2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways explained

Two foot and 600 mm gauge railways are narrow gauge railways with track gauges of and, respectively. Railways with similar, less common track gauges, such as and, are grouped with 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways.

Overview

Most of these lines are tourist lines, which are often heritage railways or industrial lines, such as the Ffestiniog Railway in Wales and the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado.

World War I trench railways produced the greatest concentration of gauge railways to date. In preparation for World War II, the French Maginot Line and Alpine Line also used gauge railways for supply routes to the fixed border defenses.

Australia has over of gauge sugar cane railway networks in the coastal areas of Queensland, which carry more than 30 million tonnes of sugar cane a year.

Many gauge and gauge railways are used in amusement parks and theme parks worldwide.

Exchange of rolling stock

The interchange of rolling stock between these similar track gauges occasionally occurred; for example, the South African Class NG15 2-8-2 locomotives started their career on the gauge. The Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa (now Namibia) were transferred to the 2 ft gauge railways in South Africa and currently some surviving locomotives reside in Wales on the gauge Welsh Highland Railway and the gauge Brecon Mountain Railway.

Railways

Country/territoryRailwayGauge
Albania

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Albania.

Angola
Argentina
Australia

See main article: Two foot gauge railways in Australia.

Austria

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Austria.

Belarus
  • Narrow gauge railways in Belarus
Belgium
Brazil
  • (operating)
  • (defunct)
Brunei

See main article: Transport in Brunei.

Bulgaria

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Bulgaria.

Burundi
  • Port of Bujumbura railway (defunct)
Cambodia
Canada
[7] 3km (02miles) (defunct)
1.6km (01miles) (defunct)[9]
  • Sooke Flowline (aqueduct) construction railway; 44km (27miles), (defunct)
  • Wildlife Express (located in BC Wildlife Park) (operating)
Cameroon
  • West African Planting Society Victoria (defunct)
Central African Republic
  • Zinga–Mongo railway (defunct)
Chile
China

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in China.

Comoros
Czech Republic
15 km (operating)
10.6 km (operating)
10.5 km (operating)
Democratic Republic of the Congo
Denmark

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Denmark.

  • Bunkermuseum Hanstholm museum (MuseumsCenter Hanstholm) railway is preserved.[11] [12]
  • Stenvad Mosebrug (Stenvad Mosebrugscenter), Mosebrugsbanen peat museum railway is preserved.[13] [14] [15] [16]
Egypt
  • Sugar cane railways in Kurna (operating)
Eritrea
  • Potash Transport Railway (defunct)
Estonia
Falkland Islands
Fiji

See main article: Rail transport in Fiji.

Finland

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Finland.

France

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in France.

Germany

See main article: 600 mm gauge railways in Germany.

Greece
  • Pelion railway (dual gauge lines with track also present) (operating) (metre gauge network defunct)
  • Some industrial lines (partially defunct)
  • World War I military railways (defunct)
Greenland
  • Qoornoq X-press (defunct)
Guatemala
  • Transcostero (located in Xetulul) (operating)
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
  • Korpúlfsstaðir Farm Railway (defunct)
India
Indonesia
  • Sugar mill railways in Java such as Jatiwangi (mill closed), Jatibarang (in use), Pangka (in use), Sragi (in use), Cepiring (mill closed), Soedhono (in use), Tulangan (in use), Panji (rail operation closed), and Gending (rail operation closed)[17]
  • Local tram service in Karawang and Rambipuji, all closed.
Isle of Man
Italy
  • (defunct)
  • (defunct)
  • (defunct)
Japan
Laos
Latvia

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Latvia.

Lithuania
North Macedonia
167 km (partially converted to standard gauge)
  • Gradsko - Bitola (defunct)
Madagascar
  • Sugar cane, industrial and military railways[22] (defunct)
Mauritius
  • A network of sugar cane railways[23] (defunct)
Mexico
Montenegro
  • Podgorica - Plavnica railway (defunct)
Morocco

See main article: History of rail transport in Morocco.

Mozambique
Myanmar
Namibia
Nauru
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
  • Åmdals Verk Gruver; 0.6 km (operating)
  • Gruvemuseet pa Litlabo (operating)
  • Høyanger funicular (operating)
  • Kristiansand Kanonmuseum (operating)
  • Lommedalsbanen;[25] 0.6 km (operating)
  • Sulitjelma Besøksgruve (operating)
  • Stiftelsen Konnerudverket; 0.5 km (operating)
Palestine
  • Palestine Military Railway (lines also present) (defunct)
Papua New Guinea
  • Plantation railways constructed during the German Colonial period (defunct)
Pakistan
Philippines
  • Manila–Dagupan Railway (operated within Manila yards 1907) (defunct)
Poland

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Poland.

Portugal
  • (operating)
  • (operating)
Rwanda
  • Régie d’Exploitation et de Développement des Mines (operational status unknown)
Somalia
  • Decauville line between Villabruzzi and the Somalia-Ethiopia border (defunct)
South Africa

See main article: Two-foot-gauge railways in South Africa.

