The train departed at 3:34 pm, two minutes late. After a quick stop at Wien Grillgasse the train really took on some speed. After speeding by the large Kledering classification yard as well as the freight car shops, large open plains with transmission wires crisscrossing them greeted my eyes. Since it was a Sunday, freight trains didn't operate as much as they do on weekdays, so my train didn't pass any. After a very comfortable and nice 30 minutes REX 2647 arrived at Bruck an der Leitha.
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| REX 2647 at Bruck an der Leitha. (B'Tian Dorsam) |
REX 2647 departed shortly after as it continued it's eastbound journey to Pamhagen. I took a few pictures of the area as the sky was simply gorgeous. Since it was Sunday I was wondering if I was going to see a freight today and right as I thought that I hear the announcement "Bahnsteig 1, zug fahrt durch", translating to: Track 1, train aproaching. I heard the distinct rumbling that only freight cars made. A fast freight, pulled by a Siemens Taurus locomotive, sped through the station accompanied by a strong gust of cold wind. Happy that I saw a freight on Sunday I walked towards the exit. I was to take the 4:31 pm REX back to Wien so I had 30 minutes to explore.
Just outside the station I heard music. I went towards the sound to investigate and saw a nice, but small, Christmas Market! The atmosphere of the days before Christmas are my favorite of the year. Lights hung from the surrounding buildings as families and friends gathered in the market talking and laughing while drinking hot wine. It was a warming scene. Just past the market was the River Leitha. The river, more like a stream, was surrounded by leafless tress who's long branches were dipping into the cold water. The Leitha marked the border of two states: Niederosterreich and Burgenland, as well as the border between two towns: Bruck an der Leitha to the north and Bruckneudorf to the south. I crossed the river to geographically step foot in Bruck an der Leitha and then walked back into geographical Bruckneudorf. Since Bruckneudorf is a small town, it is considered to be part of the larger Bruck an der Leitha, which is why the train station is named what it is even though it is geographically within Bruckneudorf.
After passing under the train tracks, an old factory building greets my eyes. I also notice a abandoned rail spur heading into the factory buildings. I had 20 minutes left so I decided to walk down the road into Bruckneudorf. After crossing the Leitha again, at a different point, I come across a World War II monument. Apart from a few people walking home, the place was motionless. After taking a few pictures I decided to head back. As I approached the bridge under the tracks another freight sped by.
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| An abandoned rail spur between two old factory buildings. (B'Tian Dorsam) |
Shortly after taking one last look at the Christmas Market, I went back to the station to wait for REX 2646 from Wiener Neustadt Hbf. Since the sun had set I wasn't able to get much of a view as the train sped back to Wien, but it was a great ride nonetheless as I listened to some heavy metal and made out the dark silhouette of the landscape.
Once the train arrived at Wien Hbf, I couldn't decide if I wanted to take S80 to Meidling, which skips Matleinsdorferplatz station and departs across the platform or if I should just walk over to the S-Bahn platforms and take the train directly to Liesing without changing at Meidling. As I was thinking the doors to the S80 closed, so I didn't have another choice. I walked over to the S-Bahn platform and took the S2 home.
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