Minimum gauge railway
Encyclopedia
Minimum gauge railways have a gauge of less than or , most commonly , , or . The notion of minimum gauge railways was originally developed by estate railways
British narrow gauge railways
There were more than a thousand British narrow gauge railways ranging from large, historically significant common carriers to small, short-lived industrial railways...
and by the French company of Decauville
Decauville
The Decauville manufacturing company was founded by Paul Decauville , a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel sleepers; this track was portable and could be disassembled and transported...
for industrial railway
Industrial railway
An industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
s.
The term was originally conceived by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood who used it in 1874 to describe the principle behind his Duffield Bank Railway
Duffield Bank Railway
The Duffield Bank Railway was built by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood in the grounds of his house on the hillside overlooking Duffield, Derbyshire in 1874. Although the Ordnance Survey map circa 1880 does not show the railway itself, it does show two tunnels and two signal posts.-Overview:It was more...
, distinguishing it from a "Narrow Gauge" railway. Having previously built a small railway of 9 inch gauge, he settled on as the minimum that he felt was practical. An important feature was that it was intended to be easy to lay on, for instance, a battlefield.
The major distinction between a miniature railway
Ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives .-Overview:Typically they have a rail track gauge between and , though both larger and...
(USA: 'riding railroad' or 'grand scale railroad') and a minimum gauge railway is that miniature lines use models of full-sized prototypes. There are miniature railways that run on gauges as wide as , for example the Wicksteed Park Railway. There are also minimum gauge railways running on extremely narrow track as small as gauge, for example the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway
Rudyard Lake Steam Railway
The Rudyard Lake Steam Railway is a minimum gauge railway and the third railway of any gauge to run along the side of Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire. The railway runs for on the track bed of an old standard gauge North Staffordshire Railway line. After the NSR line closed down, a small narrow gauge...
. Generally minimum gauge railways have a working function as estate railways, or industrial railways, or providers of public transport links; although most also have a distinct function in relation to tourism as well, and depend upon tourism for the revenue to support their working function.
A general aspect about minimum gauge railways is that the loading gauge
Loading gauge
A loading gauge defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads to ensure safe passage through bridges, tunnels and other structures...
is maximized, which is to say the dimension of the equipment is made as large as possible to the track gauge, while still providing enough stability to keep it from tipping over.
List of Minimum Gauge Railways
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Perrygrove Railway The Perrygrove Railway is a minimum gauge railway of gauge. It is a private heritage railway at Perrygrove Farm in the Royal Forest of Dean near Coleford, Gloucestershire, England... , Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway is a minimum gauge heritage railway in Cumbria, England. The line runs from Ravenglass to Dalegarth Station near Boot in the valley of Eskdale, in the Lake District... , Redwood Valley Railway The Redwood Valley Railway is a ridable miniature railroad in Tilden Regional Park near Berkeley, California . It was established in 1952 by Erich Thomsen, and has expanded to 1.25 miles of track and over 160,000 passengers a year.... , Riverside and Great Northern Railway The Riverside and Great Northern Railway is a heritage railroad in Wisconsin.It operates train excursions on its 15 inch gauge track located in Wisconsin Dells... , Rhyl Miniature Railway The Rhyl Miniature Railway is a gauge miniature railway line located in Rhyl on the North Wales Coast. The line runs in a circle around a boating lake near the promenade, to the west of the town centre... , Rudyard Lake Steam Railway The Rudyard Lake Steam Railway is a minimum gauge railway and the third railway of any gauge to run along the side of Rudyard Lake in Staffordshire. The railway runs for on the track bed of an old standard gauge North Staffordshire Railway line. After the NSR line closed down, a small narrow gauge... , Ruislip Lido Railway The Ruislip Lido Railway is a gauge miniature railway around Ruislip Lido in Ruislip, west of central London. Running from the main station at Woody Bay by the lido's beach, on a track around the reservoir, the railway passes through Ruislip Woods to Ruislip Lido station near the Water's Edge... , Steeple Grange Light Railway The Steeple Grange Light Railway is a heritage railway at Wirksworth in Derbyshire, UK. It uses industrial locomotives and rolling stock from disused mines, quarries, and steelworks around the country.-The line:... , Tarn Light Railway The Chemin de Fer Touristique du Tarn , or Tarn Light Railway, is a narrow-gauge light railway near the village of Saint-Lieux-lès-Lavaur, in the vicinity of Saint-Sulpice in the department of Tarn, France... , , Wells Harbour Railway The Wells Harbour Railway is a gauge railway at Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk, United Kingdom. It is long, running between Wells Harbour and Pinewoods. Both steam and diesel locomotives are used.-History:... , Wells and Walsingham Light Railway The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a gauge heritage railway in Norfolk, England running between the coastal town of Wells and Walsingham which is further inland... , |
See also
- FeldbahnFeldbahnA Feldbahn is the German term for a narrow gauge railway, usually not open to the public, which in its simplest form provides for the transportation of agricultural, forestry and industrial raw materials such as wood, peat, stone, earth and sand...
- Heritage railwayHeritage railwaythumb|right|the Historical [[Khyber train safari|Khyber Railway]] goes through the [[Khyber Pass]], [[Pakistan]]A heritage railway , preserved railway , tourist railway , or tourist railroad is a railway that is run as a tourist attraction, in some cases by volunteers, and...
- Light railwayLight railwayLight railway refers to a railway built at lower costs and to lower standards than typical "heavy rail". This usually means the railway uses lighter weight track, and is more steeply graded and tightly curved to avoid civil engineering costs...
- Narrow gauge railway
- Miniature railway
- Industrial railwayIndustrial railwayAn industrial railway is a type of railway that is not available for public transportation and is used exclusively to serve a particular industrial, logistics or military site...
- Ridable miniature railwayRidable miniature railwayA ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives .-Overview:Typically they have a rail track gauge between and , though both larger and...