One of Austria’s most extraordinary railways – and a completely different challenge for Train Sim World Hello everyone! I would like to suggest a route that could bring a type of railway operation to Train Sim World that is very different from conventional mainline, commuter or freight routes: The SchafbergBahn between St. Wolfgang and Schafbergspitze in Austria. The railway climbs from the area around Lake Wolfgang high into the Austrian Alps using a rack railway system. At first, its 5.85 km route length might sound unusually short for Train Sim World. But those 5.85 kilometres contain a 1,190 metre vertical climb, gradients of up to approximately 26% and a journey of around 35 minutes. In other words: this would not be 5.85 km of ordinary railway. Virtually the entire journey would be about controlling a train on an extremely steep mountain railway. ️ THE ROUTE Route: St. Wolfgang – Schafbergspitze Length: 5.85 km Vertical climb: 1,190 m Maximum gradient: approx. 26% Journey time: approx. 35 minutes Country: Austria Railway type: Narrow-gauge rack railway Operator: Salzburg AG / SchafbergBahn The journey begins at the modern valley station in St. Wolfgang, close to Lake Wolfgang. Only around 472 metres after departure, the railway crosses the Dittelbach and with it the border between Upper Austria and Salzburg. The train then begins its increasingly spectacular climb through fields and forests. After 2.7 km, trains reach Dorneralm, at approximately 1,015 metres above sea level. This passing point would be particularly interesting for the TSW timetable, allowing uphill and downhill trains to meet. At 4.2 km, the railway reaches Schafbergalm, 1,364 metres above sea level. This is approximately the treeline of the mountain. From here the character of the route changes dramatically. The forests disappear and the railway continues through exposed alpine terrain. During the final section, trains travel alongside steep rock faces and pass through two tunnels before arriving at the mountain station Schafbergspitze, 1,732 metres above sea level. And from here, the scenery becomes spectacular. The Wolfgangsee and the surrounding Salzkammergut mountains and lakes stretch out below the railway. ⚙️ WHY THIS ROUTE WOULD BE DIFFERENT This is probably the most important part of my suggestion. I don’t think the SchafbergBahn should be made simply because it is beautiful. It should be made because driving it would be different. Rack railway operation Instead of relying solely on adhesion between wheel and rail, the SchafbergBahn uses a rack railway system. That could introduce a completely different driving experience to Train Sim World. The player wouldn’t simply accelerate to line speed and cruise between stations. Almost the entire journey is either a major ascent or descent. Power management on the climb and especially careful speed and braking control on the descent could make this a route where the player has to remain involved throughout the journey. Up to 26% gradient For comparison with conventional railways, the numbers alone demonstrate how unusual the line is. The SchafbergBahn climbs 1,190 vertical metres in only 5.85 kilometres and reaches gradients of approximately 26 percent. That could make gradient management one of the central gameplay mechanics rather than something the player occasionally encounters. The coaches are in front of you Another characteristic that could make the driver’s experience immediately recognisable is the train formation. On locomotive-hauled services, the passenger coaches are positioned on the uphill side of the locomotive. During an ascent, the locomotive therefore pushes the coaches up the mountain. From the locomotive cab, players would see the passenger coaches ahead of them. Through the tighter curves, the coaches would appear to move from one side of the driver’s view to the other. It could produce one of the most unusual cab views currently available in TSW. THE TRAINS This is where I think the route could become particularly interesting. The real SchafbergBahn has several very different generations of locomotives. Z11 – Z14 | Modern steam locomotives These would be my choice for one of the headline locomotives. Z11–Z14 Power: Steam Fuel: Light oil Manufacturer: SLM Winterthur Z11 built: 1992 Z12–Z14 built: 1995/96 Formation: Locomotive + two passenger coaches Capacity: 105 passengers These locomotives combine steam operation with a comparatively modern railway environment. That alone could make them fascinating in Train Sim World. Instead of operating a steam locomotive on a historical British railway, players could operate steam as part of a modern Austrian tourist railway. The sounds of the locomotive working hard on a 26% climb, combined with the rack mechanism and mountain environment, could give this route a very distinctive character. The real railway has four of these locomotives. VZ31 – VZ34 | Diesel-electric locomotives The second major locomotive family could represent contemporary diesel operation. VZ31–VZ34 Power: Diesel-electric Manufacturer: Stadler Rail AG Built: 2010, 2016 and 2020 Formation: Locomotive + two passenger coaches Capacity: 105 passengers The railway operates four of these locomotives. Having both a modern steam locomotive and diesel-electric locomotive available would also give players two very different ways of driving exactly the same mountain. And visually, these little red Stadler locomotives with their coaches climbing through the Austrian Alps would be instantly recognisable. ️ HISTORIC STEAM – Z1, Z4 & Z6 And then there is something very special. The SchafbergBahn still has steam locomotives dating back to the 1890s. The surviving operational heritage