Not far to the North of Vienna resides the railway museum „Das Heizhaus“which is the railroader’s term for engine house in Austria. It is one of the two big railway museums in Austria (the other one is ÖGEG Lokpark in Ampfelwang in Upper Austria). Since 1984 the enthusiasts of 1.öSEK take care of the widespread area that once resembled the last engine terminal to handle mainline steam engines for ÖBB (till 1978)- Between April and October of each year the club hosts monthly steam days with at least one steamer under fire. Traditionally, Oct 26th is the lasst day of the season and therefore I decided to head out to Strasshof for chasing some locomotives around the yard and take a peek into the shed. Today they had two typical Austrian locomotives in operation, shuttling back and forward with loads of rail fans on board through out the day.

kkStB 30 33

This class of tender engines was built for the originally steam operated commuter lines in Vienna(sections used nowadays as U4, U6 and S45) . Designed by the Austrian locomotive mastermind Karl Gölsdorf for good acceleration on challenging track configurations, the little steamer showed off its agility on the roughly one mile run from the shed to the junction with the ÖBB Nordbahn. The title picture features this engine in a nice pan shot.

SB 109.13

Built in 1912, this engine was designed for fast passenger service on the once mighty Südbahn. Throughout its active life it served several Railways on lines throughout Austria. Restored into operation in the 1990s this locomotive presents numerous features so typical for Austian steam engines e.g. the double smoke box doors as well as the three axle tender.

Inside the shed

Last but not least I like to give an impression about the gems that reside within the ten track engine shed. Engine 310.23 is famous amongst steam enthusiasts.Today it has been prepared for a special run later this weekend. The compact pacific class is considered to be one of the best designs by Karl Gölsdorf. The rumor has it that the engineer got the inspiration for this particular type during trips to England.Besides of the locomotives featured in this post there is a lot of rolling stock assembled in the grounds of the museum. The pieces in running order are kept inside the shed or the approaching tracks. Candidates for future projects are parked all over the area and I am afraid that some will disintegrate to dust before the mechanics can turn their attention towards them. Maybe there will be a future post, going more into detail about the museum. For now I am happy with the yield of today’s trip and look forward to a visit in 2018.