| Operation | |
|---|---|
| Locale | North Shields – Tynemouth |
| Open | 1883 |
| Close | 1900 |
| Status | Closed |
| Infrastructure | |
| Track gauge | 3 ft (914 mm) |
| Propulsion system(s) | Horse then Steam |
| Statistics | |
| Route length | 2.58 miles (4.15 km) |
The Tynemouth and District Tramways operated a 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge tramway service between North Shields and Tynemouth between 1883 and 1900. [1]
Three foot gauge railways have a track gauge of 3 ft or 1 yard. This gauge is a narrow gauge and is generally found throughout North, Central, and South America. In Ireland, many secondary and industrial lines were built to 3 ft gauge, and it is the dominant gauge on the Isle of Man, where it is known as the Manx Standard Gauge. Modern 3 ft gauge railways are most commonly found in isolated mountainous areas, on small islands, or in large-scale amusement parks and theme parks. This gauge is also popular in model railroading, and model prototypes of these railways have been made by several model train brands around the world, such as Accucraft Trains (US), Aristo-Craft Trains (US), Bachmann Industries, Delton Locomotive Works (US), LGB (Germany), and PIKO (Germany).
North Shields is a town on the north bank of the River Tyne in North East England, eight miles (13 km) north-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. Historically part of Northumberland, its name derives from Middle English schele meaning "temporary sheds or huts used by fishermen".
Tynemouth is a town and a historic borough in Tyne and Wear, England at the mouth of the River Tyne, being 8.1 miles (13.0 km) east-northeast of Newcastle upon Tyne. Historically part of Northumberland, the modern town of Tynemouth includes North Shields and Cullercoats and had a 2011 population of 67,519. It is administered as part of the borough of North Tyneside, but until 1974 was an independent county borough, including North Shields, in its own right. It had a population of 17,056 in 2001. The population of the Tynemouth ward of North Tyneside was at the 2011 Census 10,472.
