A narrow gauge railway (or narrow gauge railroad) is a railway that has a track gauge narrower than the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) of standard gauge railways. Most existing narrow gauge railways have gauges of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) or less. This is the top-level page of WikiProject trains Rail tracks Rail transport refers to the land transport of passengers and goods along railways or railroads. ... Rail gauge is the distance between two rails of a railroad. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ...

Comparison of standard gauge (blue) and one common narrow gauge (red) width.

The dominant rail gauge in each country shown Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... For other uses, see Gauge. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... Scotch gauge was the name given to a 4 ft 6 in (1371 mm) rail gauge, the distance between the inner sides of the rails, that was adopted by early 19th century railways in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. ... Minimum Gauge Railways are narrow gauge railways that run on extremely narrow gauged rail tracks, below 2 ft (610 mm). ... // This is the Standard or international gauge Medium gauge railways are narrow gauge railways of approximately 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge and above. ... Sunlight reflects off dual-gauge tracks near Chur, Switzerland Mixed-gauge track and pointwork (4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) and 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm)) at Odawara in Japan Dual-gauge tram tracks in Katwijk, The Netherlands Dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway is a special configuration of... Gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one gauge to another. ... With railways, a break-of-gauge is where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. ... Rail tracks. ... Light rail tracks with concrete railroad ties. ... Example of 3-track combined track, combining gauges 1,067 mm and 1,435 mm. ... Example of 3-track combined track, combining gauges 1,067 mm and 1,435 mm. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ...

Overview

A train at Bad Bubendorf station on the 750 mm gauge Waldenburgerbahn between Liestal and Waldenburg in Switzerland[1].

Typical industrial 2 ft (610 mm) gauge tracks

Since narrow gauge railways are usually built with smaller radius curves and smaller structure gauges, they can be substantially cheaper to build, equip, and operate than standard gauge or broad gauge railways, particularly in mountainous terrain. The lower costs of narrow gauge railways mean they are often built to serve industries and communities where the traffic potential would not justify the costs of building a standard or broad gauge line. Narrow gauge railways also have specialized use in mines and other environments where a very small structure gauge makes a very small loading gauge necessary. On the other hand, standard gauge or broad gauge railways generally have a greater haulage capacity and allow greater speeds than narrow gauge systems. Liestal (in former times Liesthal) is a smal Swiss Town 17 km south of Basel, and 6km south of Augst, capital of the half canton Basel-Land. ... Waldenburg is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Country, Switzerland, capital of the district with the same name. ... Download high resolution version (800x1067, 318 KB)2 foot (610mm) Narrow gauge tracks at the Leighton Buzzard Railway in Bedfordshire, England. ... Download high resolution version (800x1067, 318 KB)2 foot (610mm) Narrow gauge tracks at the Leighton Buzzard Railway in Bedfordshire, England. ... The Structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is the minimum size of tunnels and bridges as well as the minimum size of the doors that allow a rail siding access into a warehouse. ... This article is about mineral extractions. ... The size of tunnels dictates the maximum size of the trains. ...

Historically, many narrow gauge railways were built as part of specific industrial enterprises and were primarily industrial railways rather than general carriers. Some common uses for these industrial narrow gauge railways were mining, logging, construction, tunnelling, quarrying, and the conveying of agricultural products. Extensive narrow gauge networks were constructed in many parts of the world for these purposes. Significant sugarcane railways still operate in Cuba, Fiji, Java, the Philippines and in Queensland in Australia. Narrow gauge railway equipment remains in common use for the construction of tunnels. A display of a narrow gauge industrial sand train An industrial railway is a type of private railway used exclusively to serve a particular industry inside a mine or factory compound. ... This article is about mineral extractions. ... For other uses, see Log. ... For other uses, see Construction (disambiguation). ... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... For other uses, see Quarry (disambiguation). ... Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants, animals and other life forms. ... Species Saccharum arundinaceum Saccharum bengalense Saccharum edule Saccharum officinarum Saccharum procerum Saccharum ravennae Saccharum robustum Saccharum sinense Saccharum spontaneum Sugarcane or Sugar cane (Saccharum) is a genus of 6 to 37 species (depending on taxonomic interpretation) of tall perennial grasses (family Poaceae, tribe Andropogoneae), native to warm temperate to tropical... Java (Indonesian, Javanese, and Sundanese: Jawa) is an island of Indonesia, and the site of its capital city, Jakarta. ... Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ...

The other significant reason for narrow gauge railways to be constructed was to take advantage of reduced construction costs in mountainous or difficult terrain, hence the national railway systems of countries such as Indonesia, Japan and New Zealand are primarily or solely narrow gauge. Trench railways of the World War I western front demonstrate a brief military application of this advantage. Non-industrial narrow gauge mountain railways are or were common in the Rocky Mountains of the USA and the Pacific Cordillera of Canada, in Mexico, Switzerland, the former Yugoslavia, Greece, India, and Costa Rica. Another country with a notable national railway built to narrow gauge is South Africa where the "Cape gauge" of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) is the most common gauge. “The Great War ” redirects here. ... For individual mountains named Rocky Mountain, see Rocky Mountain (disambiguation). ... Motto: (traditional) In God We Trust (official, 1956–present) Anthem: The Star-Spangled Banner Capital Washington, D.C. Largest city New York City Official language(s) None at the federal level; English de facto Government Federal Republic  - President George W. Bush (R)  - Vice President Dick Cheney (R) Independence - Declared - Recognized... The Pacific Coast Ranges are the series of mountain ranges that stretch along west coast of North America from Alaska to Mexico. ... Yugoslavia (Jugoslavija in the Latin alphabet, Југославија in Cyrillic; English: South Slavia, or literary The Land of South Slavs) describes three political entities that existed one at a time on the Balkan Peninsula in Europe, during most of the 20th century. ...

History of narrow gauge railways

Woodcut from De re metallica showing narrow gauge railway in mine, 1556

The earliest recorded railway is shown in the De re metallica of 1556, which shows a mine in the Czech Republic with a railway of approximately 2 ft (610 mm) gauge. During the 16th century railways were mainly restricted to hand-pushed narrow gauge lines in mines throughout Europe. During the 17th century mine railways were extended to provide transportation above ground. These lines were industrial, connecting mines with nearby transportation points, usually canals or other waterways. These railways were usually built to the same narrow gauge as the mine railways they developed from. ^[1] Georg Agricola the father of mineralogy De re metallica (Latin for On the Nature of Metals (Minerals)) is a book cataloging the state of the art of mining, refining, and smelting metals, published in 1556. ...

Advantages of narrow gauge

Narrow gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are usually lighter in construction, using smaller cars and locomotives (smaller loading gauge) as well as smaller bridges, smaller tunnels (smaller structure gauge) and tighter curves. Narrow gauge is thus often used in mountainous terrain, where the savings in heavy civil engineering work can be substantial. It is also used in very sparsely populated areas where the potential demand is too low for the building of broader gauge railways to be economically viable. This is the case in most of Australia and Southern Africa, where extremely old soils can support only population densities too low for standard gauge to be viable. For other uses, see Construction (disambiguation). ... A railroad car (or, more briefly, car, not to be confused with railcar), also known as an item of rolling stock, is a vehicle on a railroad (or railway) that is not a locomotive — one that provides another purpose than purely haulage, although some types of car are powered. ... Great Western Railway No. ... The size of tunnels dictates the maximum size of the trains. ... This article is about the structure. ... A disused railway tunnel now converted to pedestrian and bicycle use, near Houyet, Belgium A tunnel is an underground passage. ... The Structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is the minimum size of tunnels and bridges as well as the minimum size of the doors that allow a rail siding access into a warehouse. ... For other uses, see Mountain (disambiguation). ... The Falkirk Wheel in Scotland. ...

There are many narrow gauge street tramways, particularly in Europe where 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge tramways are common. Narrow gauge allows even tighter turning than 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) gauge or 4 ft 10⅞ in (1,495 mm) gauge in restricted city streets. The tighter turning circle also make balloon loops at the end of routes easier, which in turn allows the use of unidirectional trams with a driver's cab at one end only, and doors on one side, and thus more space for passengers. This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ... For other uses, see Europe (disambiguation). ... The Toronto streetcar system comprises eleven streetcar (tram) routes in Toronto, Ontario, Canada operated by the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC), the municipal public transit operator. ... A Balloon loop is a track arrangement that allows a train to reverse direction, and return to where it came from, without having to shunt or even to stop. ...

