Austria - A Tram Enthusiast Paradise

This DVD covers the present tramway scene in Austria, together with historical sound film dating back as far as 1974 when many 2-axle trams with trailers operated on each of the systems. Today, Austria has five urban tramways, and a number of electric 'Light Railways', some of which are operated by trams. The capital, Vienna, has the largest tramway system in Western Europe, with around 950 trams operating on 32 routes, as well as the Stadtbahn, U-Bahn, and Wiener Lokalbahn interurban to Baden. A visit to the Vienna Tram Museum is included, and we take a ride on one of the many tram sets in its collection. The country's smallest tramway is at Gmunden and connects the lakeside resort with the OBB railway station at the top of a steep hill. From here, brief visits are made to the 'Stern & Hafferl' lines in upper Austria, including Gmunden-Vorchdorf, Vorchdorf Lambach, Lambach-Haag, and the Attersee line. Linz has three urban routes on the unusual 900mm gauge, plus the steeply graded 'Postlingbergbahn' mountain tramway. A visit is also made to the 'Saint Florian' museum line. Next, we take a run on the 'Salzburger Lokalbahn', including a ride on a restored set dating from the early part of the 20th century. The scenic town of Innsbruck has both urban and interurban lines to offer, and this DVD includes the parade of historic cars for the centenary in 1991. Using archive sound film, we see the last days of 'AC' operation on the 'Stubaitalbahn', with the distinctive sounds echoing around the mountains. Finally, we visit the busy six-route system in Graz, including some scenes of its excellent tramway museum.