Minimum gauge railway

Track gauge
by size
Broad gauge
Standard gauge
Narrow gauge
Minimum gauge
List of rail gauges
Break-of-gauge
Dual gauge
Gauge conversion
Track
Tramway track
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Minimum gauge railways have a gauge of less than 2 ft  (610 mm) or 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁵⁄₈ in),^{[citation needed]} most commonly 15 in (381 mm),^[1] 400 mm (15 ³⁄₄ in), 18 in (457 mm) or 500 mm (19 ³⁄₄ in). The notion of minimum gauge railways was originally developed by estate railways^[1] and by the French company of Decauville for industrial railways.

The major distinction between a miniature railway (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 2 ft  (610 mm), for example the Wicksteed Park Railway. There are also minimum gauge railways running on extremely narrow track as small as 10 ¹⁄₄ in (260 mm) gauge, for example the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway. 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 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

Anacortes Railway, 457 mm (18 in) Anse (Chemin de fer Touristique d')[2], 381 mm (15 in) Artouste (Petit train d'), 500 mm (19 3⁄4 in) Assiniboine Valley Railway, 7 1⁄2 in (190.5 mm) Bicton Woodland Railway, 457 mm (18 in) Bure Valley Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Coronado Railroad, 20 in (508 mm) Duffield Bank Railway, 381 mm (15 in)[1] Eaton Hall Railway, 381 mm (15 in)[1] Fairbourne Railway 1895-1916: 2 ft  (610 mm) 1916-1986: 15 in (381 mm) 1986–Present: 12 1⁄4 in (311 mm) Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway Hesston Steam Museum 356 mm (14 in) Isle of Mull Railway, 260 mm (10 1⁄4 in) Kirklees Light Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Lappa Valley Steam Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad, 457 mm (18 in)

Ohsabanan Sweden, 600 mm (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) Perrygrove Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Redwood Valley Railway, 15 in (381 mm) Riverside and Great Northern Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Rhyl Miniature Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway, 381 mm (15 in) Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, 260 mm (10 1⁄4 in) Ruislip Lido Railway, 305 mm (12 in) Sand Hutton Light Railway, 457 mm (18 in) Scarborough North Bay Railway, 508 mm (20 in) Sons of Gwalia Firewood Tramway, 20 in (508 mm)[3] Southern Fuegian Railway, 500 mm (19 3⁄4 in) Steeple Grange Light Railway, 18 in (457 mm) Tarn Light Railway, [4], 500 mm (19 3⁄4 in) Royal Arsenal 18 inch Railway, 457 mm (18 in) Wells Harbour Railway, 260 mm (10 1⁄4 in) Wells and Walsingham Light Railway, 260 mm (10 1⁄4 in)

See also

Feldbahn Heritage railway Light railway

Narrow gauge railway Miniature railway

Industrial railway Ridable miniature railway

References

1. ^ ^{a b c d} Heywood, A.P. (1974) [1881, Derby: Bemrose]. Minimum Gauge Railways. Turntable Enterprises. ISBN 0-902844-26-1. 
2. ^ Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse
3. ^ Gwalia
4. ^ Chemin de fer Touristique d'Tarn