Extensive narrow gauge railway systems served the front-line trenches of both sides in World War I. After the end of the war the surplus equipment from these railways created a small boom in the building of narrow gauge railways in Europe. “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

For temporary railroads that will be removed after a short-term need, such as for construction, the logging industry and the mining industry, a narrow gauge railroad is substantially cheaper and easier to install and remove. However, this use of railroads is almost extinct thanks to the capabilities of modern trucks. For other uses, see Log. ... This article is about mineral extractions. ... For other uses, see Truck (disambiguation). ...

In many countries narrow gauge railroads were built as "feeder" or "branch" lines to feed traffic to more important standard gauge railroads, due to their lower construction costs. The choice was often not between a narrow gauge railroad and a standard gauge one, but between a narrow gauge railroad and none at all.

Disadvantages of narrow gauge

Narrow gauge railroads cannot interchange equipment such as freight and passenger cars freely with the standard gauge or broad gauge railroads they link with, unless they exchange bogies. That means that narrow gauge lines have a built-in cost of transshipping people and freight to the mainline railway system. The cost of transshipment can be a substantial drain on the finances of a railroad because it involves expensive and time consuming manual labour or substantial capital expenditure. Some bulk commodities, such as coal, ore and gravel, can be mechanically transshipped, but this still incurs time penalties and these mechanical devices are often complex to maintain. As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... For other uses, see Gauge. ... Bogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the rail gauge. ... Coal Example chemical structure of coal Coal is a fossil fuel formed in ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... For other uses, see Ore (disambiguation). ... Gravel (largest fragment in this photo is about 4 cm) Gravel is rock that is of a certain particle size range. ...

One solution to the problem of transshipment is bogie exchange between cars. Another solution to this problem is the roll-block system. Although successfully deployed in some countries such as Germany and Austria, this technique came too late for the majority of narrow gauge lines. Transfer of containers is also an option. Bogie exchange is a system for operating railway wagons on two or more gauges to overcome difference in the rail gauge. ... The roll-block system allows a coupled train of standard gauge wagons to be automatically loaded onto pre-coupled narrow gauge transporter wagons so that the train can then continue through a change of gauge. ... Shipping containers at a terminal in Port Elizabeth, New Jersey A container freight train in the UK Containerization is a system of intermodal freight transport cargo transport using standard ISO containers (known as shipping containers or isotainers) that can be loaded and sealed intact onto container ships, railroad cars, planes...

The problem of interchangeability is less serious for regions that have a large system of narrow gauge lines, such as northern Spain, and does not exist in those countries in which the narrow gauge is the standard, such as New Zealand, South Africa and the Australian island state of Tasmania. Slogan or Nickname: Island of Inspiration; The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Motto(s): Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product...

The problem of interchangeability is more serious in North America because a continent-wide system of freight car interchange developed. All the standard gauge railways in North America use the same standard couplings and air brakes, which means that freight cars can be freely interchanged between railways from Northern Canada to Southern Mexico. Railways who need more freight cars can simply borrow them from other railways during peak periods, while the railways who own the cars receive payments for them at rates set by common agreement. Peak demand, particularly for grain shipment, occurs in different parts of North America at different times, so freight cars are shuffled back and forth across the continent to wherever they are needed. Motive power can also be interchanged, which sometimes results in Mexican locomotives pulling Canadian freight cars and vice versa.

Narrow gauge railways could not participate in this system, which meant that they usually had to own several times as much rolling stock as equivalent standard gauge railways, and they did not receive any cash flow for surplus equipment during periods of low demand. All these problems also exist for railways with a broader gauge than (the local) standard, but such railways are generally less common. Since most narrow gauge railways were undercapitalized to begin with, this eventually resulted in nearly all North American narrow gauge railways either going bankrupt or being converted to standard gauge.

Another problem with narrow gauge railroads is that they lacked room to grow - their cheap construction was bought at the price of being engineered only for their initial traffic demands. While a standard or broad gauge railroad could more easily be upgraded to handle heavier, faster traffic, many narrow gauge railroads were impractical to improve. Speeds and loads hauled could not increase, so traffic density was significantly limited.

Narrow gauge railroads can be built to handle increased speed and loading, but at the price of removing most of the narrow gauge's cost advantage over standard or broad gauge.

Because of the reduced stability of narrower gauge, narrow gauge trains are not able to run at nearly the same high speeds as those networks with broader gauges unless the tracks are aligned with greater precision. However in Japan and Queensland, Australia, recent permanent way improvements have allowed trains on 1067 mm gauge tracks to run at 160 km/h (100 mph) and higher. Queensland Rail's tilt train is presently the fastest train in Australia, despite the gauge it runs on. Standard gauge or broad gauge trains can run at up to 320 km/h (200 mph); this is most evident in the case of the Japanese Shinkansen, a network of standard gauge lines built solely for high speed rail in a country where narrow gauge is the predominant standard. Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... Wickham Terrace entrance to Central Station - showing Queensland Rail QR sign QR, previously known as Queensland Rail and Queensland Railways, is the corporation responsible for the operation and maintenance of the railway system in the State of Queensland, Australia. ... The Cairns (Diesel) Tilt Train The Rockhampton (Electric) Tilt Train The Tilt Train is a Queensland Rail train running the coast of Queensland, from Brisbane to Rockhampton and Cairns. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... For other uses, see Gauge. ... For the record label, see Shinkansen Records. ... TGV Réseau class, Marseille St-Charles station This page is about high speed rail in general. ...

Exceptions to the rule

The heavy duty 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) narrow gauge railways in Australia (eg Queensland), South Africa and New Zealand, show that if the track is built to a heavy-duty standard, a performance almost as good as a standard gauge line is possible. 200-car trains operate on the Sishen-Saldanha railroad in South Africa, and high-speed tilt-trains in Queensland (see below). Another example of a heavy-duty narrow gauge line is EFVM in Brazil. 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge, it has over-100-pound rail and a loading gauge almost as large as US non-excess-height lines. It sees 4000 hp locomotives and 200+ car trains. In South Africa and New Zealand, the loading gauge is similar to the restricted British loading gauge, and in New Zealand some British Rail Mark 2 carriages have been rebuilt with new bogies for use by Tranz Scenic (Wellington-Palmerston North service), Tranz Metro (Wellington-Masterton service) and Veolia (Auckland suburban services). Saldanha is situated at the northern corner of the largest natural bay in South Africa . ... It has been suggested that Vignoles rail be merged into this article or section. ... The size of tunnels dictates the maximum size of the trains. ... Mark 2A Tourist Standard Open (TSO) 5278 Melisande at Cheltenham Spa on 18th September 2004, whilst forming a charter service to Swindon. ... Toll NZ, properly Toll Consolidated NZ Ltd (NZX: TRH), is New Zealands largest transport company in terms of annual revenue and size. ... Tranz Metro is the suburban rail system in Wellington, the capital city of New Zealand. ... Veolia, formerly Connex Auckland Limited, is an Auckland, New Zealand based transport company. ...

It is possible to build standard and even broad gauge lines cheaply to light railway standards with short radii (tight curves) and steep grades, instead of building narrow gauge lines. The trains operate at lower speeds and with lower capacities. This allows through-routeing of rolling stock, and simplifies later upgrading. A Light rail system Historically, a railway built in Britain under the 1896 Light Railways Act This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...

Gauges used

There are many narrow gauges in use or formerly used between 15 in (381 mm) gauge and 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) gauge. They fall into three broad categories:

Medium gauge railways

Railways built on gauges between 3 ft (914 mm) and 4 ft 8½ in (1,435 mm) are sometimes referred to as "medium-gauge" railways.

In those parts of the world where the railroads were built to British standards, this meant most commonly a gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) or the "Cape Gauge", while those built to American standards were normally 3 ft (914 mm). Railways built to European metric standards were most commonly of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) or "metre gauge" and 900 mm (2 ft 11½ in) gauge.

These larger narrow gauges are capable of hauling most traffic with little difficulty and are thus suitable for large-scale "common carrier" applications, although their ultimate speed and load limits are lower than for standard gauge.

Two foot gauge railways

A 2 ft (610 mm) gauge train on the Leighton Buzzard Light Railway in England.

