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Austrian Railway Group |  | ||
Wälderbähnle |
| The “Wälderbähnle” is all that remains of the former Bregenzerwaldbahn (BWB) that ran from Bregenz on the Bondensee to Bezau, a village in Western Austria. This railway is part of the BWB museum in Bezau. The museum has scheduled operations from late May to early October, with special holiday trips in November and December. Generally, museum trains, with beautifully reconstructed two-axle passenger cars, are hauled either by steam or diesel traction. The railway is about 6 km (about 4 miles) long. The museum has a small shop where they sell various items related to the BWB. A typical Austrian 760 mm railway, the BWB was the westernmost narrow gauge railway in Austria, providing both goods and passenger service to the region along its 35.4 km (23.7 miles) route. Originally a privately-owned railway, the BBÖ and the ÖBB assumed ownership before and after World War II, respectively. Diesel-electric locomotives were first introduced in 1937, and upgrading to a more powerful type of diesel occurred in the early sixties. The railway closed in January 1983 (being replaced by a road service), and was reopened as a museum line in May 1987. |
All photos by Jim Davidson and more photos at the ARG Bregenzerwaldbahn Gallery |
For source information in
German
and in
English
For tourist information :
Tourismusbüro Bezau, Platz 39. A-6870 BezauTel. +43 (5514) 2295 Fax +43 (5514) 3129 (Open Monday-Friday)
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text Sy Berger
Update 20th February 2005