Semmering panorama ("Panorama des Semmerings)" Detail 2

The Documents on the Semmering Railway.

Picturesque atlas of the railway line across the Semmering Pass. Prefaced by a historical-statistical overview of all railway lines operating in Austria, railway map, longitudinal section and numerous illustrations. ("Malerischer Atlas der Eisenbahn über den Semmering. Mit vorausgehender historisch- statistischer Übersicht der in Betriebe stehenden Eisenbahnen in Österreich, Eisenbahnkarte, Längenprofil und zahlreiche Illustrationen.") (Album bound in brown cloth)

The Documents on the Semmering Railway from the Imperial & Royal Historical Museum of Austrian Railways from 1844-1910 contain engineers’ notebooks, sketches, drawings, watercolors, lithographs, and steel engravings. They bear witness to the way in which this major construction site evolved in the mountain wilderness and how the railway line’s stunning viaducts and tunnels were built using the engineering resources available at the time. The archival material also bears an important testimony to the importance attached to technical innovations in the 19th century as well as the growing awareness that technical projects require meticulous documentation.