Fifteen-inch gauge railway

Last updated
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Greengoddesshythe.JPG
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway (29925105247).jpg
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway
One of the Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse's X131 when passing through the hills CFT Anse collines.jpg
One of the Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse's X131 when passing through the hills

Track gauge
By transport mode
By size (list)
Track gauge.svg

Minimum
  Minimum
  Fifteen inch 381 mm(15 in)

Narrow
 
  • 600 mm
  • 610 mm
  • 686 mm
  • (1 ft 11+58 in)
  • (2 ft)
  • (2 ft 3 in)
 
  • 750 mm
  • 760 mm
  • 762 mm
  • (2 ft 5+12 in)
  • (2 ft 5+1516 in)
  • (2 ft 6 in)
 
  • 891 mm
  • 900 mm
  • 914 mm
  • 950 mm
  • (2 ft 11+332 in)
  • (2 ft 11+716 in)
  • (3 ft)
  • (3 ft1+1332 in)
  Metre 1,000 mm(3 ft 3+38 in)
  Three foot six inch 1,067 mm(3 ft 6 in)
  Four foot 1,219 mm(4 ft)
  Four foot six inch 1,372 mm(4 ft 6 in)
  1432 mm 1,432 mm(4 ft 8+38 in)

  Standard 1,435 mm(4 ft 8+12 in)

Broad
 
  • 1,445 mm
  • 1,450 mm
  • (4 ft 8+78 in)
  • (4 ft 9+332 in)
  Leipzig gauge 1,458 mm(4 ft 9+1332 in)
  Toronto gauge 1,495 mm(4 ft 10+78 in)
 
  • 1,520 mm
  • 1,524 mm
  • (4 ft 11+2732 in)
  • (5 ft)
 
  • 1,581 mm
  • 1,588 mm
  • 1,600 mm
  • (5 ft 2+14 in)
  • (5 ft 2+12 in)
  • (5 ft 3 in)
  Baltimore gauge 1,638 mm(5 ft 4+12 in)
 
  • 1,668 mm
  • 1,676 mm
  • (5 ft 5+2132 in)
  • (5 ft 6 in)
  Six foot 1,829 mm(6 ft)
  Brunel 2,140 mm(7 ft 14 in)
Change of gauge
By location
Rail gauge world.svg

Fifteen-inch gauge railways were pioneered by Sir Arthur Percival Heywood who was interested in what he termed a minimum gauge railway for use as estate railways or to be easy to lay on, for instance, a battlefield. [1] In 1874, he described the principle behind it as used for his Duffield Bank Railway, distinguishing it from a "narrow-gauge" railway. Having previously built a small railway of 9 in (229 mm) gauge, he settled on 15 in (381 mm) gauge as the minimum that he felt was practical.

