British industrial narrow gauge railways
- British industrial narrow gauge railways
British industrial narrow gauge railways are narrow gauge railways in the United Kingdom and the Isle of Man that were primarily built to serve one or more industries. Some offered passenger services for employees or workmen, but they did not run public passenger trains. They are categorized by the primary industry they served.
Quarrying and mining
Cement works
Many of the cement works and their associated chalk pits had narrow gauge railways, particularly those in the South East of England. The "Associated Portland Cement Manufacturers Ltd." (APCM, (Blue Circle Industries), now part of Lafarge) was the major producer of cement in the United Kingdom in the second half of the twentieth century and many of their plants used railways.
Clay extraction
Coal
The British coal mining industry made extensive use of narrow gauge railways, particularly underground where the restricted size of the tunnels meant that narrow gauge lines were and are particularly well suited. Many National Coal Board (NCB) mines used railways both underground and in the stock yards above ground. There were also many short lines at private mines, particularly in south Wales and the Forest of Dean regions.
Peat extraction
Iron
Mainly ironstone quarries
thumb|right|Russell that ran at the Brymbo Ironstone Railway
Power generation
Power stations were some of the last regular users of industrial steam locomotives in the United Kingdom, although most of these were standard gauge. However, several power generation facilities used narrow gauge railways.
Construction industry
Contractor depots
Many construction contractors maintained depots that included narrow gauge equipment in store and under repair. While some of these were temporary locations and often unrecorded, others were long term yards with extensive stock and facilities.
Land reclamation and river maintenance
Temporary and semi-permanent narrow gauge railways were often used during land reclamation schemes
Road construction
Gas works
Railway works
Other industries
See also
* British military narrow gauge railways
* British narrow gauge railways
* Decauville
* Minimum gauge railway
References
Bibliography
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* "Narrow Gauge News", the journal of the Narrow Gauge Railway Society
External links
* [http://www.ngrs.demon.co.uk/ Narrow Gauge Railway Society]
* [http://www.irsociety.co.uk/ Industrial Railway Society]
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