fleet includes: Z1 – built 1893 Z4 – built 1893 Z6 – built 1894 They were manufactured by Krauss & Comp. in Linz, are coal-fired and operate with a heritage passenger coach or, depending on conditions, the Imperial Pullman. This means Train Sim World could potentially allow players to operate locomotives separated by more than 100 years of railway technology on the same railway. Perfect expansion DLC? However, I would not necessarily expect all of this in the base route. A realistic approach could be: Base route Complete St. Wolfgang – Schafbergspitze railway Z11–Z14 modern steam locomotive VZ31–VZ34 diesel-electric locomotive family Contemporary timetable Later Heritage Locomotive DLC Z1/Z4/Z6 Heritage passenger coach Historic steam services Additional scenarios That could keep the initial route manageable while allowing the SchafbergBahn to expand later. COACHES AND FREIGHT EQUIPMENT There is more rolling stock available for gameplay as well. The current fleet includes 16 passenger coaches – 14 intended for the modern steam/diesel locomotives and two nostalgia coaches. There are also four goods wagons, including two low-floor wagons and a cabin wagon. This could potentially allow some non-passenger movements and depot/maintenance scenarios instead of making every playable service an identical passenger run. TIMETABLE & GAMEPLAY This is where I think the relatively short railway could actually become an advantage. Instead of building a huge railway where much of the scenery passes at high speed, developers could potentially concentrate detail into a compact environment. A busy timetable could include: St. Wolfgang → Schafbergspitze passenger services Schafbergspitze → St. Wolfgang downhill services Services terminating at Schafbergalm Train crossings at Dorneralm Preparing locomotives and coaches in St. Wolfgang Moving rolling stock before and after passenger operation Modern steam services Diesel services Heritage steam services Additional trains during busy periods Following another train up the mountain Empty coaching-stock movements Goods/maintenance movements Imagine beginning an early-morning service in St. Wolfgang. You prepare the locomotive while the first passengers arrive. Then you push your coaches out of St. Wolfgang and begin climbing. The Wolfgangsee slowly appears below you. You meet a descending service at Dorneralm. The forest gradually becomes thinner. You stop at Schafbergalm. Above the treeline the weather deteriorates, visibility falls and the train continues beside the rock face. You enter the two summit tunnels… …and finally emerge at Schafbergspitze. That would be a complete 35-minute service rather than simply a short section of a much larger railway. ️ WEATHER COULD COMPLETELY TRANSFORM THE ROUTE Mountain weather could make repeat journeys especially interesting. A service could begin in sunshine beside the Wolfgangsee while Schafbergspitze is surrounded by clouds. Other possibilities could include: ☀️ Clear summer morning ️ Rain around St. Wolfgang ️ Dense summit fog ☁️ Low mountain clouds Evening services ❄️ Early/late-season snow around the summit Because the route climbs almost 1,200 metres, the environment could change dramatically during a single journey. ️ THE SCENERY Of course, there is also the obvious reason people know the SchafbergBahn. The location. Starting beside the Wolfgangsee and climbing high above the Salzkammergut would give the route a very different visual identity. But importantly, the landscape would not simply be decoration. The journey itself tells a visual story: Lake and village → meadows → forest → Schafbergalm → treeline → exposed mountain → rock faces → tunnels → summit. The environment changes throughout one relatively short journey. “BUT ISN’T 5.85 KM TOO SHORT?” This would probably be the biggest argument against the route. And I think it’s a fair question. But I would argue that conventional route length isn’t a particularly useful way of judging the SchafbergBahn. The complete journey takes around 35 minutes despite covering only 5.85 km. More importantly, those kilometres contain almost 1,200 metres of climbing. There are no long sections where the player simply sits at high speed. The railway could instead concentrate on: Detailed driving physics Rack railway simulation Locomotive operation Braking Train crossings Dense scenery Detailed stations Passenger activity Weather Mountain operations And because the entire real railway could potentially be represented, players would get a genuine end-to-end route rather than an artificially shortened section of a larger network. WHY SCHAFBERGBAHN? There are many spectacular railway lines that could be added to Train Sim World. But I believe the SchafbergBahn has something more important than simply good scenery. It has its own gameplay identity. ✔ Rack railway operation ✔ Gradients up to approximately 26% ✔ 1,190 metres of climbing ✔ Locomotive pushing coaches uphill ✔ Modern steam traction ✔ Diesel-electric traction ✔ 1890s heritage steam locomotives ✔ Complete end-to-end railway ✔ Passing operations at Dorneralm ✔ Dramatically changing mountain environment ✔ Approximately 35-minute complete journeys ✔ Potential heritage and rolling-stock expansions Rather than feeling like another railway in a different location, I think the SchafbergBahn could actually play differently. And that is why I think it deserves consideration for Train Sim World. What do you think? Would you like to see a rack railway in Train Sim World? And if SchafbergBahn were ever developed, would you prefer modern steam, diesel-electric or historic steam traction most? I would personally love to see all three eventually! Thanks for reading.