Contents

Railways

15 inch gauge railway installations
NameCountryLocationNotes
Bush Mill Railway Flag of Australia (converted).svg AustraliaPort ArthurClosed
Donauparkbahn  [ de ] Flag of Austria.svg AustriaVienna [2]
Prater Liliputbahn Flag of Austria.svg AustriaVienna
Bear Creek Park Train Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada Surrey, British Columbia [3]
Pindal Electric Tramway Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada London, Ontario Formerly in Montreal
Springbank Express Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg CanadaLondon, Ontario [4] [5]
Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse Flag of France.svg France Anse, Rhône
Dresden Park Railway Flag of Germany.svg GermanyDresden
Killesberg Park Railway Flag of Germany.svg GermanyStuttgart
Leipziger Parkeisenbahn Flag of Germany.svg GermanyLeipzig
Difflin Lake Railway Flag of Ireland.svg Ireland
Cygnus wood-land Railway Flag of Japan.svg JapanOsaka [6]
Sakuradani Light Railway Flag of Japan.svg Japan Toyono District of Osaka Prefecture
Shuzenji Romney Railway Flag of Japan.svg JapanNiji-no-Sato (Rainbow Park) in Izu, Shizuoka
Driving Creek Railway Flag of New Zealand.svg New Zealand
Whangaparaoa Narrow Gauge Railway Flag of New Zealand.svg New ZealandClosed [7] [8]
Adventure Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Alton Towers (defunct, 1982–1992 - park still operating)
Bellevue Park Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKBelfast, Northern IrelandClosed 1950
Blackpool Zoo miniature railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKLancashire
Blakesley Miniature Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Blakesley Hall, Northamptonshire Opened 1903, closed c.1944. [9]
Blenheim Park Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKOxfordshire
Brocklands Adventure Park Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Cornwall Closed 2007
Bure Valley Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Norfolk Standard gauge line closed 1982. 15-inch gauge line opened 1990.
Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKLincolnshire
Conwy Valley Railway Museum Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Betws-y-Coed, North Wales (short tramway)
Craigtoun Miniature Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Craigtoun Park, St. Andrews
Duffield Bank Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKClosed 1916
Eaton Hall Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKClosed 1946
Evesham Vale Light Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Evesham Country Park, Twyford, Worcestershire [10]
Fairbourne Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKWales(now converted to 12+14 in or 311 mm gauge)
Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Battersea Park, LondonClosed 1975
Gulliver's Land Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKMilton Keynes
Gulliver's World Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKWarrington, Cheshire
Haigh Hall Miniature Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKGreater Manchester
Heatherslaw Light Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKNorthumberland
International Garden Festival Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK1984
Whistlestop Valley (Formerly Kirklees Light Railway) Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKClayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire [11]
Knowsley Safari Park (The Lakeside Railway) Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKPrescot, Merseyside
Lakeside Miniature Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKSouthport, Merseyside
Lappa Valley Steam Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKCornwall
Lightwater Express Rio Grande Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKRipon, North YorkshireTheme Park
Longleat Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK
Markeaton Park Light Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKDerbyClosed September 2016 [12]
Marwell Zoo Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKColden Common, Hampshire
Oakwood Theme Park Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKNarberth, Pembrokeshire
Paradise Park Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKHayle, Cornwall
Paultons Park Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKOwer, Romsey, Hampshire
Perrygrove Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKCumbria
Rhiw Valley Light Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKManafon, Powys, WalesClosed 2022
Rhyl Miniature Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKClwyd, Wales
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKKent
Saltburn Miniature Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKCat Nab, Cleveland
Sand Hutton Miniature Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKYorkshireClosed 1922
Sherwood Forest Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKNottinghamshire
Waveney Valley Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UK Bressingham Steam and Gardens Norfolk
West Midlands Safari Park Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKWorcestershireClosed 2014
Windmill Farm Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKBurscough, Lancashire
Wildlife Park Cricket St Thomas Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKChard, Somerset
Wotton Light Railway Flag of the United Kingdom.svg UKWotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire
American Heritage Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAIllinois [13]
Amusement Rides Flag of the United States.svg USA City Park, Iowa City [14] [15]
B.A.D. Great Northern Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USACalifornia[ citation needed ]
Eden Springs Park Railroad) Flag of the United States.svg USABenton Harbor, Michigan [16]
Gage Park Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USA Gage Park, Topeka, Kansas
Glenwood, South Park & Pacific Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USACalifornia [17]
Hillcrest & Wahtoke Steam Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USA Reedley, California [18]
Joshua Tree & Southern GSD Flag of the United States.svg USACalifornia [19]
Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAKansas City, Missouri [20]
Laurel Run Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAPennsylvania [21]
Little Toot Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USA Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association, Pennsylvania
Look Park Flag of the United States.svg USANorthampton, Massachusetts
Miniature Railway at Silver Lake, Ohio Flag of the United States.svg USA Silver Lake, Ohio Defunct
Miniature Train at Monarch Park Flag of the United States.svg USA Oil City, Pennsylvania Defunct
Nickel Plate Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USACalifornia
Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation Flag of the United States.svg USAOhio[ citation needed ]
Orland, Newville and Pacific Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USACalifornia(operating)
Paradise & Pacific Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USA McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale, Arizona [22] (separate 7+12 in or 190.5 mm railway named Scottsdale Live Steamers also present) (operating)
Phoenix & Holly Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAOregon [23]
Pint-Sized Pufferbelly Flag of the United States.svg USA Strasburg Rail Road, Strasburg Township, Pennsylvania [24] (operating)
Redwood Valley Railway Flag of the United States.svg USA Tilden Regional Park, California [25] (operating)
Riverside and Great Northern Railway Flag of the United States.svg USAWisconsin
Riverview & Twin Lakes Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAWyoming
Safari Train Flag of the United States.svg USA Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (operating)
Sonoma TrainTown Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USACalifornia [26] (operating)
Sullivan Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAHorseheads, New York [27]
Tiny Town Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAColorado
Waterman & Western Railroad Flag of the United States.svg USAIllinois [28]

See also

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References

  1. Heywood, A.P. (1974) [1881, Derby: Bemrose]. Minimum Gauge Railways. Turntable Enterprises. ISBN   0-902844-26-1.
  2. Donaupark
  3. Bear Creek Park
  4. "CEC: Closed Canadian Parks - Springbank Park". Cec.chebucto.org. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  5. Going again
  6. "シグナス森林鉄道". Nose Electric Railway. Retrieved 10 June 2017.
  7. Tripadvisor
  8. End of the line
  9. "The Blakesley Miniature Railway". The SMJ Society. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
  10. "Home". Evlr.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  11. "Home". Kirklesslightrailway.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  12. "Sadness as last remnants of Markeaton Park Railway to be demolished". Derbytelegraph. Derbyshire Live. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
  13. "American Heritage Railroad". Americanfarmheritagemuseum.org. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  14. "City Park". City of Iowa City. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
  15. "City Park (Iowa City)" (PDF). Uni.edu. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  16. "Eden Springs Park Benton Harbor Michigan Formerly The House of David". Edenspringspark.org. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
  17. "Glenwood, South Park & Pacific Railroad". Traill.us. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  18. "Hillcrest". Hillcrestreedley.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  19. "Joshua Tree & Southern GSD". Home.easrthlink.net. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  20. "Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad". kcparks.org/places/kansas-city-northern-railroad.
  21. "Reading Society of Model Engineers". Rsme.org. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  22. Sayre, Dave. "McCormick - Stillman Railroad Park". Arizonaandpacificrr.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  23. "Flower Farmer and Phoenix & Holly Railroad - Welcome to the Flower Farmer and Phoenix & Holly Railroad". Flowerfamrer.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  24. "Pint-Sized Pufferbelly". Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  25. "Redwood Valley Railway". Redwoodvalleyrailway.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  26. "TrainTown Website". Traintown.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
  27. "Sullivan Railroad in Horseheads NY - Trains Magazine - Trains News Wire, Railroad News, Railroad Industry News, Web Cams, and Forms".
  28. "waterman & western railroad - Home". Petestrain.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.