Key takeaways
- Class 298 is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive for 760 mm gauge – the central feature that determines everything else.
- The letter U is the older type designation; the three-digit 298 was added with the ÖBB numbering scheme.
- Austria designates traction vehicles as "Reihe" (class) – narrow-gauge steam locomotives carry three-digit numbers such as 298, 399 or 699.
- Identification via the gauge: anyone who sees the narrow track gauge can immediately rule out standard-gauge vehicles.
- Workings are appointments, not timetable services – serviceability and programme change constantly.
Contents
Fact file
| Vehicle type | Narrow-gauge steam locomotive (tank locomotive) |
|---|---|
| Gauge | 760 mm (so-called Bosnian gauge) |
| Original designation | Type U of the Austrian narrow-gauge railways |
| ÖBB class designation | Class 298 |
| UIC type code | 90 (other traction type, here steam), country code 81 for Austria |
| Type of use | Heritage and nostalgia operation on narrow-gauge lines |
Identifying features
Is this really the class in front of you?
- A noticeably narrower track gauge than standard gauge – the most obvious clue
- Compact tank locomotive without a separate tender
- Water tanks at the sides of the boiler, coal bunker behind the cab
- Small loading gauge: coaches and locomotive look narrow and low
- Class designation 298 or the old letter U on the vehicle
- Used on heritage and nostalgia lines, not in regular service
Updated: August 2026 – A train that looks like a normal steam train, just one size smaller: narrower tracks, lower coaches, a compact locomotive without a tender. That’s the typical sight of Class 298, formerly known simply as type U. This page explains why the gauge determines everything here, how the Austrian designation system works, and what to watch for during a sighting.
Narrow gauge is rare – capture it
Heritage railways run seasonally and with changing machines. Log your sighting along with the date directly in Traintrack.
What is the ÖBB Class 298?
Class 298 is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive for 760 mm gauge. It goes back to the old Austrian type designation U and has carried the three-digit number 298 since the introduction of the ÖBB class scheme. Preserved machines run today in heritage and nostalgia operation – for instance around the Gurktal Railway – not in regular service.
The most important thing about this vehicle isn’t in the technical specification, but in the gauge. At 760 mm it sits at roughly half of standard gauge’s 1,435 mm. This gauge shaped whole regions for decades: it allowed tight curves, lower construction costs and lines in places where a standard-gauge railway would never have been built. Everything you see on Class 298 – the narrow build, the short length, the low loading gauge – follows from this decision.
How Austria designates its traction vehicles
Anyone coming from the German class scheme trips over the word first in Austria. There it’s not called Baureihe, but Reihe (class). Modern traction vehicles also carry a four-digit number, whose first digit states the traction type: 1 for electric locomotives, 2 for diesel locomotives, 4 for electric railcars, 5 for diesel railcars.
Steam locomotives fall outside this pattern. They kept shorter numbers – two digits for standard-gauge machines, three digits for narrow-gauge vehicles. That’s exactly why a number like 298 or 399 is a direct clue to narrow gauge, while a 52 or 77 points to standard gauge. The additional letter from the early days – U, Uh, Mh – survived on many vehicles and is still used alongside the number today.
All of this reappears in the twelve-digit European numbering system: the first two digits state the traction type with 90, the next two the country Austria with 81, followed by class and serial number. How this number is built up in detail is explained in the guide to reading the UIC number.
Narrow gauge or standard gauge? The quick check
Is that really a narrow-gauge locomotive?
Narrow-gauge steam locomotive on 760 mm
Narrow track gauge, compact tank design and a three-digit class number fit together. Class 298 is a strong candidate – check the lettering on the cab.
Standard-gauge steam locomotive
Full track gauge and a two-digit class number suggest a standard-gauge machine, for instance from the ÖBB fleet or a private railway.
Not a steam locomotive
Four-digit class numbers belong to modern traction vehicles. If the number starts with 1, it's an electric locomotive, with 2 a diesel locomotive.
Anyone wanting to work through such feature chains systematically will find the right order in the guide to identifying classes.
