Today, we travelled to Jenbach on the Achenseebahn, Europe’s oldest steam powered cog railway, dating back to 1889
It was a leaisurely walk along the lakeside in early morning sunshine to board the train at Seespitz. We arrived early and while we waited, discovered some facts about the lake.
It is an Alpine lake, owned by the city of Innsbruck who bought it from some impoverished Benedictine monks in 1919. It was a smart move by the city, it has set up hydroelectric plants to harness the lake’s water to generate energy.
There is a persistent rumour that a drain links the Lake to Lisbon in Portugal. In 1955, there was a devastating earthquake in Lisbon which destroyed much of the city. At exactly the same time, locals noticed that the previously calm lake formed wild waves and the water dropped 1 metre, taking the lake 24 hours to return to its normal level. We leave you to decide the veracity of this fact.
The railway is very popular and, over 6.5km, drops 440m. It’s steepest drop is graded at 160% hence the need for a toothed rack rail which runs between the normal rails and a cog pinion under the locomotive that locks into the teeth of the centre rail. You can see why, when you wend your way through Maurach and down the steep valley into Jenbach. After a quick cuppa we were on the return train, the whole expedition taking less than 2 hours. We will be washing soot out of our clothes and hair for weeks to come.
We were preparing to finally take the bikes out of the car and cycle to Achenkirk when we bumped into a couple from the hotel. Instead of more exercise, we opted for a beer and late lunch with entertaining company. They both had extremely interesting careers, a highlight of which was moving the Royal Armouries Museum from The Tower of London to Leeds.
Tomorrow we cycle….or maybe we don’t……
braysabroad 