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Austrian Railway Group |  | ||
Zillertaler Verkehrsbetriebe AG | ||||
The 760 mm Ziller Valley Railway was opened on the last day of 1902, connecting the village of Mayrhofen with the main Innsbruck- Wörgl main line at Jenbach, thus creating a station on the BBÖ with tracks of three gauges. The 32 km-long line passed through the communities of Ramsau and Zell am Ziller, before crossing the Ziller River on a bowstring girder bridge. The line travels north, passing Aschau, Kaltenbach and Uderns before reaching Fügen and Schlitters. On reaching the next station, Strass, the line curves westward around an outcrop of the mountain Larchkopf. The last halt before Jenbach, Rotholz, is near the Tyrol Agricultural College, after which the line crosses the River Inn, and arrives on the south side of Jenbach station. The line is single track throughout, with passing loops at each station and one halt.At opening, the railway had two locomotives, number 1 "Raimund" -now out of service - and 2 "Zillertal". They were joined in the opening year by 3 "Tirol", a compound with different-sized cylinders, and in 1930 by number 4, now owned by Club 760, and 5 "Gerlos". The line was used to transport the output from a magnesium mine in the Tux area south of Mayrhofen, and was sustained by, mainly British, tourists, who discovered the Mayrhofen area as a skiing holiday destination in the early part of the 20th century. In 1956 the communities along the line took a controlling interest in the railway, and the company also runs bus services in the area. Tourism and the goods traffic were not enough to keep the line going. It nearly closed in 1965, but was saved by the construction of the Schlegleisspeicher Dam high in the mountains. This dam needed over 325,000 tons of cement and ballast, all of which was transported on the Zillertalbahn. The line was relaid with heavier rail. Manual signalling was replaced by radio control - based at Jenbach and modelled on the radio system in use on the Ravenglass and Eskdale railway in Britain. New diesel units were ordered from Knotz in 1984 Goods traffic, especially timber, has increased dramatically in the last few years, and is carried in main line wagons on transporter trucks, röllbocke. A small steam loco, numbered 6, was acquired from the Böhler steelworks complex in 1972. This loco, and two diminutive coaches, are used on the "hobbylok" driver experience train. Prospective drivers need to be aware that the hobbylok runs on the single line between ordinary service trains, and is itself a service train which can be hailed at intermediate halts by passengers. The Zillertalbahn runs a thrice-daily steam service along the line in Summer, reduced to once-weekly in Winter. The line also runs special trains according to the season. Bookings and further information can be made via the ZB website below. |
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ARG GalleryLook at video #1 : On February 20 2002, Zillertalbahn
no. 3 "Tirol" stopped at the halt at Erlach to pick up
two passengers. The train was held for time
by the guard, to the driver's annoyance.
This was the result. (video Stephen Ford)
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ARG GalleryLook at video #3 : Have a look inside the steam shed at Jenbach (no 3 and 5 and a snowplough)(video Stephen Ford)
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ARG GalleryLook at video #5 : Zillertalbahn
Zillertalbahn No 3 to pick up coaches (video Stephen Ford)
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For source information,
their web site
Click on the ARG logo to return to the home page or here to go back to the previous screen.
text Stephen Ford
updated 3rd February 2006