The next natural "grouping" of narrow gauge railroads covers the range from just below 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) to just below 3 ft (914 mm), although the majority are between 2 ft (610 mm) and 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in). These lightweight lines can be built at a substantial cost saving over medium or standard gauge railways, but are generally restricted in their carrying capacity. The majority of these were built in mountainous areas and most were to carry mineral traffic from mines to ports or standard gauge railroads. Many were industrial lines rather than common carriers, though there were exceptions such as the extensive 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) lines built in the former Austro-Hungarian Empire, and the "Maine two footer" lines in New England. Trench railways of World War I produced the greatest concentration of two foot gauge railways observed to date. The most common metric gauges in this group are 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) and 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in). Download high resolution version (900x911, 258 KB)A train hauled by PC Allen runs into a passing loop after having just crossed a level crossing on the Leighton Buzzard Railway. ... Download high resolution version (900x911, 258 KB)A train hauled by PC Allen runs into a passing loop after having just crossed a level crossing on the Leighton Buzzard Railway. ... Closed|| 1969 The Leighton Buzzard Light Railway (LBLR) is a narrow-gauge light railway in the town of Leighton Buzzard in Bedfordshire, England. ... For other uses, see England (disambiguation). ... Official languages Latin, German, Hungarian Established church Roman Catholic Capital & Largest City Vienna pop. ... This article is about the region in the United States of America. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ...

Minimum gauge railways

Gauges below 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) were rare, but did exist. In Britain, Sir Arthur Heywood developed 15 in (381 mm) gauge estate railways, while in France Decauville produced a range of industrial railways running on 400 mm (15¾ in) and 500 mm (1 ft 7¾ in) tracks, most commonly in such restricted environments such as underground mine railways. 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. Sir Arthur Percival Heywood , 3rd Baronet (1849-1916) was the eldest son of Sir Thomas Percival Heywood. ... Locomotive Taliesin on the revived Ffestiniog Railway The history of British narrow gauge railways is long and complex. ... Name plate of the Decauville company Paul Decauville (1846-1922) was a French pioneer in light railways. ... This article is about mineral extractions. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

Narrow gauge railways less than 1 ft 10¾ in (578 mm) gauge are known as minimum gauge railways. Minimum Gauge Railways are narrow gauge railways that run on extremely narrow gauged rail tracks, below 2 ft (610 mm). ...

Narrow gauge worldwide

Europe

Austria

The first railway in Austria was the narrow gauge line from Gmunden in the Salzkammergut to Budweis, now in the Czech Republic, this was 1,106 mm (3 ft 7½ in) gauge. Some two dozen lines were built in 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) gauge [3], a few in 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge. The first was the Steyrtalbahn. Others were built by provincial governments, some lines are still in common carrier use and a number of others are preservation projects. The tramway network in Innsbruck is also metre gauge; in Linz the rather unusual gauge of 900 mm (2 ft 11½ in) is in use. Gmundens lakefront on a cloudy summers day Gmunden is a town in Upper Austria with 15,075 inhabitants. ... The Salzkammergut is a resort area east of Salzburg, Austria, spanning the federal states of Upper Austria, Salzburg, and Styria. ... Czech Republic South Bohemian ÄŒeské BudÄ›jovice 55. ... Innsbruck is a city in western Austria, and the capital of the federal state of Tyrol. ... For the town in Germany, see Linz am Rhein. ...

Train of the Mariazellerbahn in Lower Austria

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1500x1000, 337 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narrow gauge Mariazellerbahn ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1500x1000, 337 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narrow gauge Mariazellerbahn ... Special pilgrims journey near Kirchberg an der Pielach The Mariazellerbahn (Mariazell Railway) is an electrically operated narrow-gauge railway of the Österreichische Bundesbahnen with a track gauge of 760 mm (Bosnian gauge) which connects the Lower Austrian capital Sankt Pölten with the Styrian pilgrimage centre of Mariazell. ...

Bulgaria

From the 19th into the early 20th there were many 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) and 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) gauge railways in Bulgaria, but today, only 245 km remain. This is the Septemvri - Dobrinishte line, where the highest railway station on the Balkan peninsula is situated. The line although in a worn out condition, is still actively used - the trains are pulled by Henschel locos. One of the old steam locomotives has been restored recently and is used occasionally for hauling tourist trains. The extensive Sofia tramway network is also metre gauge.

Two old steam locos rusting at Bansko station on the same line

Belarus

Belarus has one operating 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) gauge Children's railway, located in Minsk. Locos - TU2. MaltaÅ„ska Kolej DzieciÄ™ca (Maltan Childrens Railway) in PoznaÅ„, Poland (600mm gauge) Steam Locomotive on Kyiv Childrens Railway, Ukraine (750mm gauge) A childrens railway is an extracurricular educational institution, where teenagers learn railway professions. ...

Some industrial narrow gauge railways can still be found in Belarus particularly associated with the peat extraction industry.

Belgium

The Vicinal or Buurtspoor were a system of narrow gauge local railways or tramways covering the whole country and having a greater routage than the mainline railway system. They were 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge and the system included electrified city lines as well as rural lines using steam locomotives and railcars; half of the system was electrified. Many lines carried freight. Only the coastal line and two routes near Charleroi are still in commercial use, four museums hold significant collections of former SNCV/NMBS rolling stock, one of which is the ASVi museum in Thuin. The tramway networks in Antwerp and Ghent are also metre gauge. The Vicinal or Buurtspoor were a system of narrow gauge tramways or local railways in Belgium, which covered the whole country and had a greater route length than the mainline railway system. ... A tram system, tramway, or street railway is a railway on which trams (streetcars, trolleys) run. ... One of the last mainline steam locomotives built in the UK: British Railways Standard Class 9F 2-10-0 no. ... Charleroi (Walloon: TchÃ¥lerwè) is the first city and municipality of Wallonia in population. ... The ASVi is a tramway museum in Thuin in Belgium, which specialises in the history of the Belgian narrow gauge Vicinal system. ... Geography Country Belgium Community French Community Region Walloon Region Province Hainaut Arrondissement Thuin Coordinates , , Area 76. ... For other uses, see Antwerp (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Belgian city. ...

Czech Republic

Main article: Narrow gauge railways in the Czech Republic

Several lines were built in the nineteenth century. The most notable lines are Obrataň-Jindřichův Hradec-Nová Bystřice and Třemešná ve Slezsku-Osoblaha, that are still in operation. Apart from public lines listed below there existed many industrial, forest and agricultural non-public narrow gauge systems; a few of them are still running. ...

Estonia

Four museums lines and some industrial peat railways remain in Estonia. The Lavassaare railway museum houses a large collection of steam and diesel locomotives with a 2km long 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) gauge railway. There is a museum with a 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) gauge, 500m long line in Avinurme which houses one locomotive and a collection of wagons. An underground museum with a short electric line is located in Kivioli. A former military railway line with a 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) gauge is located on Naissaar Island. Great Western Railway No. ... A railroad car (or, more briefly, car, not to be confused with railcar), also known as an item of rolling stock, is a vehicle on a railroad (or railway) that is not a locomotive — one that provides another purpose than purely haulage, although some types of car are powered. ...

Finland

The vast majority of Finnish narrow gauge railways were owned and operated by private companies. There are only a few instances where narrow gauge railways were in direct connection with each other, and those interchanges did not last for long. The railways never formed a regional rail traffic network, but were only focused on maintaining connections between the national broad gauge railway network and the off-line industries. One of the longest common carriers was the Lovisa-Wesijärvi railway (1900–1960) that operated a 80-kilometre (50-mile) line between Lahti and Loviisa. Other notable ones were the Hyvinkää–Karkkila railway that operated a 46-kilometre (28-mile) line, and the Jokioinen railway that operated a 23-kilometre (14¹⁄₂-mile) line until 1974, being the last common carrier narrow gauge railway. Location within Finland Lahti (Lahtis in Swedish) is a Finnish city of 100,049 inhabitants (2006), bordering the Vesijärvi lake. ... Coordinates: , Country Finland Province Southern Finland Region Eastern Uusimaa Incorporated (city) 1745 Government  - City Manager Olavi Kaleva Area  - City 44. ...

Other lines were notably shorter. The common gauges were 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) and 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in), with a few railways built with 785 mm (2 ft 6.9 in) and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauges.

Narrow gauge tourist and heritage lines of 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) and 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) gauge still operate. A scene on a heritage railway. ...

Lovisa-Wesijärvi Railway (LWR) 2-8-0 steam locomotive number 6 (built in 1909) in running order on Jokioinen Museum Railway, Finland.

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 447 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 572 pixel, file size: 318 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 447 pixelsFull resolution (1024 × 572 pixel, file size: 318 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... The Jokioinen Museum Railway is located in Jokioinen, Finland. ...

