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he path of the Majestic Imperator from the start of the rebuilding to
the maiden voyage was long and arduous. The hoped-for enthusiasm
of Gottfried Rieck’s employer, the Austrian Federal Railroads, did not
materialize immediately, but eventually, after patient research and by using his
powers of persuasion, he found the necessary agreement and support for his
plans, to revive an Imperial Train from the time of the monarchy.
The first carriage was created by the same company, Ringhoffer-Smirchow
that had built the imperial train; it turned out that there were still a few expert
workers in the former imperial-royal central workshop in the Czech city of Ceské
Velenice who had personally built such carriages in their youth. Here, Rieck
found the enthusiasm he was looking for; there were even a few workers who
postponed retirement to work on the train in order to get it done on time. This
enabled them to impart their expertise to young colleagues, so that their know-
how will live on. In only half a year, the first carriage was finished and the maiden
voyage to Vienna could take place, on November 2, 1992.
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