Minimum-gauge railway explained
Minimum-gauge railways are railways with track gauges smaller than those of narrow-gauge railways, primarily designed for light, industrial, or tourist transportation. The most common gauges for minimum-gauge railways include:
These railways have been developed for applications such as estate transport, mining, agriculture, and amusement parks, offering an economical and adaptable solution for restricted environments.[2]
History
The term was originally conceived by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood, who used it in 1874 to describe the principle behind his Duffield Bank Railway, specifically its gauge, distinguishing it from a "narrow gauge" railway. Having previously built a small railway of gauge, he settled on as the minimum that he felt was practical.[1] The original text of Heywood's article defining minimum gauge railways is available online.[3]
In general, minimum-gauge railways maximize their loading gauge, where the dimension of the equipment is made as large as possible with respect to the track gauge while still providing enough stability to keep it from tipping over. Standard gauge railways have vehicles that are approximately twice, and in some cases nearly three times, the track gauge in width, but with minimum gauge railways this can be as much as four times the width of the track as in some of the Sugar Cane Railways of Australia. Minimum-gauge railways allowed for ease of mobility on battlefields, mines, and other restricted environments.
A number of gauge railways were built in Britain to serve ammunition depots and other military facilities, particularly during the First World War.
In South Australia the Semaphore to Fort Glanville Conservation Park includes a steam engine service that runs on an track.
In France, Decauville produced a range of portable track railways running on and tracks, most commonly in restricted environments such as underground mine railways, parks and farms.[2]
During World War II, it was proposed to expedite the Yunnan–Burma Railway using gauge, since such a small gauge can have the tightest of curves in difficult terrain.[4]
Distinction between ridable miniature and minimum-gauge railway
The major distinction between a miniature railway (US: '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, for example the Wicksteed Park Railway. There are also rideable miniature railways running on extremely narrow tracks as small as gauge, for example the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway. Around the world there are also several rideable miniature railways open to the public using even narrower gauges, such as and .
Generally minimum-gauge railways have a working function as estate railways, or industrial railways, or providers of public transport links; although most have a distinct function in relation to tourism, and depend upon tourism for the revenue to support their working function.
Railways
| Name | Gauge | Country | Location | Notes |
|---|
| Decauville | |  France | | Discontinued by Decauville |
| Rufisque tramway | | France | | |
| See Fifteen-inch gauge railway | | | | |
| The Valley Railway Adventure (Formerly the Evesham Vale Light Railway)) | | UK | Evesham Country Park, Worcestershire | |
| Whistlestop Valley (Formerly Kirklees Light Railway) | | UK | Kirklees, West Yorkshire | |
| | UK | Aylsham to Wroxham, Norfolk |
| Candy Cane Express | |  Canada | Santa's Village Family Entertainment Park, Bracebridge, Ontario | Replica diesel locomotive with passenger cars, working as amusement park ride |
| Alamogordo/Alameda Park Narrow Gauge Railway | |  US | The Toy Train Depot, Alamogordo, New Mexico | |
| Balboa Park Miniature Railroad | | US | Balboa Park (San Diego), San Diego, California | [5] [6] |
| Cedar Rock Railroad | | US | Leander, Texas | [7] |
