The first steps towards construction of the Waldviertelbahn narrow gauge system were taken in 1898 following receipt of the Act of Parliament. A 760mm gauge single line was constructed from the mainline station of Gmund on the Franz Josef’s bahn (FJB). to Litschau (25.2km), with a branch line from Alt Nagelberg (11.2 km on the main line) running to Heidenreichstein (13km from Alt Nagelberg).

Less than two years later, work began on another line from Gmund, which meandered off in a southerly direction to the small town of Gross Gerungs (43 km).

The northern line started operations in 1900 powered by a fleet of four Krauss 0-6-2 tank locomotives hauling four- wheeled passenger and goods vehicles. The goods traffic b eing the raison d’être for the existence of the line ensured that most services on the northern branches ran as “GmP” Guterzug mit Personenabteil – literally goods trains with passenger accommodation.

There had been proposals to link the line to Litschau with a corresponding line from Neuhaus (Jindrichuv Hradec) to Neubistritz (Nova Bystrice), the gap measuring around a dozen kilometers. Much survey work was done but finances weren’t available to construct the link line.

Services commenced on the southern line as far as Steinbach Gross Pertholz in August 1902, Gross Gerungs receiving trains from March 1903, this due to the delay in building both of the lines tunnels at Brudendorf.

The narrow gauge facilities at Gmund FJB were reorganised in 1909 due to a station rebuild, but further reorganisations were on their way following the First World War and its aftermath – break up of the Austro-Hungarian empire. The former kingdom of Bohemia, together with Moravia and Slovakia established themselves as Czecho Slovakia (CSR), and in the 1921 treaty of St Germain parts of Lower Austrian land around the Gmund border became Czechoslovakia.

Operations were initially resolved by running trains empty from the former Franz Josef station and yard, picking up passengers at the first halts within Austria – Bohmzeil for the northern lines and Weiden for the Gross Gerungs services. This entailed some passengers walking up to 1000 metres for their trains!!! From 1922 a new station was constructed on a field adjacent to Gmund (Stadt) halt - the present day Gmund station. This facility enabled all southern services to run wholly on Austrian soil, although northern services still had a run-round and consequential detour.

Amid towering financial losses in September 1922 the Lower Austrian government signed over the lease of the Wvb to the BBÖ Austrian State Railways, backdated to 1st January 1921!!

With the annexation of Austria to Germany in 1938 three significant events happened to the narrow gauge system. A new “chord” line was constructed so that northerly bound trains could run direct toward Bohmzeil without reversal. The lease for the Waldviertel systems was terminated at the end of 1939, the system becoming the property of the Third Reich on 1st January 1940.

The third change, had it been completely implemented, would have had a dramatic impact on this narrow gauge network. The aforementioned Neuhaus-Neubistritz line became part of Deutsche Reichsbahn’s Dion Wien and plans were implemented to construct the missing link to Litschau. With typical German efficiency the plans were approved, and materials were delivered to some bridge construction sites in 1941. However, the fortunes of war changed for the Germans and the materials provided for the link were shipped east to help the war effort.

During the war much of the land taken by the CSR was returned to the local people and Ceske Velenice station was renamed Gmund (Waldviertel) Hauptbf, as a reminder of it’s former name. Another new chord line was constructed and was officially opened in December 1950 easing operations over around the redrawn political boundaries.

In the years following the war the system was reorganised partly due to the Political reorganisations and partly also due to the Austrian Federal railways re-equipping. The original locomotives had been partly usurped by newer larger steam locos of OBB class 299 and 399, as well as a number of diesel locomotives of various designs. Steam did not suffer any immediate threat until the 600hp SGP class 2095 diesel hydraulic B-Bs appeared at Gmund, and even then the diesels couldn’t replace all the steam duties even after the cessation of passenger services to Heidenreichstein and Litschau in 1986.

At around this time the fourth and fifth examples of a new design of diesel railcar were allocated to Gmund, with the intention of introducing a low-cost mode of operation. The new units of class 5090 were designed to be operated by a single member of staff but sadly, these units could not save the timetabled passenger service on the Waldviertel.

Tourist trains have operated for at least fifteen years at weekends and holidays. These have traditionally been formed of a 1906 vintage class 399 steam loco hauling a rake of four-wheel, open balcony cars, on a Gmund-Gross Gerungs-Gmund round trip.

The Waldviertler SchmalspurVerein was formed to preserve part of the Wvb and currently leases the route between Alt Nagelberg and Heidenreichstein, it’s headquarters are at the latter station. More information about the railways can be obtained from the WSV here

Readers may also wish to browse the Erlebniss website for current details of tourist trains. A number of private websites carry photographs and information about railways in this area, key words being Waldviertel, Schmalspurbahn and JHMD for the privately owned route between Jindrichuv Hradec and Nova Bystrice. A regular programme of steam and diesel trains operate on this route, often using original “heritage” rolling stock.

click to enlarge

under ÖBB operation at Gmünd
Photos by M Parsons












and by Norman Lamb