Waste from tunnel-drilling excavations was used to build the administration and station buildings. The total number of workers involved in this ambitious project has reached 20 thousand.
Construction took place at an altitude of 985 meters above sea level, its gradient in some areas is 460 meters, the steepness – 20-25% in most parts of the road, there are extreme values of elevation and radius of turns.
It was necessary to use new tools and techniques, to design more powerful engines, which up to that time simply did not exist. Several companies took part in the competition, and the winner was the Bavarian engineering company, whose locomotives had the largest tonnage at the time. She received 20,000 ducats as a reward.
The railroad bed is in such good condition that it still needs no major renovation, even after 150 years! Also considered unique is the fact that 80,000 stone slabs and 65,000 bricks were used for laying the roadbed instead of iron and steel.
Only the rails and track equipment were made of metal. Thanks to these subtleties, the road has been nicknamed "the brick road.". No wonder it's the first railroad in the world to be added to the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The picturesque surroundings of the Alps, through which the road passes, are lined with fairy-tale like towns and tourist complexes. Semmering has been known all over the world since the 19th century as a balneological and skiing resort. When the railroad opened (albeit at a speed of 6 km per hour) tourists flocked to see for themselves all the beauty of this corner of Austria. Longevity of the construction inspires sincere respect.
