The unforgettable Salzkammergut local railway and the myth attached to it – Gunter Mackinger, a native of Salzburg who was technical operations manager and director of the Salzburger Lokalbahnen for many years and thus a “local hero” who is very familiar with the history of the narrow-gauge railway, was able to fully inspire his audience with his lecture on Wednesday, 4 September 2024, in the well-filled cafeteria of the railway museum. He was not interested in listing wagon numbers and describing all the locomotive types in use. Rather, his explanations focused on the general conditions that characterised this railway over the years of its existence: vehicle shortages, a lack of capital and ultimately an outdated fleet of vehicles meant that, despite high passenger numbers, it was not possible to prevent a (politically desired) closure in 1957.

Gunter Mackinger also described a scenario of how the Salzkammergut local railway could be a flourishing or at least well-positioned means of public transport on a narrow gauge track for this tourist region under today’s conditions: Electrified and with a timetable based on the Swiss model. The vehicles for this were already slumbering in the drawer of the Graz wagon factory. The fact that this operation would have nothing in common with the nostalgic flair of the 1950s was vividly conveyed by him.