Minimum-gauge railway

Minimum-gauge railways have a gauge of most commonly 15 in (381 mm),[1] 400 mm (15 ³⁄₄ in), 16 in (406 mm), 18 in (457 mm), 500 mm (19 ³⁄₄ in) or 20 in (508 mm). The notion of minimum-gauge railways was originally developed by estate railways[1] and the French company of Decauville for industrial railways, mining, and farming applications.[2]

Not to be confused with Ridable miniature railway.

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 15 in (381 mm) gauge, 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) 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 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 18 in (457 mm) gauge railways were built in Britain to serve ammunition depots and other military facilities, particularly during the First World War.

In France, Decauville produced a range of portable track railways running on 400 mm (15 ³⁄₄ in) and 500 mm (19 ³⁄₄ in) 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 400 mm (15 ³⁄₄ in) 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 (USA: '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 2 ft (610 mm), for example the Wicksteed Park Railway. There are also rideable miniature railways running on extremely narrow tracks as small as 10 ¹⁄₄ in (260 mm) 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 7 ¹⁄₄ in (184 mm) and 7 ¹⁄₂ in (190.5 mm).

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.

Installations

Railway	Country	Gauge (metric)	Gauge (imperial)
See Fifteen-inch gauge railway		381 mm	15 in
Bicton Woodland Railway	United Kingdom	457 mm	18 in
Fidalgo City and Anacortes Railway	United States	457 mm	18 in
Geriatriezentrum am Wienerwald Feldbahn	Austria	500 mm	19 ^3⁄4 in
Jardin d'Acclimatation railway	France	500 mm	19 ^3⁄4 in
Kirklees Light Railway	United Kingdom	381 mm	15 in
Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad[5][6][7]	United States	457 mm	18 in
Petit train d'Artouste	France	500 mm	19 ^3⁄4 in
Royal Arsenal Railway	United Kingdom	457 mm	18 in
Sand Hutton Light Railway	United Kingdom	457 mm	18 in
Southern Fuegian Railway	Argentina	500 mm	19 ^3⁄4 in
Steeple Grange Light Railway	United Kingdom	457 mm	18 in
Tarn Light Railway	France	500 mm	19 ^3⁄4 in[8]
Wells and Walsingham Light Railway	United Kingdom	260 mm	10 ^1⁄4 in

See also

• Feldbahn
• Heritage railway
• Light railway
• Trench railway
• List of track gauges
• Narrow gauge railway
• Industrial railway
• Rideable miniature railway

References

1. Heywood, A.P. (1974) [1881, Derby: Bemrose]. Minimum Gauge Railways. Turntable Enterprises. ISBN 0-902844-26-1.
2. Douglas J. Puffert (2009). Tracks across continents, paths through history: the economic dynamics of standardization in railway gauge. Chicago: The University of Chicago Press. p. 186. ISBN 978-0-226-68509-0.
3. Heywood - Minimum Gauge Railways
4. "TOY RAILWAY". The Northern Standard. Darwin, NT: National Library of Australia. 8 December 1939. p. 15. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
5. Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad
6. We Visit the Meadows & Lake Kathleen Railroad.
7. YouTube video: Meadows & Lake Kathleen Railroad.
8. fr:Chemin de fer touristique du Tarn and Antique ferrier of Tannerre-en-Puisaye

Bibliography

• Clayton, H. (1968). The Duffield Bank and Eaton Railways. Oakwood Press. ISBN 0-85361-034-7.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Heywood, Arthur Percival (1974) [1898]. Minimum Gauge Railways (3rd ed.). Turntable Publications. ISBN 0-902844-26-1.
• Household, Humphrey (1989). Narrow Gauge Railways: England and the Fifteen Inch. Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0862995752.
• Mosley, David; van Zeller, Peter (1986). Fifteen Inch Gauge Railways. Newton Abbot: David & Charles. ISBN 0-7153-8694-8.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
• Smithers, Mark (1995). Sir Arthur Heywood and the Fifteen Inch Gauge Railway. Plateway Press. ISBN 1-871980-22-4.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)