Prater Liliputbahn, Narrow gauge railway in Prater park, Vienna, Austria
The Prater Liliputbahn is a 381 mm gauge railway that runs almost 4 km around the Prater park and the Wurstelprater amusement park. Its main line is double track throughout, with white-painted milestones every 100 metres. The route passes the Ernst-Happel-Stadion and ends in woods west of the stadium.
The railway opened in 1928, building on a popular entertainment concept that had existed in the Prater since the 1800s. Since then, it has grown into an enduring attraction that takes visitors on a playful journey through the park.
The railway is named after Lilliput, the island of tiny people in Jonathan Swift's Gulliver's Travels, not after any theater. Its stations carry Prater names: Prater Hauptbahnhof, Rotunde, Schweizerhaus Luftburg and Ernst-Happel-Stadion. The line is run under the brand Lilis Welt by Liliputbahn im Prater GesmbH.
The ride is accessible to visitors of all ages and requires no special skills or physical demands. Visiting in spring or autumn offers pleasant weather and fewer crowds compared to the summer months.
The two original 4-6-2 Pacific steam locomotives, numbered 1 and 2, were ordered from Krauss & Company in Munich and still run in summer high season. A third engine was cancelled before delivery, and the replacement built in 1942 was later scrapped; its boiler is on static display in the Prater.
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