- Namaqualand Railway
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The Namaqualand Railway was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway operating in the Namaqualand region of the former Cape Colony in South Africa, and was built to provide an outlet for the copper mines of the region. Opened in 1866, the railway was 96 miles long, with an additional 8 miles purely associated with the copper mine workings. Although owned by the Namaqualand Copper Company, the railway always operated as a public railway.[1]
The railway pre-dated the construction of 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge (Cape gauge) railways in South Africa, and because of the success of this line, 2' 6" gauge was strongly promoted as the primary gauge for railway construction in South Africa at the time. The railway closed in 1944.[1]
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