What narrow-gauge operation means for observers
Narrow-gauge railways work differently from the main network – and that directly affects how you get a sighting.
| Feature | Standard-gauge main network | 760 mm narrow-gauge railway |
|---|---|---|
| Gauge | 1,435 mm | 760 mm |
| Route alignment | generous radii, high speed | tight curves, slow pace |
| Vehicle size | full loading gauge | narrow and low |
| Service offer | daily by timetable | seasonal, often only on certain days |
| Traction today | mostly electric or diesel | steam and diesel in heritage operation |
| Predictability | possible spontaneously | check the date in advance |
The slow operation is an advantage here: trains can be followed on foot, locations chosen at leisure, and the same set can be photographed several times in one day. For the electric side of Austrian narrow gauge, see the Class 399 (Mh) around the Mariazell Railway; for standard-gauge steam stock, see the ÖBB Class 77 or the historic GKB Class 29.
Seasonal operation means: seize the opportunity
Anyone who catches a narrow-gauge steam locomotive should document the sighting immediately – the next opportunity could be months away.
Photographing on the narrow-gauge railway
Lower viewpoint, tighter framing
Narrow-gauge vehicles are small. From normal eye height they quickly look lost in the landscape. A lower viewpoint and a tighter frame give them presence back – and show the proportions that make up their appeal.
Three further points help on nostalgia trips:
- Use the curves. Tight bends are the hallmark of these railways. From the outside of a curve you see the locomotive and train at the same time.
- Choose cool times of day. Steam becomes visible at low temperatures and lingers longer; in warm afternoon light it often disappears before it registers in the shot.
- Photograph the train twice. On excursion railways the same set comes back – use the first run to test and the second for the picture.
Track areas and operational railway land are off limits
Even on a leisurely heritage railway, this applies without exception: tracks, platform edges, shunting areas, engine sheds and operational railway land are closed off. Vehicles move there unannounced, especially during shunting moves and when running the locomotive round. Photography is done exclusively from publicly accessible areas; what's permitted in a given case depends on local rules.
The fundamental shooting technique is covered in the guide good photos of trains, dates and special trains can be found via the heritage railway guide.
Common mix-ups
It points to Class 298 if …
- the track gauge is noticeably narrower than standard gauge
- the locomotive carries water tanks on the boiler instead of a tender
- the number 298 or the letter U is shown on the cab
- the train is running on a heritage or excursion line
Look more closely if …
- several narrow-gauge steam locomotives are standing next to each other
- the machine is stabled cold and partly obscured
- you can only make out the letter without the number
It's not a Class 298 if …
- the locomotive is standing on standard gauge
- the class number has four digits – then it's a modern traction vehicle
- a separate tender is coupled on
Verdict
Class 298 is a vehicle you learn through the gauge, not through technical data. Anyone who recognises the narrow track gauge is already halfway through the identification; the three-digit class number and the old type designation U supply the rest. Harder than the identification is the encounter: heritage operation, as at the Bregenz Forest Railway, means a season, a date and preparation. That’s exactly why every documented sighting here is worth more than one in regular service.
Quick verdict
Narrow-gauge steam locomotive on 760 mm, old type U, ÖBB Class 298. Identification path: check the gauge, look at the tank design, read the number. Workings only in heritage operation – check dates in advance and record sightings with a date.
Build up a narrow-gauge collection
Vehicle, line, date and photo filed together – so you keep track of a fleet that changes slowly but steadily.
Summary
- Class 298 stands for the classic Austrian narrow-gauge steam locomotive on 760 mm and is today a heritage-operation vehicle.
- Gauge, tank design and small loading gauge make identification in the field easy.
- Exactly which machine runs where depends on societies, overhaul deadlines and seasonal programmes, and changes regularly.
- Even at heritage railways: track areas and operational railway land are closed off, photography is done from public areas.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ÖBB Class 298?
Class 298 is a narrow-gauge steam locomotive for 760 mm gauge. It goes back to the older type designation U of the Austrian narrow-gauge railways and later received the three-digit class number 298 under the ÖBB scheme. Today, preserved machines run in heritage and nostalgia operation, not in regular service.
What does 760 mm gauge mean?
