Bicycling in Austria

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An IC (Intercity) approaching Aich in Stryia along the Ennsradweg.  More about trains (2003). 

Can you spot the difference between this picture and the one immediately above? See the answer at the bottom. (2003)

 

The sign says "Orient Express".  Apparently the name has not been copywrited since this is an ordinary overnight "D" train from Paris to Budapest.  The sign also says 5:00AM and we are right on time into Salzburg. (2000)

An EC - Eurocity (international) train descending from the Arlberg mountains towards Bludenz in Vorarlberg.   (2003)

 

Wörgl Bahnhof (railroad station) in the Tyrol.  Wörgl is not one of the more interesting towns in Austria, but a major rail and highway junction.  (2003)

Der Lokfahrer (train driver) of a local somewhere between Ötztal Bahnhof and Innsbruck in the Tyrol.  This was a push-pull type of train. I was lucky enough for it to be a push, i.e., the engine was in the back; and the cab was in the first car with bike compartment right behind it.  We got on at a small station and for some reason the driver helped us load the bikes (it's usually the conductor).  I got to talking to him and he invited me into the cab for the duration of the ride to Innsbruck..  Definitely, the highlight of the whole trip. (2003)

This would never have happened on an IC or EC.

Ybbstalschmalzpurbahn (Ybbs Valley Narrow Guage Railway) with bicycle car along the Ybbstalradweg. The Ybbstalbahn serves a remote area of Lower Austria between Waidhofen an der Ybbs and Lunz am See, a resort town on an Alpine lake.

In this case the bike car is being used to reposition rental bikes since you can rent bikes from one station and return them at another.  (2004)

Narrow gauge Ybbstalbahn Triebwagen (single self-propelled diesel car) at Großhollenstein in Lower Austria.  Even these small trains carry bicycles. (2004)

Normal guage triebwagen next to the Otcherlandweg just north of Kiensberg  in Lower Austria . It was a long day (47 miles) and some in the group wanted to visit the Melk Monastery; so they used this as a sag wagon after riding 14 miles. (2004)

 

Viennese Tram - one of the city's trademarks. (2004)

"The city belongs to you."  So says the sign on the sleek new Viennese street car

Main square in Gmunden on the Traunsee (lake) in Upper Austria. (2003)

Wedding party in Salzburg. (1998).

Achenseebahn Dampzahnradbahn (steam cog wheel railway) in Jenbach.  Climbs about 5 miles from Jenbach on the main rail line in the Inn River valley in the Tyrol to Maurach am Achensee that lies on Achensee (a high Alpine lake). (2001)

The Achenseebahn steaming along the flat in Maurach am Achensee toward Achensee. (2003)

Steaming on the Achensee to meet the Achenseebahn. (2003) 

Gondola at Mayerhofen in the Ziller Valley of the Tyrol. (2001)

Zürich, Switzerland Hauptbahnhof (main train station).  My 3 year old granddaughter is being pulled; and my 11 year old granddaughter is riding. (2001)

Waiting for the sag wagon at Stein an der Enns in Steiermark. (2000)

Riding in style in the bike compartment on a Regionalbahn (local train) between Spielfeld near the Slovenian border and Graz, the capital of Steiermark. Local and express trains tend to have a bike compartment in the front or back of the train.  Intercity trains have a bike car in the middle which can be recognized by a large, windowless door in the center of the car. (2002)

Danube cruise ship.  Cruises along the Danube ranges from 30 miles trips through the Wachau district from Melk to Krems to 1000's of km long cruises from the Netherlands to the Black See. (2003)

Bike ferry crossing the Danube at the famous "double loop" near Schlögen in Upper Austria. One of several Danube crossings served by bike ferries. (2004)

Vienna's Stephansplatz (St. Stephens Square) U-bahn (subway) station. (2003)

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Zurich, Switzerland. The Polybahn connects the area along the Limmat River with the Polytechnic High School on the hill. (2003)

ANSWER:

Every thing is the same, including the location of the engine - except the shadows and the length of the train.  The second picture is a three car local which came along a little later, whereas the first is a much longer Intercity, probably Graz to Innsbruck.  The first picture was taken by my brother, the faster rider, and the second by me.

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