This is a very cold Austria and we are a few thousand feet up! A volcanic exhaust and tremendous noise is being produced by 97-208 0-6-2 Rack tank as it climbs very slowly to Prabichl through spectacular scenery with empty iron ore wagons from Vordernberg to the iron ore mountain at Ertzberg for re loading on a freezing cold day, another engine brings up the rear out of sight working just as hard. We must have been mad venturing out in these conditions, it was freezing cold but we had come a long way to see this and were making the best of it! The rack is in the centre of the track and a rack wheel is fixed to one of the driving axles of the engine to pull it up the steep gradient without the wheels slipping on the rails. (by the way if you were thinking this is a black and white photo then your wrong, this is a colour photograph! dismal conditions prevailed yet again)

Tuesday 16th February 1971.

Regards

Ledg.