Salzburg; "Rooms With A View"

From Crowne Plaza Piitter Salzburg--

While Salzburg is not considereal any kind of railfanning paradise, if you are here for the culture, as am I to attend Festival concerts.

Walking around, I have kept my eyes open for hotels that could have a view i.e a Rail view.

Mine does not have such; however the Imlauer Best Western would have if you asked for a room facing the tracks and on a higher floor. That would be facing North.

Also, the Hotel Europa would appear to have rooms facing the tracks. This is a high rise structure near the station.

Ask for "a room facing the tracks" and the clerk might give you a quizzical look and offer you a room facing an alley instead. I'm just being funny, I like looking at trains too; although if I were in Salzburg again, I'm not sure that I would want a view of the tracks. Here's a shot of St. Bartholomae's chapel in the Berchtesgadener Land district of Bavaria, near Salzburg. Enjoy the Mozart!

St. Bartholomä am Königssee

Gilbert B Norman wrote:From Crowne Plaza Piitter Salzburg--

While Salzburg is not considereal any kind of railfanning paradise, if you are here for the culture, as am I to attend Festival concerts.

Walking around, I have kept my eyes open for hotels that could have a view i.e a Rail view.

Mine does not have such; however the Imlauer Best Western would have if you asked for a room facing the tracks and on a higher floor. That would be facing North.

Also, the Hotel Europa would appear to have rooms facing the tracks. This is a high rise structure near the station.

Sixty years ago there was some interest. There were trams and some interesting rural trains. I haven't been there for for at least 50 years.

Well, Mr Norman, It appears you have crossed the "pond", for the first time in what must be 15 or so years I have known you on "Railroad.net".
I remember back in the 1990's, when the Munich beer Festival was on , backpackers using their Eurail passes, commuting between Salzburg and Munich each day the festival was on . A nicer and cheaper place to stay than Munich.
I stayed there a couple of days , I remember the big castle up the hill, and the schnitzel steak,which seemed quite tough compared to how my mother cooked it .
Hopefully you will report on your travels here or in the travel and trips forum, even if there is not alot of train travel to report.

From Braurestaurant Imlauer Salzburg (with a view of sorts)---

One of their "excuse" for a freight just came by - all of 34 cars.

I respect we have a lot to learn from them about passenger trains, but freight what a joke.

Just to make you feel better, there is a youtube video of a 342 car ore train - South African Railways OREX line.

Gilbert B Norman wrote:From Braurestaurant Imlauer Salzburg (with a view of sorts)---

One of their "excuse" for a freight just came by - all of 34 cars.

I respect we have a lot to learn from them about passenger trains, but freight what a joke.

Do note some differences with American practice which may make shorter trains more suitable than you think.

In Austria nearly all lines are double tracked, thus more trains can run and it is not necessary to pile up cars to limit the number of trains. This removes the necessity for very long trains. Moreover power comes from hydroelectricty, or nuclear. Furthermore the distances covered by freight are almost always much shorter than in the US. Rail freight often covers distances which in some other countries might be covered by road transport. Gradually there are more regulations in Europe discouraging carbon dioxide emitting road transport. Short freight trains are thus entirely logical and justifiable.

I also note that you are staying on the edge of the Alps. All the Alpine nations are very concerned about the effects of climate change on the snow cover and are trying to reduce road emissions from that region. The Swiss take this very seriously indeed and are discouraging road traffic with high fees and encouraging them to put trans-Swiss lorries on to electrically powered trains.

I would ask why the US has so few electrically powered freightlines and isn't it about time the US had a policy devoted to reducing carbon emissions drastically?

If you would take a mainline train to Zell am See, or to Jenbach, you would see some interesting narrow gauge steam lines. Ask at the excellent Bahnhof in Salzburg.

Yes, no big trains with growling diesels, just shorter trains with a humming modern electric locomotive, for reasons explained in the previous post. But I think the people of Salzburg don't care: they have Mozart! I do remember Salzburg as a lovely city with the big castle looming above it. I have attended an interesting performance of Mozart's Zauberfloete performed by puppets (marionettes). I stayed in a small family run hotel, I do not need 5 star accomodation.

Back to railways, additionally to roads, inland navigation is a big competitor for railways in Europe. Especially for bulk comodities like coal and iron ore. Although for traversing the Alps railways are the prefered mode above roads, and off course ships are useless.

NS3737 wrote: I do remember Salzburg as a lovely city with the big castle looming above it. I have attended an interesting performance of Mozart's Zauberfloete performed by puppets (marionettes).

Charming!

philipmartin wrote:Charming!

It was, both the city and the opera, additionally for the music they used a recording with a top cast, I recall that Dietrich Fischer Diskau doing Papageno.

May be our current man in Salzburg can confirm that the puppet theater is stil there.

Forty five years ago I caught Figaro at the Vienna State Opera, front row, for twelve dollars. It's like another world. About the same time, I stayed at Claridges in London one night, for twenty five dollars. Also about that time, (railroad content) I had an extremely difficult time finding out what track my train was on in London Victoria Station, I think it was.
I hope Mr. Norman visits Leipzig sometime (if he likes Bach.) They have a very nice Hauptbahnhof there.

1) 1958 Victoria (Eastern Section) Station, with SR 2-6-0 working empty stock.

2) Leipzig, Hauptbahnhof, Bahnsteig Inside the sheds in 1954, before the glass shattered in the war had been replaced.

george matthews wrote: I would ask why the US has so few electrically powered freight lines

There are no electrified freight railroads in North America. Diesels are more cost effective.


"Zell am See, or Jenbach, you would see some interesting narrow gauge steam lines."
Sounds delightful.

1) I think that I wandered into Switzerland, Bernina Line, but it is too good to leave out.

2) Zell am See, Austria is the capital city of the Zell am See district in the Austrian state of Salzburg. The city has about 10,000 inhabitants. The German name “Zell am See” means “Cell by the lake”.

3) Krimml.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-EGRrU0FIg" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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As to Austrian narrow gauge don't forget the Mariazeller Bahn a 760 mm electrical line.

And Wien has some interesting railway stations.

Has any of you got to the opera festival of Savonlinna? You can get there by train as well. There I attended "Der Fliegende Hollaender" from Wagner, my only Wagner opera so far.

By the way charm = Zauber, right?

1) Stadt Innsbruck on the Achensee.

2) This page shows images of the Achensee narrow gauge rack railway plus the vessels which run on Achensee.

3) Two locomotives at Jenbach station

NS3737 wrote: By the way charm = Zauber, right?

So the "Magic Flute" is also the "Charmed Flute" and both the city and opera are charming.