Trains in the Tirol

17th March 2009 to 18th March 2009

The Tirol in Western Austria is renowned for its spectacular alpine scenery. Add to that a mainline railway with abundant passenger and freight trains (up to 300 per day) and a narrow gauge railway which runs steam trains for much of the year and carries standard gauge wagons on transporter bogies, and it is very close to being a rail-fan's paradise. That's what I felt when I visited back in October last year so when the opportunity came to spend two days in the area I grabbed at it. This is the result. The only regret was that there wasn't much lying snow at low levels. But in every other respect these two days were a real eye opener.

One word of warning; the OBB is currently engaged in widening the Inntalbahn - the Inn Valley line - from two to four tracks between Worgl and Baumkirchen, for environmental reasons much of the new trackage will be underground which will mean freight trains disappearing from view! Work is underway at the moment with completion expected in 2011.

A Mayrhofen bound train leaves Strass. A freight waits to follow it. 3992x2532 20090317_01.jpg	The passenger consists of one of the push pull sets 3768x2617 20090317_02.jpg	The freight soon followed, 2 empty wagons for finished wood products. 4140x2483 20090317_03.jpg	Another push pull set at Schlitters 3786x2680 20090317_04.jpg
The freight passes the saw mill at Schlitters 3147x2484 20090317_05.jpg	Arriving at the Binderholz sawmill 3572x2476 20090317_06.jpg	The loco leaves the empties ready for loading and trundles down the yard towards the empty log wagons prior to returning them to the OBB interchange 3599x2496 20090317_07.jpg	Backing on to the empties 3900x2668 20090317_08.jpg
A Jenbach bound DMU passes the crew of the freight sweeping the empties. Presumably to prevent timber fragments hitting members of the public. 3648x2329 20090317_09.jpg	A Mayrhofen bound passenger train passes the sawmill 3795x2592 20090317_10.jpg	On the main line west of Schwaz an OBB Taurus heads a mixed freight heading east. 3911x2644 20090317_11.jpg	A Talent EMU on an Inntal local service nearing Schwaz 4087x2464 20090317_12.jpg
With Schwaz in the background an OBB 1044 class on a west bound tank train. 3944x2685 20090317_13.jpg	The RoLa rolling motorway trains carrying complete trucks are characteristic of alpine railways. 3492x2640 20090317_14.jpg	RoLa trains are usually topped and tailed. The tail being provided by a 1216 Taurus 4060x2676 20090317_15.jpg	A 1116 at speed with an intercity train service to Salzburg and Vienna 3596x2696 20090317_16.jpg
As elsewhere in Europe there is competition in the rail freight market. These are Bombardier TRAXX units operated by Lokomotion, probably bound for Italy 3768x2557 20090317_17.jpg	Another 1116 near Schwaz 3900x2704 20090317_18.jpg	The only MUs to be seen are these new Talents. They look more like an urban tram design than a mainline train 3852x2672 20090317_19.jpg	DB and FS run international services between Munich amd major northern Italian cities. They are hauled by 1116s as far as the Italian border. 3932x2580 20090317_20.jpg
Another mixed freight. 300 trains a day use the Inntalbahn. A real railway hotspot. 3608x2416 20090317_21.jpg	A west bound inter-modal train behind OBB and DB motive power. Rather sparsely loaded. 3396x2664 20090317_22.jpg	RoLa trains include a passenger car, with couchettes for the truck drivers. 3644x2599 20090317_23.jpg	Bringing up the rear was one of the 2008 European Championship liveried locos, in this case representing Italy. 3744x2449 20090317_24.jpg