Kleinbahn Neusiedl am See

Route length:

1.5 km

	0.0	Bad Neusiedl am See
	0.1	Engine shed
	1.5	Bathing establishment or "Seebad"

The Kleinbahn Neusiedl am See was a narrow-gauge railway owned by the municipality of Neusiedl am See with a gauge of 600 mm, which connected the Bad Neusiedl am See station of the Neusiedler Seebahn directly with the bathing establishment on Lake Neusiedl .

history

In 1897 Neusiedl am See was connected to the Neusiedler Seebahn of the Raab-Oedenburg-Ebenfurter Eisenbahn . The first touristic initiatives were taken during the times of the Danube Monarchy, but only after the incorporation of Burgenland into the Republic of Austria , the measures were intensified. One reason for this was the potential of guests, which represented the proximity to the city of Vienna , for whose residents Lake Neusiedl was now easier to reach. Between 1926 and 1927 a boat canal was built in Neusiedl am See to bring bathers to the lake in motorboats through the reed belt. The dam built from the excavated material replaced the previously existing wooden footbridge. In 1926 the city of Neusiedl am See asked the energy producer “ Überlandwerk Frauenkirchen ” -Dressler & Klier about a tram that was supposed to lead to the lake. In January 1927 a corresponding and detailed offer was received.

A single-track line with a length of around 1.85 kilometers with a track width of 600 millimeters and with a reversing loop at each end as well as a switch in the middle of the route was proposed. However, the loop at the seaside resort would not have been possible due to lack of space. The two wagons and the railcar were to be delivered by the Simmeringer Waggonfabrik .

The costs for the tram project exceeded the economic possibilities, so that it had to be refrained from. In a statement by the provincial government of Burgenland, the profitability was questioned. The reasons for this were the competing motorboat transport and the high investment costs for electrical operation. In this context, the municipality of Neusiedl am See was recommended to use motor locomotives more cheaply and was made aware of the closure of the Waldschulbahn near Wiener Neustadt .

A private investor who also wanted to operate this railway was the Viennese building contractor Franz Hutka. In a letter to the state government in May 1927, he tried to get permission to begin the preparatory work. The plan was to connect the Seebahnhof with the bathing facilities on Lake Neusiedl with a track system with a gauge of 600 to 750 millimeters. In addition to the construction of the necessary operating buildings, an expansion of the railway system along the lake shore to Weiden am See and Podersdorf am See was also in prospect. After the plans had been put further in August of the same year, the municipality of Neusiedl am See made inquiries through the Hutka company. In September the company ran into financial difficulties and disappeared from the scene.

The municipality of Neusiedl am See got in touch with Orenstein & Koppel , which had acquired the Waldschulbahn, which had been closed down by the municipal authorities of Wiener Neustadt. A cost estimate submitted by Orenstein & Koppel was 40 percent of the financial outlay for the originally planned electrically operated railway. After the municipality of Neusiedl am See commissioned Orenstein & Koppel with the alignment work on December 23, 1927, the state government applied for the necessary permit in March 1928. The inspection of the planned route took place on May 14, 1928. The building permit was issued on December 13 of the same year - at a time when the Neusiedler Seebahn was already in operation. The Ministry of Transport had already issued the license required for operation on July 24, 1928, which was valid until July 23, 1953. The railway started operating according to schedule on July 29, 1928, after the locomotive had been officially inspected the day before and a brake test had taken place.

The Neusiedler Seebahn did not develop as hoped and generated little more than the running operating costs, so that in 1939, in view of the Second World War that had just broken out, the city council decided to shut down the railway at the end of the bathing season.

route

The railway line with a gauge of 600 mm ran first on the edge of the Seestrasse and then on the embankment that was heaped up when the boat channel was built.

The terminus " Bad Neusiedl am See - Seebahn " was created in the form of a 220-meter-long reversing loop and was only a short distance from the station on the RÖEE route. A platform 50 meters in length was built for the passengers. At the lake end, the dam was widened by three meters to make room for a second track. The name " Badeanstalt " was officially prescribed for the terminal there , but in fact it was changed to " Seebad " by the municipality of Neusiedl am See without informing the responsible authorities .

vehicles

locomotive

The municipality of Neusiedl am See purchased a gasoline-mechanical locomotive (factory number 3024) from Montania, type H1, belonging to the Orenstein & Koppel group, as the locomotive for this railway line. This was produced with a track width of 450 to 700 millimeters and made 10 hp.

Wagons

The total of ten wagons consisted of two two-axle light rail vehicles as bogies, which were connected to one another by the iron car body . Each of these simply furnished carriages offered seating for 15 people and a further five standing room.

staff

The Neusiedler Kleinbahn had only a small staff requirement, namely an operations manager and two trained and certified train drivers.

While one of these two operated the locomotive, the other acted as a brakeman and had to do the shunting work. They also had to check the tracks on a weekly basis.

literature

Erwin Hauke: On narrow rails through the reeds - The Neusiedler Seebahn , Verlag M. Fuchs, Vienna 2002, ISBN 3-9501581-0-3