Schafbergbahn

The Schafbergbahn opened in 1893 and climbs from St Wolfgang at the lake shore to a station just below the Schafberg summit at 1,783 metres - about 5.85 kilometres on metre gauge with an Abt rack system and gradients reaching around twenty-six per cent, one of the steepest rack railways in Austria. Several of the original steam locomotives still work the line alongside modern oil-fired steam and diesel units, so which traction you get depends on the day. The summit gives one of the best-known viewpoints in the Salzkammergut, with the Wolfgangsee, Mondsee and Attersee laid out below and the Dachstein to the south; there is a hotel at the top that has been there since the nineteenth century. Booking matters, since capacity is limited and it sells out.

History

The Schafberg grew popular with climbers in the 19th century for its view of as many as five lakes, a hut stood on the summit from 1839, and the entrepreneur Bertholt Curant was a leading advocate of a railway for tourists, to work with the ferries on the lake. Building began in April 1892 with about 350 mostly Italian workers, materials carried by mules on more than 6,000 trips, and went on through the winter, with a viaduct 24 metres long, stone bridges and two tunnels, the longer 91 metres; the line, 5.85 kilometres long with an Abt rack, opened on 1 August 1893 (Wikipedia, Schafberg Railway).

Highlights

• An 1893 rack railway - metre gauge with an Abt rack, gradients to twenty-six per cent.
• Steam traction - original and later steam locomotives still working the line.
• A summit at 1,783 metres - the station and hotel just below the top.
• Three lakes from the top - the Wolfgangsee, Mondsee and Attersee together.

When to go

May to October; the railway is seasonal. Half a day.

Things to know

It sells out in season - book ahead or expect a wait. Cloud closes the view frequently. It is expensive for the distance. Which locomotive works your train is not guaranteed.

Nearby

St Wolfgang and the Pacher altar are at the foot; Bad Ischl is east.

Key facts