France

The French National Railways used to run a considerable number of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) lines, a few of which still operate mostly in tourist areas, such as the St Gervais-Vallorcine (Alps) and the "Train Jaune" (yellow train) in the Pyrenees. The original French scheme was that every sous-prefecture should be rail connected. Extensive near 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) gauge lines were also built for the sugar-beet industry in the north often using ex-military equipment after the First World War. Decauville was a famous French manufacturer of industrial narrow gauge railway equipment and equipped one of the most extensive regional 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) narrow gauge railway, the Chemins de Fer du Calvados. Corsica has a narrow gauge network of two lines following the coast line, that are connected by one line crossing the island through highly mountaineous terrain. SNCF (Société Nationale des Chemins de fer Français) (French National Railway Company) is a French public enterprise. ... “The Great War ” redirects here. ... Name plate of the Decauville company Paul Decauville (1846-1922) was a French pioneer in light railways. ... Gare de Courseulles, with the narrow gauge railway in the foreground. ... For other uses, see Corsica (disambiguation). ...

Germany

A number of narrow gauge lines survive, largely as a consequence of German reunification, in the former East Germany where some of them form part of the public transport system as active commercial carriers. Most extensive of those still employing steam traction is the Harz mountain group of metre-gauge lines, the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen. Other notable lines are the Zittau-Oybin-Jonsdorf line in Saxony, the Mollibahn and the Rügensche Kleinbahn on the Isle of Rügen on the Baltic coast and the Radebeul-Radeburg line in the suburbs of Dresden. Although most rely on the tourist trade, in some areas they provide significant employment as steam traction is particularly labour intensive. This article is about the state which existed from 1949 to 1990. ... Narrow gauge group of railway lines running in the Harz Mountains of Germany. ... The Zittau-Oybin-Jonsdorf line is a narrow gauge railway system employing steam locomotives and serving the mountain spa resorts of Oybin and Jonsdorf in the Zittau Mountains in southeast Saxony (Germany). ... The narrow-gauge Molli railway in Mecklenburg is a steam-powered narrow-gauge railway (900 mm gauge). ... The Rügensche Kleinbahn (nicknamed Rasender Roland) is a narrow gauge railway employing steam motive power on the Isle of Rügen off the German Baltic Coast. ... Map of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania highlighting the district Rügen Rügen (Polish: Rugia) is an island located off the coast of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in the Baltic Sea. ... Narrow gauge steam hauled railway in the outskirts of Dresden. ...

In the Western part of Germany, Selfkantbahn (close to Heinsberg near Aachen) and Brohltalbahn (Linz/Rhine) are the best known ones, offering services in summer weekends. Heinsberg is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, capital of the district Heinsberg. ... Oche redirects here; in darts the oche is the line from which players must throw. ... This article is about Linz am Rhein in Germany. ...

See also Narrow gauge railways in Saxony The narrow gauge railways in Saxony were established in 1881 - 1923. ...

Greece

The Peloponnese narrow gauge network length is about 914 km. Of this, 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge is used for 892 km. This is the network that connects major cities in the Peloponnese. The remaining 22 km form the Diakofton-Kalavryta rack railway, which uses 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) gauge. The Peloponnese network has suffered various setbacks, ranging from the abandonment of entire lines (such as the Pyrgos-Katakolon railway) to inefficient management on part of the public Greek railway operator, OSE, which resulted in poor quality of services and rolling stock). Currently major restoration works are carried out, which have resulted in parts of the line having been closed. Additionally, the reactivation of certain lines that were closed down during the latter half of the 20th century is planned, mainly the Pyrgos-Katakolon line and in parts of western Greece (around Agrinion and Messologgi). Another small railway that uses narrow gauge 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) is the Mt. Pelion railway, originally from Volos to Milies. Currently parts of the line are operational during the summer, mainly for excursions. There was also a metre gauge network in Thessaly. This has now been abandoned, and trains use standard gauge tracks. However, the old narrow gauge tracks remain in place, so that occasional special excursion trains use them. Generally, the narrow gauges 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) in Diakofto-Kalavryta line and 600 mm in Volos-Milies (the current real line is Lechonia-Milies, since the part Volos-Lechonia was abandoned) are seasonal railroads for excursional purposes. But the 1,000 mm network of Peloponnese is a passenger and commercial line. Thus, a renovation work has started since several months before to construct a modern 1,435 mm network in Peloponnese and/or rebuild the one-century old 1,000 mm tracks.

A bridge on the Pelion Railway, Greece

Image File history File links Pelion_bridge. ... Image File history File links Pelion_bridge. ...

Hungary

The former Kingdom boasted a narrow gauge network thousands of kilometres in length, most of it using 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) gauge and constructed between 1870 and 1920. Landlords, mines, agricultural and forest estates established their own branch lines which, as they united into regional networks, increasingly played a role in regional passenger traffic. Following the Treaty of Trianon some railways were cut by the new border, many remained on the territory of Romania, Czechoslovakia and Yugoslavia. For a lack of intact roads, following World War II in many places narrow-gauge railway was the only reasonable way to get around. In 1968 the Communist government started to implement a policy to dismantle the narrow-gauge network in favour of road traffic. Freight haulage on the few remaining lines continued to decline until 1990 from when a patchwork of railways was gradually taken over by associations and forest managements for tourist purposes. State Railways operate narrow-gauge railways at Nyíregyháza and Kecskemét that continue to play a role in regional transport. Children aged 10 to 14 provide services at the Budapest Children's Railway. The negotiations on June 4, 1920. ... Nyíregyháza (IPA: /ɲireÉŸhazÉ’/; approximate pronunciation: nyee-redy-haa-zah ) is a city in North-east Hungary and the county capital of Szabolcs-Szatmár-Bereg. ... Kecskemét (IPA: ), (approximate pronounciation, Kech-kem-it), is a city in the central part of Hungary. ...

See also: Narrow gauge railways in today's Hungary

Széchenyi Museum Railway in Nagycenk

Mátra Railway in Gyöngyös

Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 892 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beschreibung: Széchenyi-Museumsbahn. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2272 × 1704 pixel, file size: 892 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Beschreibung: Széchenyi-Museumsbahn. ... Nagycenk is a village in Győr-Moson-Sopron county, Hungary. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 312 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Mátra-railroad in Gyöngyös, Hungary Source: photo taken by user File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1280 × 960 pixel, file size: 312 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Mátra-railroad in Gyöngyös, Hungary Source: photo taken by user File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it... Kékestető (1014 m) Mátra is a mountain range in northern Hungary, between to the towns Gyöngyös and Eger. ... Gyöngyös location in Hungary Orczy palace in Gyöngyös Gyöngyös is a town in Heves county in Hungary, 80 km east of Budapest. ...

Ireland

Main article: List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland

Several 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge systems once existed in Ireland. In County Donegal an extensive network existed, with two companies operating from Derry – the Londonderry & Lough Swilly Railway (L&LSR) and the County Donegal Railways (CDRJC). Well known was the West Clare Railway – in County Clare, which saw diesel locomotion before closure. The Cavan & Leitrim Railway (C&LR) operated in what is now the border area of County Cavan and County Leitrim. Some smaller narrow gauge routes also existed in County Antrim and also County Cork – notably the Cork Blackrock & Passage Railway. Statistics Province: Ulster Dáil Éireann: Donegal North East, Donegal South West County seat: Lifford Code: DL Area: 4,841 km² Population (2006) 146,956 Website: www. ... For other places with similar names, see Derry (disambiguation) and Londonderry (disambiguation). ... The Londonderry and Lough Swilly Railway Company is a Northern Irish public transport and freight firm, incorporated in June 1853. ... The County Donegal Railways Joint Committee operated in north-west Ireland during the 20th century. ... The West Clare Railway (WCR) was a railway company operating in County Clare, Ireland. ... County Clare (Contae an Chláir in Irish) is in the Irish province of Munster. ... The Cavan & Leitrim Railway was a narrow gauge railway in the northwest of Ireland. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Cavan Code: CN Area: 1,931 km² Population (2006) 63,961 Website: www. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Carrick-on-Shannon Code: LM Area: 1,588 km² Population (2006) 28,837 Website: www. ... Statistics Province: Ulster County Town: Antrim Area: 2,844 km² Population (est. ... Statistics Province: Munster County seat: Cork Code: C Area: 7,457 km² (2,879 sq mi) Population (2006) 480,909 (including City of Cork); 361,766 (without Cork City) Website: www. ...

Apart from small heritage venues, the Irish narrow gauge today only survives in the bogs of the Midlands as part of Bord na Móna's extensive industrial network for transporting harvested peat to distribution centres or power plants. A scene on a heritage railway. ... Lütt-Witt Moor, a bog in Henstedt-Ulzburg in northern Germany. ... Bord na Móna (lit. ...