| Chippewa Valley Railroad | | US | Carson Park (Eau Claire, Wisconsin), Eau Claire, Wisconsin | |
| Lakeland Amusement Park | | US | Lakeland, Tennessee | Defunct |
| Little Florida Railroad | | US | Central Florida Zoo & Botanical Gardens, Sanford, Florida | Closed[8] |
| Michigan AuSable Valley Railroad | | US | Fairview, Michigan | Defunct as of November, 2017[9] |
| Old Smokey Train | | US | Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania | [10] |
| Pinconning and Blind River Railroad | | US | Fairview, Michigan (1953–1973) | [11] |
| Pioneer Train | | US | Knoebels Amusement Resort, Elysburg, Pennsylvania | [12] |
| Salt Mine Express | | US | Strataca Salt Mine Adventure, Hutchinson, Kansas, 650 feet underground | [13] |
| Schnepf Farms | | US | Schnepf Frams, Queen Creek. Arizona | [14] |
| Smokey Joe Railroad | | US | Eastern Shore Threshermen & Collectors Association, Federalsburg, Maryland | [15] |
| Travel Town Railroad | | US | Travel Town Museum, Los Angeles, California | |
| Whiskey River Railway | | US | Little Amerricka, Marshall, Wisconsin | |
| Island Park Railway | | Canada | Woodstock, New Brunswick | [16] |
| National Railway Museum | |  Australia | Port Adelaide, South Australia | [17] |
| Semaphore & Fort Glanville Tourist Railway | | Australia | Semaphore, South Australia | Operated by the National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide |
| Aotea Railway | |  New Zealand | Aotea Lagoon, Porirua | |
| | UK | United Kingdom | |
| Heath Park Tramway |
| UK | Cardiff | [18] |
| Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch railway | 15 in (381 mm) | UK | Kent, United kingdom | |
| Royal Arsenal Railway | | UK | | |
| Sand Hutton Light Railway | | UK | | |
| Steeple Grange Light Railway | | UK | | |
| Sundown Adventure Land | | UK | Retford, Nottinghamshire | |
| Terrific Train | | UK | New Metroland, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear |
| Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad | | US | Oak Meadows Park and Vasona Park, Los Gatos, California | [19] |
| Collegeville and Southern Railway | | US | | [20] |
| Fidalgo City and Anacortes Railway | | US | | |
| Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad[21] [22] [23] | | US | | [24] |
| Venice Miniature Railway | | US | Venice Beach, California | 1943–1968[25] |
| Griffith Park & Southern Railroad | | US | Griffith Park, Los Angeles, California | |
| Swanton Pacific Railroad | | US | Swanton Pacific Ranch, Swanton, California | |
| Southern Fuegian Railway | |  Argentina | | |
| Geriatriezentrum am Wienerwald Feldbahn | |  Austria | | |
| | France | | |
| Jardin d'Acclimatation railway | | France | | |
| Petit train d'Artouste | | France | | |
| Ledesma Mill Railway | | Argentina | Province of Jujuy | Partially 20 in[26] |
| Stanley Park Miniature Railway | | Canada | Stanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia | |
| North Bay Railway | | UK | Scarborough, North Yorkshire | |
| Shipley Glen Tramway | | UK | | |
| Woburn Safari Park | | UK | | |
| Coronado Railroad | | US | Chase Creek | |
| Huff Puff and Whistle Railroad | | US | Story Land, Glen, New Hampshire | |
| Krasnoyarsk Child Railway | | Russia | Central Park, Krasnoyarsk[27] [28] | |
| Pleasure Beach Express | | UK | Blackpool, Lancashire | |
| Little Puffer Miniature Steam Train | | US | San Francisco Zoo, San Francisco, California | [29] |
| Orient Express | | US | Lakeside Amusement Park, Denver, Colorado | [30] [31] |
|
Large amusement railways
See main article: 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways, 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways in the United Kingdom, 2 ft gauge railroads in the United States, 2 ft 6 in gauge railways, 3 ft gauge railways and Rail transport in Walt Disney Parks and Resorts.
