Cable Blog ^beta

Translated from original entry 28-10-2014

Originally, photos was taken in summer of 2009, however the travelogue written in 2014.

The location is Stubachtal, which a side valley of Saalbachtal in austrian region Pinzgau, near village Uttendorf. At the end of the narrow serpentine road, we can find the valley station of the cable car whereby reach the artificial lake Weißsee, situated 2300 meters (7546 feet) high in picturesque surroundings. That reservoir is the smallest member of Stubachtal Hydroelectric Power Plant: 300 meters (984 feet) below located a much larger lake called Tauernmoosse, which can be reached directly only with special tourist group guiding. Electricity, generated by turbines from the water of Tauernmoossee, is being utilized by the Austrian Federal Railways, the ÖBB. The entire facility is owned by ÖBB-Infrastruktur AG, i.e. the infrastructure division of the railway company. The power station is of the highest importance for Austria, as it supplies 17% of entire electrical network from ÖBB with traction current for locomotives.

Unfortunately, the history of the hydroelectric power plant is not immaculate: although its construction was begun in 1936, however, during the Second World War the building task was accomplished by penal labour for the German Imperial Railroad. Captives were transported from Dachau to the concentration subcamp in Uttendorf, as we can read on a memorial plaque placed near the bank of Weißsee about the tragical events.

Tauernmoossee and the Weißsee reservoir in the National Park Hohe Tauern with the two-sectioned 6-person gondola system, the Weißseebahn I + II (1480 m - 1780 m - 2315 m / 4856 ft - 5840 ft - 7595 ft)
(Source of the map: www.hohetauern.info)

View from Weißseebahn, traveling up towards the middle station which situated in a small valley (by a small lake called Grünsee), so we are going downwards a short stage. Another interesting thing, as seen on the picture, is the two cableway sections which are slightly offset from each other: after arriving at the station building, the cabin slows down and passes an S-shaped supply chain path beside the central garage, continuing the trip to the top end terminal.

 The middle station inside, at the starting point of the S-shaped path (and guidance rail), due to the offset. There is a possibility to getting off - I also did it, just for a photo shooting. The retrospective feeling of the gondolas is no coincidence: the passenger units were delivered in 1982, and have been being in service since then, but their maintenance is done exemplarily.

After a left bend, we are going very slowly towards the right bend. Meanwhile, towards the middle of the curve cabin's door is closing (i.e. slamming) and later then is opening again, avoiding to enter the operating area. In the background located the central garage of the lift.

The reservoir called Weißsee - behind the mountain station, above it the restaurant and hotel Rudolfshütte. A little background info: this is the only one non-self-made photo of this entry, but I think it's pretty important from the aspect of travelouge. I can not explain why did not take a photo from here, especially as I also climbed up onto this high ground.. (Wikipedia - Cactus26 - CC BY-SA 3.0)

However, I took photograph on the other side: peaks over 3000 metres (9842 ft) with smaller and larger glaciers. Countryside is not accidentally called Weißsee Gletscherwelt (i.e. glacier world). On the left side of the picture is the Johannisberg (3 453 m / 11 329 ft); the highest peak on the right side is the Eiskögele (3 426 m 11 240 ft), which located on the tripoint of austrian federal lands: Salzburg, East-tyrol and Carinthia. If this photo place was even higher, the highest mountain in Austria, the Großglockner (3 798 m / 12 461 ft) could be seen, behind the Eiskögele. Back to the topic of ropeways: in the foreground to the left, a portal supporting tower of a surface lift can be distinctive.

Next to the terminal of gondola lift, there is the upper end station of the two-section aerial tramway owned by Austrian Federal Railways. Of course I could not enter the plant area, I could only photograph through the glass door this interesting cabin-skeleton, which used to be a passenger cable car, nowadays is functioning as cargo lift. According to newspaper articles, the firm intend to replace it by a complete tunnel system. The line of this cable car is wholly different from the Weißseebahn, except the valley and mountain station points. Its middle station is situated next to the reservoir Tauernmoossee. Moreover, on antique postcards it is shown as the predecessor cable car of present-day ropeway.

 Weßsee with Medelzbahn on the bottom-left side of the photograph: with it the rocky Medelzkopf (2761 m / 9058 ft) can be reached by additional Euros.

The valley station of Medelzbahn closely.

.. and even more closely. As seen on the picture, boarding is facilitated by a wooden "podium". There is no need for it in winter, it is substituted with a mass of snow. This type of lift is seen less and less in Austria (it was built in 1980). The voice of its driving-gear is like a "civil defense siren".