Narrow-gauge railways in the Netherlands explained

Numerous industrial narrow-gauge lines were built for peat extraction, clay extraction for brickworks and construction sites. The dominant gauge for industrial lines was, contrary to the gauge used in neighbouring countries.

Nowadays, much of this industrial rail heritage is preserved in museums or in theme parks, such as the Efteling Steam Train Company.

The majority of the Dutch narrow-gauge railways were built as steam tram networks, predominantly with and track gauge.^[1]

Tram

• Geldersch-Westfaalsche Stoomtram-Maatschappij;
• Geldersche Stoomtramweg Maatschappij;
• Rotterdamse Tramweg Maatschappij;
• Stoomtram Walcheren;
• Tramweg Maatschappij De Graafschap;
• Tramweg Maatschappij Zutphen-Emmerik;
• Tramweg Onderneming Gouda-Bodegraven;

Narrow-gauge heritage railways

• Amsteltrein;, 3,7 km, park railway
• Decauville Spoorweg Museum (Permanently closed in 2014)); 1,2 km and running line and,,,,,,,,, and collection, mainly focused on (Decauville) field railways.^{[2] [3]}
• Eerste Drentse vereniging van Stoomliefhebbers in the peat heritage museum in Barger-Compascuum; 4 km, .
• Efteling Steam Train Company,, amusement park
• Gelderse Smalspoor Stichting;, brickworks
• Industrieel Smalspoor Museum;, a former peat railway
• Stichting Rijssens Leemspoor;, industrial and park
• Stichting voorheen RTM;, preserves the heritage of the Rotterdamse Tramweg Maatschappij.
• Stoomtrein Valkenburgse Meer;, 4.5 km, part of the Nationaal Smalspoormuseum (National Narrow-gauge Railway Museum)

See also

• Argentine Salt Works Railway A gauge railway in Argentina.
• Donon Light Railway, former German forest railway in what is now France
• Ledesma Mill Railway A gauge railway in Argentina.

References

1. Web site: Nederlandse Museummaterieel Database (NMMD). 2013-08-04. Dutch.
2. Web site: Decauville Spoorweg Museum. 2013-08-04. Dutch.
3. http://nmld.locaalspoor.nl/nl/object/2701 Algemene Informatie Materieel van het Decauville Spoorweg Museum