| Name | Gauge | Country | Location | Notes |
|---|
| Park Railway Maltanka | |  Poland | Poznań | Śródka Roundabout - New Zoo, 2.4miles, 4 stops |
| Narrow Gauge Railway Museum in Wenecja | | Poland | Wenecja | Wenecja - Biskupin, ~8miles, 5 stops |
| Assiniboine Park R.R. | | Canada | Winnipeg, Manitoba | [32] |
| Centreville Train | | Canada | Centreville Amusement Park, Toronto, Canada | One replica steam locomotive with tender, five passenger cars |
| Greater Vancouver Zoo Railway | | Canada | Greater Vancouver Zoo, Aldergrove, British Columbia | Has two stations, stops only at one station |
| Riverview Park Railway | | Canada | Riverview Park & Zoo, Peterborough, Ontario | [33] |
| Wildlife Express | | Canada | BC Wildlife Park, Kamloops, British Columbia | |
| Park Railway | | UK | Alton Towers Park | Defunct[34] 1953–1996 |
| Wicksteed Park Railway | | UK | Wicksteed Park, Kettering, Northamptonshire | |
| Bayou Le Zoo Choo Choo | | US | Alexandria Zoological Park, Alexandria, Louisiana | [35] |
| Casey Jr. Circus Train | | US | Disneyland, Anaheim, California | |
| C.P. Huntington No. 3 | | US | Pullen Park, Raleigh, North Carolina | [36] |
| Emerson Zooline Railroad | | US | Saint Louis Zoo, St. Louis, Missouri | |
| Forest Park Miniature Railroad | | US | Fort Worth, Texas | [37] |
| Gatorland Express | | US | Gatorland, Orlando, Florida | |
| Grand Sierra Railroad | | US | Knott's Berry Farm, Buena Park, California | |
| Hermann Park Railroad | | US | Hermann Park, Houston, Texas | 2miles of track, three stops |
| Kennedy Express | | US | Kennedy Park (Hayward, California), Hayward, California | |
| Oregon Pacific Railroad | | US | Oaks Amusement Park, Portland, Oregon | [38] |
| San Antonio Zoo Eagle | | US | Brackenridge Park, San Antonio, Texas | [39] |
| Tauber Family Railroad | | US | Detroit Zoo, Royal Oak, Michigan | Donated by The Detroit News about 1931 and also supported by Chrysler Motors, zoo patrons and fares[40] |
| Turtle Back Junction | | US | Turtle Back Zoo, West Orange, New Jersey | Two C.P. Huntington Trains[41] |
| Van Saun Park Railroad | | US | Paramus, New Jersey | Three Allan Herschell S-24 narrow-gauge Iron Horse trains |
| Zoo Train | | US | Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara, California | |
| Zoofari Express | | US | Museum of Life and Science, Durham, North Carolina | |
| BuJu Line | | US | Burke Junction, Cameron Park, California | [42] |
| Fort Wilderness Railroad | | US | Walt Disney World, Bay Lake, Florida | Defunct |
| Mine Train Through Nature's Wonderland | | US | Disneyland, Anaheim, California | Defunct |
| Omaha Zoo Railroad | | US | Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium, Omaha, Nebraska | |
| Viewliner Train of Tomorrow | | US | Disneyland, Anaheim, California | Defunct |
| Washington Park & Zoo Railway | | US | Washington Park (Portland, Oregon), Portland, Oregon | |
| Disneyland Railroad (Paris) | | | France | Disneyland Park (Paris), Paris | |
| Disneyland Railroad | | US | Disneyland, Anaheim, California | The two original locomotives are 5:8-scale models of a full-size standard gauge locomotive.[43] [44] | |
See also
Bibliography
- Book: Broggie, Michael. Michael Broggie. 2014. Walt Disney's Railroad Story: The Small-Scale Fascination That Led to a Full-Scale Kingdom. 4th. The Donning Company Publishers. 978-1-57864-914-3.
- Book: Clayton, H.
. The Duffield Bank and Eaton Railways . 1968 . Oakwood Press . 0-85361-034-7.
- Book: Heywood, Arthur Percival
. Minimum Gauge Railways . Sir Arthur Heywood, 3rd Baronet . 1898 . 3rd . Turntable Publications . 1974 . 0-902844-26-1 . .
- Book: Household, Humphrey
. Narrow Gauge Railways: England and the Fifteen Inch . Sutton Publishing . 1989 . 0862995752 .
- Book: Fifteen Inch Gauge Railways . Mosley . David . van Zeller . Peter . . Newton Abbot . 1986 . 0-7153-8694-8.
- Book: Smithers, Mark
. Sir Arthur Heywood and the Fifteen Inch Gauge Railway . 1995 . Plateway Press . 1-871980-22-4.
Notes and References
- Book: Heywood, A.P.
. Sir Arthur Heywood . Minimum Gauge Railways . 1881, Derby: Bemrose . 1974 . Turntable Enterprises . 0-902844-26-1 . Heywood, Minimum Gauge Railways.
- Book: Douglas J. Puffert . Tracks across continents, paths through history: the economic dynamics of standardization in railway gauge . Chicago . The University of Chicago Press . 2009 . 186 . 978-0-226-68509-0 .
- https://www.gutenberg.org/files/44341/44341-h/44341-h.htm Heywood - Minimum Gauge Railways
- News: TOY RAILWAY. . . Darwin, NT . 8 December 1939 . 5 December 2011 . 15 . National Library of Australia.
