In 1909 interest was expressed in connecting Weiz with the quarry at Birkfeld, in order to bring the ground quarry products down to the railhead. The 24 km 760 mm gauge long line was opened on 14 December 1911, and caused the expansion of the station at Weiz, as it was now the transhipment point. Steiermärkische Landesbahnen took over the running of the narrow-gauge line in 1921.

After opening, plans were drawn up to extend the line to brown coal deposits at Rattenegg, further up the valley. Finance could not be raised, by whilst under Italian Occupation in 1917, work on building the line was started using forced labour. Work ended before the line opened, and the incomplete trackbed was bought in 1922 by the Feistritztaler mining company, who built the line to Ratten as an industrial siding. The line opened - illegally - on 11 May 1922, after the inspecting authorities inspected the line, and refused to grant a license because of the poor workmanship. Miners were carried, again without permission, in passenger trains from 1923. These trains had no continuous brakes - indeed the coaches did not have any brakes at all.

AG Weiz - Birkfeld took over the line and, having made repairs, opened it as a public railway, after inspection, on 29 may 1930. However, because of the slow speed of the mixed trains, and the distance from any habitation of all the stations, passenger traffic was always very low. Even freight traffic dwindled, and once the mines closed, the line started to lose a large amount of money. Even special steam excursions could n ot save it, and the line was cut back to Birkfeld.

The line starts in Weiz station, where there are transhipment facilities for the Talcum powder, brought down from the works at Anger (11 km). The line swings from south east to north west before turning east and winding up the valley to the first station at Büchl. After the station, the line traverses a wooded hillside before crossing Nöstl viaduct and running through Peesen station (4.9 km) over the Peesen and Baz viaduct, coming to Bachl station (6.1 km.). After the stop, the line crosses the stone Bachl viaduct, and climbs up to reach the Grub Viaduct, a thirteen arch curved bridge immediately before Hart Puch station. After the station, the line plunges through a 223m - long tunnel, emerging in the next valley. Crossing the valley head on the Feistritz Viaduct, the railway turns north to Oberfeistritz (11 km), and then Anger, where the freight traffic ends.

Anger Station.

Club 44's diesel No. 1 at Weiz.

Birkfeld Station.

Beyond here, the line is only used by special steam services. The next station on the line is Rosegg (18.8 km), after which it burrows through Frondsberg Tunnel, emerging at Koglhof (20.9 km), where the station, now an inn, serves refreshments to passengers. Following the halt, the line continues northwards, cutting through a headland by Kirchleiten Tunnel (106m) and across Hollersbach and Birkfelder viaducts.

The former bridge has a steel central section, inserted in 1918 after a flood washed away the central piers. The line then arrives at Birkfeld, terminus of the line. The route beyond to Ratten is now a cycleway. At Birkfeld is the workshop and engine shed of the Feistritztalbahn, who run steam and diesel excursions over the narrow gauge line.

Narrow gauge track machine X965 15 at Weiz.

JZ 83 180 at Oberfeistritz.

Photo Gallery of 83 180