Austria's topography meant that it was ideal narrow gauge territory, and numerous narrow gauge systems, mainly 760mm gauge, were constructed down valleys to make connections with the standard gauge main lines.

When Dutch enthusiast Ton Pruissen visited Austria in the 1960s and early 1970s, even if the legendary Salzkammergut-Lokalbahn had gone in 1957, many of the other systems were still operational, and the majority of the trains steam operated, with just a few diesels to be seen.

Only adhension lines are featured here; no rack railways, although the PÃ?¶stlingbergbahn in Linz was then, and still is, the steepest adhension railway in the world. This is electrified, as are two of the other lines Ton filmed.

Other lines featured on this DVD include the Waldviertalbahn, the Steyrtalbahn, the Vellachtalbahn, the Zillertalbahn, the Radmer industrial railway, the Murtalbahn, the Lokalbahn Mixnitz-St. Erhard and the Feistritztalbahn.

Of these only the PÃ?¶stlingbergbahn and the Zillertalbahn remain as full commercial operations so, whilst parts of some of the other lines still operate as preserved railways, this DVD really does show a world now gone for ever.