Friday 17th February
Steam on the Mariazell Railway and scenic Kamp Valley Railway
After breakfast you take a high speed train from Vienna to St. Pölten, the provincial capital of Lower Austria. There you join an exclusively chartered steam train on the spectacular Mariazellerbahn, Austria’s longest and most famous narrow gauge railway. Your private charter train of First Class carriages is hauled by the vintage 1908 0-8+4 articulated tender locomotive No. Mh 6. You first steam from St. Pölten to the junction station Obergrafendorf and then as a special attraction continue on the non-electrified branch line to Bischofstetten. This line only just re-opened in 2019, after being mothballed for almost a decade. Because there are no regular service trains on this branch, it will be possible to stage numerous run-pasts along the way. After the private charter train returns from Bischofstetten to Obergrafendorf, there is time for a visit to the extensive depot facilities there, before a nice lunch at the local brewpub. In the early afternoon you get to sample one of the Mariazellerbahn’s modern, Swiss-built electric trains for the return to St. Pölten, before changing onto an ÖBB service for the afternoon trip from St. Pölten, over the Danube to Krems and onto Horn and Sigmundsherberg, thus travelling the full length of the idyllic and rather rural Kamp Valley Railway. In Sigmundsherberg you change onto another service train for the short sprint to Gmünd. You arrive to Gmünd in the early evening, while your luggage has already been transferred there earlier, by fast forwarding service. In Gmünd you spend the next 4 nights at the wonderful Hotel Goldener Stern, a beautiful countryside inn featuring all the hallmarks of Austrian hospitality. A buffet dinner is served at the hotel each night. (B L D) Saturday 18th February
Main line steam in Austria’s Waldviertel
Today is dedicated to discovering the picturesque Waldviertel (Forest District), in the northernmost part of Austria. After a direct transfer from Gmund to Zwettl, you travel steam-hauled on the freight-only branch line to Waldhausen. En route you pass over the spectacular 240m long Zwettl viaduct. Your rugged 0-8-0 tank engine 92.2271 of 1919 vintage will stage several runpasts over the bridge, offering photo and film opportunities. After reaching the terminus at Waldhausen, the locomotive will run-round and steam back via Zwettl to the junction station of Schwarzenau, along the Vienna to Gmünd corridor. From Schwarzenau, you return directly to Gmünd by service train.
A buffet lunch is served today in the delightful bistro car on the train, while dinner will be taken at the hotel. (B L D) Sunday 19th February
Narrow-gauge steam from Gmünd to Litschau with Mh.1
Gmünd is home to an extensive narrow-gauge network and today you take a private charter hauled by the classic Austro-Hungarian 0-8+4 type articulated steam locomotive Mh.1 over the idyllic branch line from Gmünd to Litschau, deep in the Austrian hinterland. Framed by rolling fields and dotted small towns, the line meanders north towards the Czech border. Along the way your train poses for photos, with run-pasts added for extra fun. You return to Gmünd by steam train, in time for a late lunch at the hotel. Later, dinner will once again be served at your hotel. (B L D) Monday 20th February
Steam in South Bohemia
Today you spend your day in Bohemia and make the short drive from Gmünd to Jindřichův Hradec, where the Czech Republic’s premier narrow gauge railway is based. The privately operated Jindřichův Hradec Místní Dráhy (JHMD) runs two separate branch lines and today you’ll travel over the scenic 32 km southern line, which passes through so-called ‘Czech Canada’. Your train will be hauled by the Polish-built 0-8-0 tender locomotive Px48 1916 to the terminus at Nová Bystřice. Here you take lunch at a typical Czech restaurant in the town’s main square, including complimentary beer and wine. Afterwards there’s a road coach trip to visit the historic town of Třeboň, with its chateau, Baroque town square, city ramparts, and traditional castle brewery. In the evening you again have dinner at the hotel in Gmünd. (B L D)
Tour Summary Tour price
£2075
Single supplement £235 Ground only £1945 (Vienna – Gmünd) Price includes: • Flights from London to Vienna and return • 7 nights hotel accommodation with breakfasts in 3 or 4-star hotels • 5 lunches and 5 dinners • All specially chartered steam and vintage diesel trains as detailed in the itinerary • All specially chartered trips on heritage trams • All train and road coach travel as detailed in the itinerary • All transfers and visits as detailed in the itinerary • The services of a tour manager All prices shown are per person based on two persons sharing. Meals included each day are shown as: B = Breakfast - L = Lunch - D = Dinner February 2023 Mon
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Tuesday 21st February Return to London
After breakfast, you have a direct transfer from Gmünd to Vienna airport, for a mid-day flight back to London. (B)
Andrew Thompson
EUROPEAN TOUR – 8 Days
25