See also: History of rail transport in Ireland 1906 Viceregal Commission rail map of Ireland Irelands extensive rail network was largely dismantled during the 20th Century Map of Irish rail network between 1925 and 1930 This article is part of the history of rail transport by country series The history of rail transport in Ireland began only...

Guiness brewery locomotive

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 687 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narrow gauge St. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1024x768, 687 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narrow gauge St. ...

Italy

Narrow gauge railways in Italy are (or were) mainly build with 950 mm (3 ft 1⅜ in) gauge, with some 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge lines and with a few other gauges.

In Sardinia, a network of narrow gauge lines (950 mm) was built, to complement the standard-gauge main network which covered the main cities and ports. The lines were: Sardinia (pronounced ; Italian: ; Sardinian: or ) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily). ...

Of the lines which are still present, only Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Cagliari (CA) Mayor Elevation 66 m Area 190. ... San Giovanni Suergiu is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 50 km west of Cagliari and about 4 km south of Carbonia. ... Calasetta is a small town (population 2,745) located on the island of SantAntioco off the Southwestern coast of Sardinia. ... Iglesias (pop. ... San Giovanni Suergiu is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Carbonia-Iglesias in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 50 km west of Cagliari and about 4 km south of Carbonia. ... Carales redirects here. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Cagliari (CA) Mayor Elevation 491 m Area 45. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Cagliari (CA) Mayor Elevation 523 m Area 68. ... Sorgono is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Nuoro in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 90 km north of Cagliari and about 35 km southwest of Nuoro. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Cagliari (CA) Mayor Elevation 491 m Area 45. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Ogliastra (OG) Mayor Elevation 690 m Area 78. ... Arbatax is a small port bordering Tortoli, Sardinia. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Ogliastra (OG) Mayor Elevation 690 m Area 78. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Ogliastra (OG) Mayor Elevation circa 470 m Area 102. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Cagliari (CA) Mayor Elevation 523 m Area 68. ... Villamar is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Medio Campidano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 45 km northwest of Cagliari and about 7 km northeast of Sanluri. ... Villacidro is a town in the province of Medio Campidano, Sardinia, Italy. ... Villamar is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Medio Campidano in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 45 km northwest of Cagliari and about 7 km northeast of Sanluri. ... Ales is a small town in the province of Oristano on the island of Sardinia in the Mediterranean_Sea. ... Macomer is a town and comune of Sardinia (Italy) in the province of Nuoro. ... Bosa Bosa is a town in the province of Oristano (until May 2005 it was in the province of Nuoro), part of the Sardinia region of Italy. ... Macomer is a town and comune of Sardinia (Italy) in the province of Nuoro. ... Nuoro (Nùgoro, that literally means home[1], in the ancient Nuoros dialect), is a town and province in central Sardinia, Italy, located at the slopes of Mount Ortobene. ... Sassari (in Italian and Sassarese, a Corsican dialect; either Sassari or Tathari in southern Sardinian), is a town and a province in Sardinia, Italy. ... Alghero (lAlguer in Catalan and SAlighèra in Sardinian), is a town of about 42,000 inhabitants (down from 54,300 inhabitants since early 20th century) in Italy. ... Sassari (in Italian and Sassarese, a Corsican dialect; either Sassari or Tathari in southern Sardinian), is a town and a province in Sardinia, Italy. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Sassari (SS) Mayor Elevation m Area 67. ... Sassari (in Italian and Sassarese, a Corsican dialect; either Sassari or Tathari in southern Sardinian), is a town and a province in Sardinia, Italy. ... Tempio Pausania (loc. ... Luras is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Olbia-Tempio in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 190 km north of Cagliari and about 25 km west of Olbia. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Olbia-Tempio (OT) Mayor Elevation m Area 44. ... Luras is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Olbia-Tempio in the Italian region Sardinia, located about 190 km north of Cagliari and about 25 km west of Olbia. ... Monti is a commune and small town of Gallura, northern Sardinia, Italy, in the province of Olbia-Tempio. ...

still carry regular passenger services, operated by Ferrovie della Sardegna (Railways of Sardinia). The others only operate a scenic tourist service known as Trenino verde (small green train) Carales redirects here. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Cagliari (CA) Mayor Elevation 491 m Area 45. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Cagliari (CA) Mayor Elevation 523 m Area 68. ... Sassari (in Italian and Sassarese, a Corsican dialect; either Sassari or Tathari in southern Sardinian), is a town and a province in Sardinia, Italy. ... Alghero (lAlguer in Catalan and SAlighèra in Sardinian), is a town of about 42,000 inhabitants (down from 54,300 inhabitants since early 20th century) in Italy. ... Sassari (in Italian and Sassarese, a Corsican dialect; either Sassari or Tathari in southern Sardinian), is a town and a province in Sardinia, Italy. ... Country Italy Region Sardinia Province Province of Sassari (SS) Mayor Elevation m Area 67. ... Macomer is a town and comune of Sardinia (Italy) in the province of Nuoro. ... Nuoro (Nùgoro, that literally means home[1], in the ancient Nuoros dialect), is a town and province in central Sardinia, Italy, located at the slopes of Mount Ortobene. ...

In Sicily, the Ferrovia Circumetnea (950 mm gauge) runs around the Mount Etna. Other narrow gauge lines (950 mm) operated, the most important of which was the Castelvetrano-Porto Empedocle, but are now closed. Sicily ( in Italian and Sicilian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,708 km² (9,926 sq. ... Ferrovia Circumetnea The Ferrovia Circumetnea (roughly translated as Railway around the Etna) is a 950 mm (3 ft 1 in) gauge narrow-gauge regional railway line in Sicily. ... Etna redirects here. ... Country Italy Region Sicily Province Trapani (TP) Mayor Giovanni Pompeo (since December 10, 2001) Elevation 187 m Area 206 km² Population  - Total (as of 2004) 30,369  - Density 132/km² Time zone CET, UTC+1 Coordinates Gentilic Castelvetranesi Dialing code 0924 Postal code 91022 Frazioni Triscina di Selinunte, Marinella di... Categories: Possible copyright violations ...

In Trentino only narrow gauge lines (1000 mm) from Trento to Malè and Marilleva are still operating. Trentino-Alto Adige or Trentino-South Tyrol (in German: Trentino-Südtirol, in Italian: Trentino-Alto Adige) is an autonomous region in northern Italy. ... Trento (Italian: Trento; German: Trient; Latin: Tridentum; Note that many of the regions Italian languages/dialects use Trent or Trènt) is an Italian city located in the Adige River valley in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. ... Malè is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Trento in the Italian region Trentino-South Tyrol, located about 35 km northwest of Trento. ...

Between Naples and Sorrento, around the base of Mt. Vesuvius, the Circumvesuviana railway operates frequent services on narrow gauge (950 mm) tracks. Location of the city of Naples (red dot) within Italy. ... Vesuvius overlooking Sorrento and the Bay of Naples. ... Mount Vesuvius (Italian: Monte Vesuvio) is a volcano east of Naples, Italy, located at 40°49′N 14°26′ E. It is the only active volcano on the European mainland, although it is not currently erupting. ... Circumvesuviana is a narrow-gauge railway connecting cities near Naples, Italy. ...

Railcar on the Rittnerbahn

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2000x1333, 814 KB) 4 wheel railcar of the Rittnerbahn in Maria Himmelfahrt station - Zweiachsiger Triebwagen der Rittnerbahn in der Station Maria Himmelfahrt own image, taken August 06, 2005 Photographer: Herbert Ortner, Vienna, Austria File links The following pages on the English... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2000x1333, 814 KB) 4 wheel railcar of the Rittnerbahn in Maria Himmelfahrt station - Zweiachsiger Triebwagen der Rittnerbahn in der Station Maria Himmelfahrt own image, taken August 06, 2005 Photographer: Herbert Ortner, Vienna, Austria File links The following pages on the English...

Isle of Man

Both main railways in the Isle of Man are of 3 ft (914 mm) gauge. The Isle of Man Steam Railway to the southwest is operated largely as a tourist attraction but the Manx Electric Railway to the northeast is a commercially operated railway system though its operation is closer to that of a tramway than a railway. The Snaefell Mountain Railway, climbs the island's main peak and has a gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm); it is the sole operating Fell Incline Railway System in the world. Categories: Heritage railways | Stub ... MER Car No. ... The Snaefell Mountain Railway is an electric mountain railway connecting the town of Laxey with the summit of Snaefell Mountain which is, at 2036 feet (620. ... The Fell mountain railway system or Fell incline railway system is a type of Mountain railway system that employs a raised centre rail between the two main rails to provide extra traction and braking needed for steep grade sections. ...