- Web site: Southeastern Railway Museum . 1 June 2016 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20160303182637/http://www.srmduluth.org/G16/G16-history.shtml . 3 March 2016 .
- Web site: Balboa Park Miniature Railroad - Balboa Park. Balboapark.org. 1 June 2016. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20160530102256/http://www.balboapark.org/in-the-park/balboa-park-miniature-railroad. 30 May 2016.
- Web site: Cedar Rock Railroad. Cedarrockrailroad.com. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Littl Florida Railroad & Animal Carousel. Centralfloridazoo.org. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Home. Michiganausablevalleyrailroad.com. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Crown Locomotive Roster (15"-24" Gauge). Trainweb.org. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Pinconning & Blind River Railroad.
- Web site: Railway Preservation News • View topic - Rough and Tumble Engineers. Home Built Shay Railroad Video. Rypn.org. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Home. 14 May 2013. Underkansas.org. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Schnepf Farms Railroad. Dave. Sayre. Arizonaandpacificrr.com. 18 November 2017.
- Web site: Eastern Shore Threshermen & Collectors Assoc., Inc.. Threshermen.org. 18 November 2017.
- Web site: The Miniature Railway. CEC: Closed Canadian Parks. 8 July 2012.
- Web site: National Railway Museum - Port Adelaide. Natrailmuseum.org.au. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Cardiff Model Engineering Society. Cardiffmes.com. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and W.E. "Bill" Mason Carousel — Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad and W.E. "Bill" Mason Carousel. Bjwrr.org. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: C&S RY: The Collegeville and Southern Railway. Home.sprynet.com. 1 June 2016.
- https://dccwiki.com/Meadows_and_Lake_Kathleen_Railroad Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad
- https://www.pbase.com/fotabug/042707rr We Visit the Meadows & Lake Kathleen Railroad.
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bd4U7ECw-i0 YouTube video: Meadows & Lake Kathleen Railroad.
- Web site: This is the official page for the Meadows & Lake Kathleen Railroad. Peak.org. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Media / Gallery. Bjwrr.org. 23 August 2013 . 1 June 2016.
- https://books.google.com/books?id=h__OoZEv_AQC&dq=Ledesma+Mill+Railway&pg=PA256 Ledesma
- https://www.sinfin.net/railways/world/russia.html Railways in Russia
- http://www.rzd-expo.ru/new_link/children_railway/Krasnoyarskaya%20detskaya%20jeleznaya%20doroga/ in Russian
- https://www.sfzoo.org/historic-sites-little-puffer-miniature-steam-train/ Little Puffer
- http://www.reporterherald.com/columnists/colorado-railroads/ci_21384823/trip-into-history-lakeside-amusement-park-train Reporter-Herald A trip into history on the Lakeside Amusement Park train
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQQsWfQaHa8 Orient Express
- Web site: Spring, Summer, Fall Activities | Assiniboine Park Conservancy. www.assiniboinepark.ca.
- Web site: Riverview Park Features and Attractions. 8 June 2018.
- Web site: Alton Towers Memories - Park Railway.
- Web site: Amenities - Alexandria Zoo. Thealexandriazoo.com. 18 November 2017.
- Web site: Pullen Park - Raleigh. May 2, 2014. 'C.P. Huntington C.P. #3' is the miniature train that operates at Pullen Park.. October 7, 2016.
- Web site: Forest Park Miniature Railroad. 6 May 2014.
- Web site: Farewell is not Forever - Part 4: Oaks Amusement Park. Robert D. West. May 2, 2014. This train replaced a Miniature Train & Railroad Company G-16 that was installed in 1956. The G-16 ran on 16" gauge track, and resembled a diesel locomotive, painted in the colors of the Union Pacific Railroad. The track is dual-gauge: 16" for the former train and 24" for the current one. The train operates on a 2,600 foot oval-shaped loop that encircles the picnic areas.. July 30, 2014.
- Web site: San Antonio Zoo Eagle. Sazoo-aq.org. 1 June 2016.
- Web site: Tauber Family Railroad - Detroit Zoo. Detroitzoo.org. 18 November 2017.
- Web site: Essex County Turtle Back Zoo. Turtle Back Zoo. en. 2017-08-07.
- Web site: BuJu Line – official website. 18 January 2019.
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