Nostalgia brings back to life unique railbus in Carinthia

71 years after its debut the curious-looking vehicle is running again in the southern Austrian province

First designed and produced in the 1930s, the so-called railbuses, combining the features of a bus running on railway tracks, were a common sight in the public mobility landscape of several European countries. However, the modernization of trains has gradually pushed them to near extinction, now only occasionally seen in distant rural routes.

In that regard, the Association of Nostalgic Railways in Carinthia which takes care of and preserves retro public transit vehicles announced that it has commissioned one of its railbuses back in service as a bad weather replacement for the tourist Cabrio Draisine Express.

The latter has no doors and windows, which makes it somewhat unsuitable outside of the summer season, but rather than substitute it with a modern type of rolling stock, it was decided to scratch the nostalgic itch of the travelling public.

First in Austria of its kind

The railway bus itself was a first when it began running on the hilly route on the Graz-Köflacher railway in Styria because there was no other railbus with two engines at the time. The year it was commissioned was 1953 and it served faithfully for four decades before it was decommissioned.

It was then acquired by the Association of Nostalgic Railways in Carinthia, which has now brought it out of the garage and put it back to use to the delight of admirers of old-timey technology.

The rail bus is driven with a pedal, like a bus on the road. That being said, it takes some expert skill to drive it.

“The vehicle is, I would say, a very moody diva and has to be operated very carefully. So it forgives very few mistakes. You have to pay attention to every detail, what the vehicle is telling you, react to every little sign, so that it can really be maintained for many, many years to come," says train driver Dietmar Tschudnig, quoted by ORF.

Another cool thing about the railbus is that it has swinging seats that allow passengers to choose the direction of movement they’d like to travel.