The Isle of Man Steam Railway

17/05/00:- Port Erin train arrives at Ballasalla station. ... 17/05/00:- Port Erin train arrives at Ballasalla station. ...

Latvia

There exist 1 public, 1 museum and some industrial peat railways. Public narrow gauge railway are 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) gauge and are around 30 km long. They join Gulbene and Aluksne. More - http://www.banitis.lv . 2 trains per day. The museum railway is located in Ventspils. The gauge is 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) and the length is a 2 km circle. The locomotives are former "Brigadelok" steam locomotives. The peat companies mainly use 750 mm, but there also exist 700 mm (2 ft 3½ in) gauge and other 600 mm gauge railways.

Lithuania

158.8 km of 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) narrow gauge lines remain, although only 68.4 km of them (serving five stations) are regularly used, employing 12 locomotives. They are included in the Registry of Immovable Cultural Heritage Sites of Lithuania. More about this line: http://www.siaurukas.eu/ . There also still exist many peat factories, which have private narrow gauge railways for transportation peat from field to factory.

Norway

In Norway, a number of main lines were in the 19th century built with narrow gauge, 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm), to save cost in a sparsely populated mountainous country. This included Norway's first own long-distance line, Rørosbanen, connecting Oslo and Trondheim, 1877. Some secondary railways also had this gauge. These railways have been rebuilt to standard gauge or closed down. Some private railways had 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) and one had 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in). A few railways partly still are operated as museum railways, specifically Thamshavnbanen, Urskog-Hølandsbanen and Setesdalsbanen. The tramway in Trondheim, Gråkallbanen is also narrow gauge. The Rørosbane is a 431-km long railway line in Norway running between the towns of Hamar and Trondheim via Elverum and Røros. ... Norwegian Electric Locomotive No. ... UHB (Urskog - Hølandsbanen), also known as Tertitten, was a narrow gauge railway (750mm) between Sørumsand and Skulerud in Norway. ... Veteran train on the Setesdalsbanen, July 23 2003. ... County District Municipality NO-1601 Administrative centre Trondheim Mayor (2003-) Rita Ottervik (AP) Official language form Neutral Area  - Total  - Land  - Percentage Ranked 258 342 km² 322 km² 0. ... One of the GrÃ¥kallbanen trams at the St. ...

The Thamshavnbanen museum

Poland

There are hundreds of kilometres of 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in), 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in), 785 mm, and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) narrow gauge lines in Poland. The metre gauge lines are mostly found in the northwest part of the country in Pomerania, while 785 mm lines are found only in the Upper Silesia region. 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) is the most commonly used narrow gauge; it is used, for example, in the Rogów Narrow Gauge Railway (Rogowska Kolej Wąskotorowa). Some narrow gauge lines in Poland still operate as common carriers (for example the lines operated by SKPL, the Association of Local Railway Haulage)[4], while others survive as tourist attractions. One of the finest of the latter is the 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) narrow gauge railway (Żnińska Kolej Powiatowa) running from Żnin via Wenecja (Polish Venice) and famous Biskupin to Gąsawa in the Pałuki region. Railway tradtions of Pałuki date back to July 1894 when the first two lines were opened. Map of Upper Silesia, 1746 Upper Silesia (Czech: ; German: ; Latin: Silesia Superior; Polish: ; Silesian: Gůrny Åšlůnsk) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. ... Motto: Å»nin - the open town Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship County Å»nin County Gmina Gmina Å»nin Established 11th century Town rights 1263 Government  - Mayor Leszek Jakubowski Area  - Total 8. ... Wenecja (Polish Venice) is a small village approximately 5 km south of Å»nin in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship (Kujawsko-Pomorskie) in Poland. ... Gate to the reconstructed settlement Biskupin is an archaeological site and a life-size model of an Iron Age fortified settlement (gród) in Poland, Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodship. ... Coat of arms of GÄ…sawa. ... PaÅ‚uki is a historic and ethnographic land lying in central Poland among Greater Poland, Pomerania nad Cuiavia. ... 1894 (MDCCCXCIV) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In the past, there have also been 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in), 800 mm (2 ft 7½ in) and 900 mm (2 ft 11½ in) lines. A 900 mm (2 ft 11½ in) recreational line 4.2 km long still operates in the Amusement-Recreation Park in Chorzów, Upper Silesia. A similar 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) line, Kolejka Parkowa Maltanka, operates in Poznań. Some of Poland's narrow gauge railways are maintained by volunteers; one organization dedicated to preserving narrow gauge railways is the FPKW, the Polish Narrow Gauge Railways Foundation [5]. Motto: none Voivodship Silesian Municipal government UrzÄ…d Miasta Chorzów Mayor Marek Kopel Area 33,5 km² Population  - city  - urban  - density 117 430 - 2856/km² Founded City rights - - Latitude Longitude 50°18 N 18°57 E Area code +48 32 Car plates SH Twin towns - Municipal Website Chorzów... Map of Upper Silesia, 1746 Upper Silesia (Czech: ; German: ; Latin: Silesia Superior; Polish: ; Silesian: Gůrny Åšlůnsk) is the southeastern part of the historical and geographical region of Silesia; Lower Silesia is to the northwest. ... Train on station Maltanka pulled by Diesel locomotive Wls40-100 Train pulled by Diesel locomotice Wls50-1563 Sanding on rail siding, waiting for renovation tank locomotive Tx26-423 build in 1926 The Kolejka Parkowa Maltanka (English: , sometimes abbreviated to Maltanka) is a 600 mm (1 ft 111⁄2 in) narrow... Coordinates: , Country Voivodeship Powiat city county Gmina PoznaÅ„ Established 8th century City Rights 1253 Government  - Mayor Ryszard Grobelny Area  - City 261. ...

Kolejka Parkowa Maltanka - 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) gauge in Poznań

The 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) Narrow Gauge Railway in Żnin - the steam locomotive Px38-805 called "Leon"

Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 444 pixelsFull resolution (1223 × 679 pixel, file size: 394 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Narrow gauge trainline Maltanka, PoznaÅ„, Poland Wls40-100 diesel locomotive, in background Tx26-423 steam locomotive author Radomil talk 19:15, 10 June 2006 (UTC) File... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 444 pixelsFull resolution (1223 × 679 pixel, file size: 394 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Narrow gauge trainline Maltanka, PoznaÅ„, Poland Wls40-100 diesel locomotive, in background Tx26-423 steam locomotive author Radomil talk 19:15, 10 June 2006 (UTC) File... Train on station Maltanka pulled by Diesel locomotive Wls40-100 Train pulled by Diesel locomotice Wls50-1563 Sanding on rail siding, waiting for renovation tank locomotive Tx26-423 build in 1926 The Kolejka Parkowa Maltanka (English: , sometimes abbreviated to Maltanka) is a 600 mm (1 ft 111⁄2 in) narrow... Coordinates: , Country Voivodeship Powiat city county Gmina PoznaÅ„ Established 8th century City Rights 1253 Government  - Mayor Ryszard Grobelny Area  - City 261. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2053x1484, 426 KB) Summary The images author is Andrzej Łuczak (woochuck@op. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (2053x1484, 426 KB) Summary The images author is Andrzej Łuczak (woochuck@op. ... Motto: Å»nin - the open town Coordinates: , Country Poland Voivodeship County Å»nin County Gmina Gmina Å»nin Established 11th century Town rights 1263 Government  - Mayor Leszek Jakubowski Area  - Total 8. ...

Portugal

Portugal had hundreds of km of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge railways, including: Linha do Porto à Póvoa e Famalicão - Closed. Some of the old trackbed is now used by the Oporto's Metropolitan railcars. Linha de Guimarães - Closed between Guimarães and Fafe, converted into a bike way. The rest is now broad gauge. Linha do Tâmega. Linha do Corgo. Linha do Tua. Linha do Sabor. Linhas do Vale do Vouga. Linha do Dão.

Four passenger services are known to still be in operation.

The Tamega Line runs between Livração and Amarante in the District of Porto and runs near the River Tâmega. Amarante is a city and municipality of the Porto district, in northern Portugal. ... This article describes the subdivisions of Portugal. ... The District of Oporto is located in the North Coastal of Portugal, the District Capital is the city of Oporto (Portuguese: Porto), the second largest city in the country. ... Tâmega at dusk (photo by Tulia Vogensen) This article is about the river Tâmega. ...

The Corgo line runs from Regua, on the Duoro River to Vila Real. The line previously ran to Chaves and the track is still in situ in 2008. There is a small Railway Museum at Chaves.