South Korea
  • EcoLand Resort Forest Train[27] (located in) (operating)
Spain
    • Funicular de Capdella[28]
  • Funicular de Molinos (private) (operating)[29]
  • Tren Minero de Utrillas [30]
Sudan
  • Gezira Light Railway (operating)
  • Tokar - Trinkitat Light Railway (defunct)
Sweden

See main article: Narrow gauge railways in Sweden.

Switzerland
3 km (operating)
Taiwan
Tanzania
Thailand
Togo
Turkey
United Kingdom

See main article: 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways in the United Kingdom.


;
;
United States

See main article: 2 ft gauge railroads in the United States.

Zimbabwe
  • Shurugwi Peak Railway[32] [33] (operating)

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.tramz.com/ar/vh/vh.html The Very Special Electric Tramway in Valle Hermoso, Argentina
  2. http://www.railwaysofthefarsouth.co.uk/10apresidio.html Railways of the Far South - The Ushuaia prison railway & the FCAF
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20060822001415/http://members.shaw.ca/twofooter/ww2ftrrA-C.htm#Argentina#Argentina World Wide Listing of Two foot, 1' 11 1/2", 600 mm (60cm) & 610mm Railroads (from archive.org) - Argentina
  4. Web site: Music Express - Walibi Belgium - Pretparken.be . 12 January 2024 .
  5. Web site: The Vennbahn: Belgium's railway through Germany . 2014-02-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303185023/http://www.avoe05.dsl.pipex.com/be_venn.htm . 2016-03-03 . dead .
  6. Web site: Canadian Rail No, 439 - The Magazine of Canada's Railway History . 2014-02-17 . 2020-07-25 . https://web.archive.org/web/20200725092034/http://www.exporail.org/can_rail/Canadian%20Rail_no439_1994.pdf . dead .
  7. Web site: Niagara Rails - Other Lines . 2014-02-17 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140221105633/http://home.cogeco.ca/~trains/rrcx.htm . 2014-02-21 . dead .
  8. http://www.theexplorationplace.com/ Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre - official website
  9. Web site: Iconic Port Elgin beach train station demolished . Shoreline Beacon . May 20, 2020 .
  10. http://www.railwaysofthefarsouth.co.uk/06aintroduction.html Railways of the Far South - Chiloe Island
  11. https://bunkermuseumhanstholm.dk/oplev-museet/museumsbanen/
  12. http://www.smalspor.dk/search_alt001.asp
  13. https://stenvadmosebrugscenter.dk/uk/
  14. https://stenvadmosebrugscenter.dk/narrow-gauge-railway/
  15. https://stenvadmosebrugscenter.dk/mosebanen/
  16. https://www.jernbanen.dk/forum2/index.php?mode=thread&id=36041
  17. https://archive.today/20050206232332/http://members.shaw.ca/twofooter/ww2ftrr.htm World Wide Listing of Two foot, 1' 11 1/2", 600 mm (60cm) & 610mm Railroads (from archive.org) - Java
  18. Web site: RailScape - Musashino-Mura . 2014-02-20 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140225213235/http://railscape.travel-way.net/k/musashino/ . 2014-02-25 . dead .
  19. http://www.musashinomura.co.jp/ Musashino-Mura - official website
  20. http://www.steamlocomotive.info/jstate.cfm?state=chiba Steamlocomotive.info - Chiba
  21. http://www.rass-rail.org/line.htm Narita Yume Bokujō Railway - official website
  22. http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/madagascar01.htm Industrial Heritage in Madagascar, 2012
  23. http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/mauritius06.htm Narrow Gauge Railway Relics in Mauritius, 2012
  24. http://www.internationalsteam.co.uk/trains/mexico06.htm Preserved Narrow Gauge Steam in Mexico 2012, Part 2
  25. Web site: Directory of preserved narrow gauge railways in Norway . 2014-02-18 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140222034622/http://www.scanrailsoc.org.uk/ng.html . 2014-02-22 . dead .
  26. http://irfca.org/articles/changa-manga-forest-railway.html Changa Manga Forest Railway
  27. Web site: Severn Lamb - News Archive . 2014-02-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20111202163731/http://www.severn-lamb.com/news_archive.asp . 2011-12-02 . dead .
  28. Web site: Trams of the World 2017. Blickpunkt Straßenbahn. January 24, 2017. February 16, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170216202427/http://blickpunktstrab.net/wordpress2/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/tramsderwelt2017.pdf. February 16, 2017.
  29. Web site: Listadotren.es - Funicular de Molinos (Lleida) . 2014-03-16 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160304055117/http://www.listadotren.es/funis/molinos.php . 2016-03-04 . dead .
  30. Web site: Tren Minero de Utrillas. www.facebook.com. en. 2018-07-24.
  31. http://www.funimag.com/suisse/Cavaglia01.htm Funimag - "Die Puschlaver Geisterbahn" Cavaglia
  32. http://www.railwaysafrica.com/blog/2013/10/15/610mm-gauge-shurugwi-railway/ 610 mm gauge Shurugwi Railway
  33. https://www.flickr.com/photos/geoff-cooke/sets/72157641812264283/ Shurugwi Peak Railway, Zimbabwe

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