Snow and Steam in Austria and Bohemia 24

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)

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)

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

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Georg Trueb

Highlights of Switzerland in Winter

Monday 20th February to Monday 27th February 2023

Experience the white splendour of the Swiss Alps on this seasonal holiday to a genuine winter wonderland. Trips on Switzerland’s most iconic mountain railways are conveniently included, giving you a chance to sample ‘the best of the best’. • Initially based in the Swiss Riviera town of Vevey on Lake Geneva and then in the historic cities of Brig and Chur, you’ll stay in top-quality hotels featuring typical Swiss hospitality. • Discover Switzerland’s spectacular mountain railways from west to east, including the Rochers-de-Naye, Golden Pass,

Glacier Express, Gornergrat, Oberalp Pass, Rhaetian Railway, as well as the UNESCO designated Albula and Bernina lines. • Travel aboard opulent ‘Belle Epoque’ Pullman Cars over the Golden Pass, plus enjoy private accommodation in the 1930s

Art Deco Pullman coaches of the Rhaetian Railway for trips to Arosa and Tirano. • Sample the amazing BLS ‘Blue Arrow’ on a private charter run in the Bernese Oberland. Journey back in time aboard this wonderfully dynamic streamliner dating from 1938, allowing you to sit next to the driver. • See impressively engineered railways up close and get the best high-altitude views of the Matterhorn from the Gornergrat summit station. • Go ’peak-hopping’ on rack railways, funiculars and aerial cableways, whilst exploring local towns and castles with complimentary public transport rover tickets.

Monday 20th February London to Vevey Travel on Eurostar and TGV via Paris to Geneva, then by SBB service train to Vevey, on the northern shore of Lake Geneva. Here you check in to the 4-star Hotel Astra, conveniently located opposite the station. A welcome dinner will be served at the hotel tonight. (D)

Tuesday 21st February Golden Pass in Pullman coaches; Blue Arrow railcar in the Bernese Oberland Today you travel in style from Montreux via Gstaad to Zweisimmen over the Golden Pass in elegant ‘Belle Epoque’ Pullman coaches on the Golden Pass Classic train. The line climbs to the highest point, near Saanenmöser, at 1279 metres. In Zweisimmen you board the vintage 1938 BLS ‘Blue Arrow’ with luxurious passenger accommodation and open cab vestibules, allowing you to sit or stand beside the driver. The route winds through the Simmental Valley to Spiez and along Lake Thun to Bern. You’ll have free time to visit the medieval city of Bern, before travelling back to Lake Geneva via the Gruyere foothills and Lausanne. Back in Vevey you’ll have a free evening to enjoy dinner at a lake-side venue of your choosing. (B) Wednesday 22nd February Swiss Riviera and Mont Pelerin Funicular; Rochers de Naye Rack Railway You start your day by exploring Vevey and Lake Geneva’s famed ‘Swiss Riviera’. You catch a funicular to the terraced vineyards high above the lake, reaching a formidable observation point at the summit of Mont Pelerin. Later on, you can use your complimentary, public transport rover ticket to take the trolleybus route to Montreux and see the medieval Chillon Castle. Early afternoon you board a rack railcar for the steep journey from Montreux to the summit of Rochers de Naye, 2042 metres above sea level. From the top there are panoramic views