The Tua Line runs north from Tua to Braganca and previously ran to Mirandela. This line is the least used and may close soon but was still operating in spring 2008.

Finally a line still runs from the Porto to Lisbon main line at Espinho to Sernada de Vouga and back to the same main line at Aviero. This line has a museum at Machinata de Vouga whilst the main workshops are at Sernada de Vouga. This line may also shut at any time.

Railcar of Linha do Tâmega sits in Amarante station.

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (936x693, 286 KB) Railcar of Linha da Tâmega sits in Amarante station. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (936x693, 286 KB) Railcar of Linha da Tâmega sits in Amarante station. ... Amarante is a city and municipality of the Porto district, in northern Portugal. ...

Romania

Romanian narrow-gauge tracks usually use a 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) gauge, though there were also some 700 mm (2 ft 3½ in) gauge locomotives manufactured at Reşita^[2]. Several old narrow-gauge railways in Romania are being renovated for tourist purposes: the one in the Vasar Valley (Mureş County) is now well known; the line from Abrud to Campeni is operating; and other renovation projects have made tentative steps and may commence regular operations in the near future. More information can be found under "mocăniţă", the term by which such railways are often called in Romanian. The Vaser River is a tributary of the ViÅŸeu river in Romania. ... MureÅŸ (Hungarian: Maros) is a Romanian county (JudeÅ£) in Transylvania, with the capital city at Târgu MureÅŸ, (population: 165,835). ... A Mocăniţă (pronounced ) is a narrow gauge railway in Romania, most notably in Transylvania and nearby regions. ...

Vasar Valley Mocăniţă Mariuţa

Russia

In Russia, narrow gauge is most often 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) or 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in). 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge is found only in the southern part of Sakhalin, where railroads were built by the Japanese. A complete list of Russian and other ex-Soviet Narrow Gauge railways. Sakhalin (Russian: , IPA: ; Japanese: 樺太 ) or サハリン )); Chinese: 庫頁; also Saghalien, is a large elongated island in the North Pacific, lying between 45°50 and 54°24 N. It is part of Russia and is its largest island, administered as part of Sakhalin Oblast. ...

Slovakia

Bratislava municipal transport system uses 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge for trams, while Košice transport system uses standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in). Railways, however use standard gauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) making Bratislava tram and railways networks incompatible with each other. There is a discussion regarding transforming Bratislava's tram gauge to standard gauge to allow trams to use the railways tracks to increase transportation capabilities of Bratislava's public transportation system. The most notable tourist lines in operation are the 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) gauge Čiernohronská železnica and Oravsko-kysucká lesná železnica - Vychylovka. Another notable narrow gauge tracks include: the Štrbské Pleso - Štrba rack railway and the Tatra Electric Railway (both 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge) in the Tatra mountains and the 760 mm (2 ft 5⅞ in) gauge railway from Trenčianska Teplá to Trenčianske Teplice. Location of KoÅ¡ice in Slovakia Coordinates: , Country Slovakia Region KoÅ¡ice Region Districts KoÅ¡ice I-IV City parts First mentioned 1230 Government  - Type City Council  - Mayor FrantiÅ¡ek Knapík Area  - City 243. ... , Nickname: Beauty on the Danube, City of peace Country  Slovakia Region Districts 5  - Bratislava I  - Bratislava II  - Bratislava III  - Bratislava IV  - Bratislava V Rivers Elevation 134 m (440 ft) Coordinates , Highest point Devínska Kobyla  - elevation 514 m (1,686 ft) Lowest point Danube River  - elevation 126 m (413 ft... A taxi serving as a bus Public transport comprises all transport systems in which the passengers do not travel in their own vehicles. ... A train is prepaired to travel from Hronec to ÄŒierny Balog. ... Steam locomotive MÁV U34. ... The Å trbské Pleso - Å trba rack railway is a 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in) gauge narrow gauge railway in the High Tatras. ... The Tatra Electric Railway (Slovak: ), colloquially Tatra Railway, is an electrified single track narrow gauge railway in the Slovak part of the Tatra mountains. ... Tatras Panorama of Tatras The Tatra Mountains, Tatras or Tatra (Tatry in both Slovak and Polish), constitute a mountain range which forms a natural border between Slovakia and Poland. ... Location of Trenčín District in the Trenčín Region Trenčianska Teplá is a village and municipality in Trenčín District in the Trenčín Region of north-western Slovakia. ... Trenčianske Teplice (German: ; Hungarian: ) is a health resort and small spa town in western Slovakia, in the valley of the river Teplička, at the foothills of the Strážovské vrchy mountains. ...

Čierny Hron Railway at the station in Čierny Balog

The Logging Back Swath Railway

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 770 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (985 × 767 pixel, file size: 724 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Main station ČHŽ in Čierny Balog. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 770 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (985 × 767 pixel, file size: 724 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Main station ČHŽ in Čierny Balog. ... Location of Brezno District in the Banská Bystrica Region Čierny Balog (Hungarian: ) is a municipality in Brezno District, in the Banská Bystrica Region of central Slovakia. ...

Serbia

The narrow gauge railway line in Mokra Gora on the northern slopes of mountain Zlatibor in Serbia climbs a 300 metre ascent using an unusual loop in the form of the figure 8 – the popular "Šargan Eight". Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Mokra Gora (Cyrillic: Мокра Гора), meaning the Wet Mountain in English, is a village in Serbia on the northern slopes of mountain Zlatibor, that is turning into a very popular tourist... Winter in Zlatibor Zlatibor (Cyrillic: ЗлатибoÑ€) is a mountain region situated in Serbia and Montenegro, in the western part of Serbia, a part of the Dinaric Alps. ... Anthem:  Serbia() on the European continent()  —  [] Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn 1 Albanian 2 Demonym Serbian Government Parliamentary Democracy  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica    -  First state 7th century   -  Serbian Kingdom3 1217   -  Serbian Empire 1345   -  Independence lost... Look up eight in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Train with class 83 engine Train passing the largest bridge of the line The Å argan Eight (Serbian: ) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Serbia, running from the village of Mokra Gora to Å argan Vitasi station. ...

The Šargan Eight in Mokra Gora, Zlatibor (Serbia)

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 807 KB) Steam train with class 83 0-8-2 on the Å arganska Osmica (Sargan mountain railway) in western Serbia - Dampfzug mit Lok der Reihe 83 (Achsfolge D1) auf der Museumsbahn Å arganska Osmica (Å argan-Bahn) in Westserbien. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 807 KB) Steam train with class 83 0-8-2 on the Å arganska Osmica (Sargan mountain railway) in western Serbia - Dampfzug mit Lok der Reihe 83 (Achsfolge D1) auf der Museumsbahn Å arganska Osmica (Å argan-Bahn) in Westserbien. ... Train with class 83 engine Train passing the largest bridge of the line The Å argan Eight (Serbian: ) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Serbia, running from the village of Mokra Gora to Å argan Vitasi station. ... Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Ethno village - Drvengrad Mokra Gora (Cyrillic: Мокра Гора), meaning the Wet Mountain in English, is a village in Serbia on the northern slopes of mountain Zlatibor, that is turning into a very popular tourist... Winter in Zlatibor Zlatibor (Cyrillic: ЗлатибoÑ€) is a mountain region situated in Serbia and Montenegro, in the western part of Serbia, a part of the Dinaric Alps. ... Anthem:  Serbia() on the European continent()  —  [] Capital (and largest city) Belgrade Official languages Serbian Recognised regional languages Hungarian, Slovak, Romanian, Croatian, Rusyn 1 Albanian 2 Demonym Serbian Government Parliamentary Democracy  -  President Boris Tadić  -  Prime Minister Vojislav KoÅ¡tunica    -  First state 7th century   -  Serbian Kingdom3 1217   -  Serbian Empire 1345   -  Independence lost...

