Prater Liliputbahn

Opened in 1928, and extended in 1933, the railway, which operates primarily as a tourist attraction, runs for almost 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) around the Prater park, an extensive public recreation area in the Austrian capital.

The railway is named after the fictional island Lilliput, inhabited by tiny people in Gulliver's Travels by Jonathan Swift.

The railway opened on 1 May 1928, the line runs for almost 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) around the Prater and the adjoining Wurstelprater amusement park.

The design for a 15 in (381 mm) gauge locomotive was drawn up in 1923 by Chief Engineer Martens of the Mthe Munich-based engineering firm Krauss and Company, based on a German 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge 4-6-2 design.

Facilities include a large staff room, a ticket office, and provisions for coaling and watering steam locomotives.

[1] The station's name (English: Swiss House - Air Castle) comes from two nearby restaurants, the Schweizerhaus and the Luftburg, on the southern edge of the amusement park.

The station saw a significant increase in traffic after a tram line was completed, linking Vienna city centre to the rotunda.

Trams terminate at a stop less than a minute's walk from Rotunda Station, giving the Prater Liliputbahn a direct connection to the Vienna public transport system.

The station features a single platform at the entrance to the turning loop and includes a ticket office.

Upon departure, trains make a sharp turn into the loop, passing through the trees before rejoining the main line for the return journey.

Three such engines were ordered from Krauss & Company, but the third was cancelled before delivery, due to initially poor passenger numbers.

In 2018 an experimental locomotive was moved to the railway, powered by electricity, with generation through a hydrogen fuel cell in a tender.

The locomotive is intended to demonstrate the capabilities of hydrogen power for the wider rail industry, and has been developed by a consortium consisting of ÖBB Infra (a division of the Austrian Federal Railways), Liliputbahn/TEMO, Air Liquide, Railway Competence and Certification GmbH, and Prosoft Süd Consulting GmbH.

A refurbishment programme commenced in 2008, with the diesel locomotives converted (in numerical order, starting with engine D1) to burning recycled vegetable oil.