clear that somebody had to care for the future of the line as an everyday means of transport for commuters, students, tourists, and the people who live along the line. This led to the formation of the "Verein Freunde der Mariazellerbahn" with the aim of bringing the public back to the usual trains running year-round, day by day.A first slight hope for a brighter future appeared in the mid-nineties, when two brand new 4090 electric railcars were purchased. Unfortunately, their ill-fated construction made it almost impossible to maintain their reliability for everyday use, even today. Quite a shame compared to the rather ancient 1099s that are still the mainstays of operation, with the support of 5090 diesel railcars running off-peak services on the electrified mainline. No doubt this is a questionable form of operation, especially from ecological viewpoint. However, it's necessary to spare the 1099s, at least until new rolling stock will one day become a reality. At the moment the Mariazellerbahn is still operated by the Austrian Federal Railways ÖBB on appointment of the Niederösterreichische Verkehrsorganisations-Gesellschaft NÖVOG. This is an organisation of the provincial government that is responsible for organisation and financing of local traffic on rail and road in Niederösterreich. It want's to keep the Mariazellerbahn operational. The introduction of the "Panoramic 760" tourist train as a sheduled service on certain weekends can be seen as a first success. The Friends of the Mariazellerbahn will keep on watching any development with great attention!  A lot lot of detailed information about this unique line can be found in the classic book "Die Mariazellerbahn" by Horst Felsinger and Walter Schober, now available in 3rd edition. Verlag Pospischil, Vienna more info Up-to-date news and more about actual events and developments in our members' magazine and the newspage "Nachlese" of the Friends of the Mariazellerbahn (German only). |
A 1099 still carrying it's original body in the late 1950s, historic image ©
Verlag Slezak
Season ticket from 1918
This historic postcard shows a train on the now dismantled Mariazell to Gußwerk line with Mariazell in the background.
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