Did you know the Schleppbahn Liesing once hauled thousands of tons of freight? This industrial railway in southern Vienna wasn’t just any line. It was a vital artery for over a century. It connected businesses to the main SüdBahn railway line near Liesing station.
The Schleppbahn Liesing started humbly. Around 1860 it served Wagenmann & Seybel’s industrial works. This chemical plant needed transport. The railway efficiently moved its goods. The line expanded significantly over its lifetime. It reached almost 10km including its branches.
Several companies used the Schleppbahn Liesing. Its northern branch reached the Metallwerke Liesing and the Perl automobile factory later Gräff & Stift. The southern branch connected to the Varta battery factory. It stretched far into the Liesing industrial area near the Perfektastraße U-Bahn station.
The Schleppbahn Liesing never carried passengers. It was purely freight. The name ‘Schleppbahn’ is a 19th-century Austrian railway term. It described industrial lines that connected to public networks.
Interestingly the Schleppbahn Liesing didn’t own its land. Its main track belonged to the SüdBahn. The rest of the tracks lay on the streets and industrial sites.
A planned expansion eastwards towards Lower Austria failed. Lower Austria refused to give up land. Vienna didn’t want to build tracks in another state.
The Schleppbahn Liesing had a clever solution for reaching the Liesing freight yard. It wasn’t direct. Trains used a reversing loop. This involved a controlled lowering of the wagons. Additional tracks parallel to the SüdBahn assisted shunting and maneuvers.
The Schleppbahn Liesing used older locomotives. Many were second-hand. They came from other railways. Wagenmann & Seybel owned one documented locomotive. Other locomotives belonged to nearby companies or their successors. Early on company employees ran the trains. Later ÖBB employees operated them under contract.
The Schleppbahn Liesing’s older locomotives on the northern branch had oversized buffer plates. These prevented the wagons from getting stuck in tight corners. Longer-wheelbase wagons needed rods or chains for coupling.
One fascinating fact. Until 1977 the Schleppbahn Liesing transported trams. These were built or repaired at Gräff & Stift in Atzgersdorf. They were then transported to the Liesing station. From there they traveled via the Kaltenleutgebner Bahn to Rodaun. A transfer facility there moved them to the Vienna tram network.
Despite its importance the Schleppbahn Liesing closed on December 12 2003. Decreasing freight volume caused its demise. The closure of a VOEST steel warehouse was a major factor. The tracks were largely removed. The Schleppbahn Liesing’s legacy however continues in the form of stories like this one. Its past a reminder of Vienna’s industrial history.