The 760 mm line from the Zell am See to the village of Krimml opened on 2 January 1898 by the kkStB The line was steam operated, using “Unzmarkt class class 298 0-6-2 tank. An example of this class, 298.55, is still on the line, though plinthed on a piece of track beside Bahnhof. Mittersill. This particular engine operated on the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn for eight months up to December 1929. The first diesel locomotive on the line, a class 2041 (now 2091), was tested on the line in 1936, and the last steam hauled normal service train, a goods service hauled by 298.05, ran on 20 October 1964. 18 months later, on 8 April 1966, the last steam locomotive, 998.01, was transferred from the Pinzgauer Lokalbahn to Obergrafendorf. Steam specials continue to run today.

The 52.1 km-long line leaves Zell am See, (rebuilt in 1989) southbound, travelling part of the way to the first halt, Tischlerhäusl, on mixed-gauge track. At Tischlerhäusl is the loco and coach depot. Beyond the halt, the line diverges from the ÖBB Bischofshofen – Wörgl line and passes through Brückberg to the halt at Brückberg Golfplatz. This is the limit of the regular interval commuter service from Zell am See beginning on 2 December 1989 and operated by a class 5090 railcar.

The next main station, Fürth-Kaprun, is over 3km from the ski town of Kaprun with its funiculars, but has a bus service connecting the station with the town, the cable cars, and the glacier lifts on the Kitzsteinhorn. The line follows the 165 road to the next village, Piesendorf where there is a passing loop and sidings. It then crosses fields and runs alongside the Salzach river, until reaching Neidernsill a one time coaling point.

From Neidernsill to Uttendorf the line follows the river. At Uttendorf the station, complete with passing loops and sidings was once the site of a power station, to which coal in standard-gauge wagons on röllbocke were brought. Sidings still exist, but are now hold out-of-use goods wagons. The next halt, Pirtendorf, was opened in 1909, but closed again from 1914 to 1920. It closed again from 1923-1925 and was subsequently moved 0.2 km nearer Zell am See to its present site. The next station, Stuhlfelden) also has a passing loop.

The line is closely followed by the main road for 2 km to the halt at Burk on the outskirts of Mittersill. Mittersill station is close to the road junction for the scenic route over Paß Thurn to Kitzbühel. The size of the station layout, with two passing loops and several sidings, is a result of the establishment in 1938 of an Army testing area across the river from the station. Little trace now remains. (look out for the plinthed 298 at the platform end.

Two halts and the station at Hollersbach are close to the Salzach riverbank, which the line follows to Mühlbach Here loops and vacant ground are all that is left of a stone crushing plant, built in 1927 and served by a 600 mm hand-worked line from the quarry over the river. The works closed in the 1970s and the site was cleared.

The Pinzgauer Lokalbahn then serves the hamlet of Wenns and the village of Bramberg before running alongside the river to Hst. Habachtal. The line leaves the side of the river at the next halt, Hst. Neukirchen-Vorstadl before arriving at the main station of Neukirchen Großvenediger where the original 1989 loop was replaced in 1962. After Neukirchen, as the valley narrows, the line begins to climb still following the river through Wald im Pinzgau where there is another loop.

The line closely follows the 165 road to the terminus, Krimml near 65km from Zell am See. The station and good shed here, which have been altered little since opening day, stand on the west side of the 3 platforms. Opposite the goods shed stands a 2 road locomotive shed, still in use to stable the diesel unit overnight. The children’s playcoach is usually found here. When originally mooted, the line was to reverse here, climbing steeply over the Gerlos Pass, before descending to the Zillertalbahn at Zell am Ziller. Although surveying took place, the line was never built.

The railway was breached in flooding on 1987, and was closed for 10 months because of damage. In November 1997 the track was altered in the Fürth-Kaprun area, allowing faster speeds, but following the 100th celebrations in January 1998, freight facilities were withdrawn by ÖBB at the end of September 1998. In 2003 the railway company notified the councils along the line of their intention to withdraw services, but have continued to run the line.

Today the line is operated by 2095 diesel locos and the 5090 railcars. A 399 tank loco is based on the line to run the special steam hauled trains operated on a regular basis. In the 1990s, these carried a band aboard the bar car. Outbound they were quite controlled, detraining at each station to serenade travellers. There are also specialist Cycle wagons as on many loco hauled trainstrains.

Video action in the snow from the Pinzgau (by Stephen Ford)

Trains crossing at Muathollersbach		Uncoupling at Krimml then (right)		Run round the train then (right)		Couple back on		Burk to Mittersil
WMV 511kb 24secs		WMV 298kb 16secs		WMV 405kb 19secs		WMV 386kb 19secs		WMV 273kb 13secs

2005 Update

The 760 mm gauge Pinzgaubahn, running between Zell am See and Krimml in Salzburger Land, was offered for sale by ÖBB in 2000 following a review of operations which suggested that all narrow-gauge lines operated by the company should be sold off or closed. The labour-intensive freight traffic had been withdrawn and some local politicians advocated removing the track and using the route as a cycleway. However the Höhentauern National Park authority, through which the line runs, became more and more alarmed at the increasing road traffic, especially large lorries transporting goods to and from the former rail-served factories in the Salzach valley. It was agreed that, subject to subsidy, the operating organisation running trains on the Salzburger Lokalbahn, SVV, would take over the running of the line, providing new trains to improve the service frequency, and reintroducing freight services, removing up to 40,000 lorry movements per year from the roads within the National Park. Some of the existing stock has been repainted in the colours of the new owners, the locos and railcars being finished in all-over red, whilst the coaching stock has been repainted in grey-white.

Photos Stephen Ford february 2005

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text Stephen Ford
Updated 20th March 2005
Graphics © S Ford ; Design and © 2004 R Ferguson yewtreefm@aol.com