The Achensee steam cog railway

The Achenseebahn opened in 1889 and has never been converted. Its locomotives burn coal, its carriages are wood, and it still climbs the 440 metres from Jenbach in the Inn valley to the southern end of the lake on a rack — a working nineteenth-century machine rather than a museum piece pushed out on Sundays.

For a photograph, the interest is the contrast: black iron, brass, steam and varnished wood against alpine meadow. The lower section out of Jenbach is the steep rack climb through forest and open pasture, and the upper section runs level towards Maurach and the lake. Stations are small, low and easy to work in, and the train stops long enough at each to compose properly.

Steam reads best against a dark background and in still, cool air — early morning and the shoulder seasons give the thickest plume. Midsummer heat makes it thin and almost invisible. The line runs roughly north to south, so both sides get light through the day.

The railway is seasonal, generally from May to October, with a limited number of departures a day and no service at all in winter. It is also a working tourist line, which means passengers, timetables and platforms that fill before departure. Check the current running days and times, and plan around a specific train rather than hoping to catch one.