It's the distance between the inner edges of the rails. Standard gauge measures 1,435 mm, while Austrian narrow gauge measures 760 mm – a little more than half. This gauge is also called Bosnian gauge and was widespread in the Habsburg monarchy because it allowed tight curves and cheap construction.
Why is the locomotive called both U and 298?
Because it has been through two designation systems. Originally, Austrian railways assigned letters to narrow-gauge locomotives as type codes, such as U, Uh or Mh. Three-digit numbers were added with the ÖBB class scheme. Both designations still exist side by side today and refer to the same vehicle.
How do I recognise a narrow-gauge locomotive at first glance?
By the track, not the locomotive. The gap between the rails is noticeably small at 760 mm, and the whole vehicle looks narrow and low as a result. If standard-gauge stock is standing next to it, the difference is immediately visible. Tight curves and narrow platforms along the line are further clues.
Where do such locomotives still run today?
On preserved narrow-gauge lines in Austria that are operated as heritage and excursion railways by societies or regional operators. Which line uses which machine changes with overhauls, staff and seasonal programme. Only the current announcements from the respective operator are reliable.
What's the difference between Class 298 and Class 399?
Both are narrow-gauge vehicles on 760 mm, but come from different type families. The 399 carries the old designation Mh, where the h stands for superheated steam, and is a larger, more powerful machine. The 298 goes back to the older type U and looks more compact. If in doubt, the lettering on the vehicle decides.
Is the locomotive a tank locomotive?
Yes. It carries water and coal on the vehicle itself – in side tanks on the boiler and in a coal bunker behind the cab. There's no separate tender. This is typical for narrow-gauge railways with tight curves and frequent reversing, where a short, agile vehicle is an advantage.
How do I plan a sighting sensibly?
Via the timetable of the respective heritage railway, not via general train information. Heritage railways run seasonally, often only at weekends, and alternate between steam and diesel haulage. Anyone wanting to see a particular machine checks beforehand whether it's actually running that day – and records the sighting afterwards with the date.
Log your sighting of the ÖBB Class 298 (U)
Date, location and vehicle number logged in seconds – and visible to the community.
Related classes
ÖBB Class 399 (Mh)
Class 399 – historically designated Mh – belongs to the 760 mm narrow-gauge world of the Mariazell Railway. Here's how to identify it correctly.
Steam/specialGKB Class 29
The GKB Class 29 belongs to the historic steam fleet of the Graz-Köflacher Bahn. Here's how to read its vehicle number and plan a sighting.
Steam/specialÖBB Class 77
The Class 77 is an Austrian passenger tank locomotive with three coupled axles between two leading/trailing axles. Here's how to identify and classify it.
Steam/specialÖBB Class 52
The Class 52 is the Austrian version of the war locomotive: a freight steam engine with five coupled axles. Here's how to identify it reliably.
Who is behind it
Groups, brands, manufacturers and operators – who owns whom and how to recognise them out in the field.
Bregenzerwaldbahn (Wälderbähnle)
The Bregenzerwaldbahn was a 760 mm narrow-gauge line from Bregenz to Bezau. What remains is a short stretch, on which a society runs steam and diesel trains during the summer half of the year. For spotters, it's one of the few chances to see Bosnian gauge in operation in Vorarlberg.
Heritage railwayGurkthalbahn
Carinthia once had a sizeable narrow-gauge network. Of the Gurkthalbahn, a short stretch near Treibach-Althofen has survived, on which a society runs steam trains in summer. Anyone wanting to see 760 millimetres in operation has only a few addresses left in Austria.
BrandMariazellerbahn
The Mariazellerbahn is a 760 mm narrow-gauge railway with an overhead line voltage found nowhere else in scheduled operation. The name stands for a route and a service brand – since 2010 it has no longer been run by ÖBB, but by the state of Lower Austria.
BrandPinzgauer Lokalbahn
The Pinzgauer Lokalbahn links Zell am See with Krimml – at 760 mm gauge and with diesel traction. The name describes a line; it has been run by the Salzburg AG since 2008. A flood almost cost the railway its existence along the way.
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