Part 2: the mountain route
The northern ramp
From here on the train starts it's steady ascent on the northern ramp up to the Gösing tunnel. The tracks first follow the valley but after a few minutes, they turn around the first of a pair of horseshoe curves ("Talschleife"). After a steep gradient of 27 per mille (1 in 37) with viaducts and tunnels, the train turns around the upper horseshoe curve ("Bergschleife") to reach the station of Winterbach [map].
From here you can see two different levels of tracks and the station of Laubenbachmühle down on the valley floor, only a short distance away but about 200 metres below (Mariazellerbahn hiking path). Winterbach itself is part of the village of St. Anton an der Jeßnitz From there it's only a short trip to the preserved part of the Ybbstalbahn at Kienberg-Gaming.
The next stop is Puchenstuben [map].
The southern ramp
Then the train disappears into the 2368 metres long Gösing tunnel, which is the longest tunnel of the Mariazellerbahn and the sixth longest railway tunnel in Austria. We pass the highest point above sea level along the Mariazellerbahn inside the tunnel and move into the station of Gösing directly after it. For the ride that follows over the southern ramp, it's an absolute must to take a seat on the right side! Opposite the station the Alpenhotel Gösing**** can be seen. The landscape is now dominated by the 1893 metres high mountain Ötscher, which gives the whole region it's name: Ötscherland. From the train you have a most impressive view of the mountain, with it's rugged eastern flank and the small village of Erlaufboden lying 400 metres below the line.
While running over a section with numerous bends, tunnels and bridges, we pass the most well known bridge of the Mariazellerbahn: the Saugraben viaduct. It's the highest bridge along the line. While the other stone arch viaducts were restored with a concrete coating, this one was considered a monument and was preserved in it's original appearance. Annaberg [map] is the next station. It's situated a few kilometres outside the village of the same name, which is a popular winter sport resort. The station itself is located in the small village of Reith, which is an ideal starting point for trips into the natural preserve of Ötscher-Tormäuer, which we saw previously deep down in the valley below the line.
The train passes the Lake Lassing, which in fact is a reservoir for a hydropower station, providing electricity for the railway. Over decades this lake, which is a bit reminiscent of a Norwegian fjord, has turned into a vital habitat for water birds. With a bit of luck, grey herons can be seen from the train window. Although once a busy station in the days of goods traffic, today Wienerbruck [map] is just a halt, but it is starting point for a hiking path down into the Erlauf gorge. Down on the valley floor, at the 1910 built power station, you can decide whether to go further into the Ötschergraben or into the Hintere Tormäuer. Both canyons provide the possibility for circular trips that begin and end at different stations along the line.
Behind Wienerbruck, the track reverses around the lake and turns into the most remote region along the line, far from any sign of civilisation except for the tracks. One can easily imagine why the brown bear came back to this place more than a century after it's extirpation by local farmers and hunters. Between short tunnels, passengers on the right side get a glimpse of what's called "the Zinken", a deep and inaccessable wild canyon which is considered the most impressive sight along the line. Some locomotive drivers run this short section at walking speed to provide their passengers a better view into the gorge. (Some people call it "the Grand Canyon of Lower Austria"). After the last tunnel, the train stops at Erlaufklause [map], which also is just a halt today, but quite popular with hikers. Since 2002, during the summer, it's possible to buy tickets for the train at the adjacent "Zinkenpub".
Mitterbach [map] is reached after running along another reservoir lake and over two large steel girder bridges, which are the last major structures along the line. Mitterbach is also the last place along the line in Lower Austria, but the station itself is already located in Styria. Then the train runs through more open countryside dominated by the Gemeindealpe mountain. Here, in the northernmost corner of Styria, our train reaches it's destination, the station of Mariazell, which in fact is located in the community of St. Sebastian [map]. From here the tracks continued on to the small town of Gußwerk, about seven kilometres away. This section was built as part of a proposed connection with the Styrian mainline network that never became reality. It has been closed in 1988 and the tracks were dismantled in July 2003. It's possible to take a bus to reach the town of Mariazell, about one kilometre from the station. There also is a promenade walk, originally built as a trackbed for a never realised extension of the railway into the city center.
The City of Mariazell
Most important sights of Mariazell are the pilgrimage church of Our Lady of Mariazell and adjacent sanctuaries like the grotto of candles and the small holy spring chapel. Apart from that, one should take a ride by ropeway up to the Bürgeralpe mountain, from where you get an excellent view of the surrounding mountains and children might have some fun in the lumberjack-adventureland up there. Another hidden treasure might call more attention to railfans however: There's a standard gauge tramway line from the railway station to the nearby Lake Erlauf. It was built completely new in the early eighties and it houses a fine collection of historic tramways from several Austrian networks, among them the only tramway steam engine from Vienna in working condition.
There are quite well advanced plans to extend the tramway line close to the city center, re-using a section of trackbed of the now dismantled Gußwerk line.