Spain

In Spain there is an extensive system of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge railways, in the north of the country, operated by FEVE (Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha, Spanish narrow gauge railways) and EuskoTren (Eusko Trenbideak, Basque Railways). At the centre of this system is a metre gauge line which runs for 650 km (400 miles) along the entire length of Spain's north coast. FEVE and EuskoTren form the longest narrow gauge network in Europe. Also near Madrid, on the mountain range of Guadarrama runs a mountain train through a short but extremely sinuous track, operated by Renfe. Separate metre gauge railways are operated by the FGC (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya, Catalan regional government railways) from Barcelona to Manresa and Igualada, the FGV (Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana, Valencian regional government railways) around the city of Valencia, and the SFM (Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca) on the island of Majorca. Also on the island of Majorca, the FS (Ferrocarril de Sóller) operates a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge electrified railway and connecting tramway. Also the Euskotran in Bilbao, which is not a "light rail", is unusual in new tramway and light rail systems opened in the last twenty-five years in having adopted metre gauge. EuskoTran is part of EuskoTren, the Basque regional government rail company. This company also owns several bus lines. Metro Bilbao started in 1995 on EuskoTren track and has a metre gauge. FEVE logo Electric unit 3500, operated by FEVE, arriving to the Muros de Nalón station, on the way to Oviedo FEVE (Ferrocarriles Españoles de Vía Estrecha, meaning Narrow-Gauge Spanish Railways) is a state-owned Spanish railway company, which operates most of Spains 1,250 km... EuskoTren (Eusko Trenbideak/Ferrocarriles Vascos or basically Basque Railways) is a railway company which operates trains on part of the narrow gauge railway network in the Basque Country, Spain. ... Map of the Spanish rail network as it was in 2005, with colour-coded track types A new Cercanías Civia unit near Puerto Real (Cádiz) AVE Class 100 train at Cordoba station Renfe Operadora is the state-owned company which operates freight and passenger trains on the 1668... FGC Logo Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya (Catalan Government Railways), or FGC, is a railway company which operates several unconnected lines in the Catalonia, Spain. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (City of Counts) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... Manresa is the capital of the Bages comarca (county), located in the geographic centre of Catalonia and crossed by the river Cardener. ... Igualada is a town of north-eastern Spain, in the Province of Barcelona, on the left bank of the River Noya, a right-hand tributary of the Llobregat, and at the northern terminus of the Igualada-Martorell-Barcelona railway. ... Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat Valenciana or FGV is a Spanish railway company which operates several metre gauge lines, in the Autonomous Community of Valencia, in Spain. ... Location Coordinates : 39°29′ N 0°22′ W Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name València (Catalan) Spanish name Valencia Founded 137 BC Postal code 46000-46080 Website http://www. ... Serveis Ferroviaris de Mallorca or SFM is a railway company which operates a metre gauge line on the Spanish island of Majorca. ... Majorca (Spanish and Catalan: ) is the largest island of Spain. ... Ferrocarril de Sóller or FS is a railway operating company, which operates an electrified 914 mm narrow gauge line on the Spanish island of Majorca, between the towns of Palma and Sóller. ... EuskoTran in Bilbao, Spain on grassed track Street track EuskoTran (BasqueTram) is the name of the metre gauge tramway system in Bilbao, Spain. ... La Muy Noble y Muy Leal e Invicta (The most noble and most loyal and undefeated) Location Location of Bilbao in Spain and Biscay Coordinates : , Time zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer : CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Bilbao (Basque) Spanish name Bilbao Nickname El Botxo (the hole) Founded 15... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... EuskoTran in Bilbao, Spain on grassed track Street track EuskoTran (BasqueTram) is the name of the metre gauge tramway system in Bilbao, Spain. ... EuskoTren (Eusko Trenbideak/Ferrocarriles Vascos or basically Basque Railways) is a railway company which operates trains on part of the narrow gauge railway network in the Basque Country, Spain. ... Metro Bilbao is a metro system serving the city of Bilbao (Basque Country, Spain) and its metropolitan area (Greater Bilbao). ... Year 1995 (MCMXCV) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... EuskoTren (Eusko Trenbideak/Ferrocarriles Vascos or basically Basque Railways) is a railway company which operates trains on part of the narrow gauge railway network in the Basque Country, Spain. ...

Electric unit 3500, operated by FEVE, arriving to the Muros de Nalón station, on the way to Oviedo

EuskoTran (BasqueTram) in Bilbao

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 2069 KB) Electric unit 3800, managed by FEVE, arriving to the Muros de Nalón station, on the way to Oviedo. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2272x1704, 2069 KB) Electric unit 3800, managed by FEVE, arriving to the Muros de Nalón station, on the way to Oviedo. ... EuskoTran in Bilbao, Spain on grassed track Street track EuskoTran (BasqueTram) is the name of the metre gauge tramway system in Bilbao, Spain. ... La Muy Noble y Muy Leal e Invicta (The most noble and most loyal and undefeated) Location Location of Bilbao in Spain and Biscay Coordinates : , Time zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer : CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Bilbao (Basque) Spanish name Bilbao Nickname El Botxo (the hole) Founded 15...

Sweden

Sweden once had some fairly extensive narrow gauge networks, but most narrow gauge railways are now closed. Some were converted to standard gauge (the latest one the line between Berga and Kalmar in the 1970s) and some remains as heritage railways. The most common narrow gauge, 891 mm (2 ft 11.1 in) (3 Swedish feet), existed only in Sweden. A smaller 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge network existed, and 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) gauge was used mostly by smaller, industrial railroads. Kalmar is a city in SmÃ¥land in south east Sweden, situated by the Baltic Sea. ...

The only commercial narrow gauge railway left is the Roslagsbanan suburban railway in north-eastern Stockholm (891 mm gauge). A branch line, the Långängsbanan, was built and run for some years as an isolated standard gauge tramway in anticipation of a planned conversion of the main line to raise its capacity, but those plans came to naught and the branch was rebuilt to narrow gauge; it is now closed. Train on the Roslagsbanan Roslagsbanan is a local narrow-gauge railway line in Stockholm County, Sweden. ... For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ...

The longest other remaining narrow gauge railway is the 891 mm line between Åseda, Hultsfred and Västervik. 70 km between Hultsfred and Västervik is served by tourist trains in the summer, including 4 km of dual gauge track. Ã…seda is a town, and the seat of Uppvidinge Municipality, in Kronoberg County, Sweden. ... Hultsfred (population is 15,163) is a Municipality in Kalmar County, in south-eastern Sweden. ... Västervik Municipality is a municipality in Kalmar County, in south-eastern Sweden, with its seat in the town of Västervik (pop. ... Sunlight reflects off dual-gauge tracks near Chur, Switzerland Mixed-gauge track and pointwork (4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) and 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm)) at Odawara in Japan Dual-gauge tram tracks in Katwijk, The Netherlands Dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway is a special configuration of...

Sweden also had the unique 1093 mm gauge Köping-Uttersberg-Riddarhyttan Railway. Still other but lesser used gauges in the country were 802 mm, 1188 mm and 1217 mm. The Köping-Uttersberg-Riddarhyttan Railway was a narrow-track railway in central Sweden, 46 km long. ...

The Roslagsbanan railway, Stockholm

Switzerland

Switzerland boasts an extensive network of metre gauge railways, many of which interchange traffic (most prominent is the Rhaetian Railway). They are concentrated in the more heavily mountainous areas. The Jungfraubahn terminates at the highest station in Europe. Dual gauge (combined metre- and standard gauge trackway) also exists in many areas. Also, nearly all street tramways in Switzerland were and still are also metre gauge. The RhB (Rhaetian Railway / Rhätische Bahn (German) / Ferrovia Retica (Italian) / Viafier Retica (Rumantsch)) has the largest network of all the private railways in Switzerland. ... For other uses, see Mountain (disambiguation). ... The Jungfraubahn (JB) is an 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in) gauge rack railway electrified at 3-phase 1,125 volts, which runs 9 kilometres from Kleine Scheidegg to the highest railway station in Europe at Jungfraujoch. ... Sunlight reflects off dual-gauge tracks near Chur, Switzerland Mixed-gauge track and pointwork (4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) and 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm)) at Odawara in Japan Dual-gauge tram tracks in Katwijk, The Netherlands Dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway is a special configuration of... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... Rail tracks. ... This article refers to public transport vehicles running on rails. ...

Further information: Rail transport in Switzerland

A train at Bad Bubendorf station on the 750 mm gauge Waldenburgerbahn between Liestal and Waldenburg in Switzerland[2].

The railroads of Switzerland include standard gauge (1. ... Liestal (in former times Liesthal) is a smal Swiss Town 17 km south of Basel, and 6km south of Augst, capital of the half canton Basel-Land. ... Waldenburg is a municipality in the canton of Basel-Country, Switzerland, capital of the district with the same name. ...

United Kingdom

Main article: British narrow gauge railways

The United Kingdom once had a large number of narrow gauge railways which were mostly isolated from each other. The first locomotive-hauled railway in the world was the narrow gauge Penydarren Tramway in south Wales. Most of the lines were originally built to haul minerals or agricultural products over short distances, though many also carried passengers. The longest passenger line was the combined Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog railways at 36 miles/57.9 km. Locomotive Taliesin on the revived Ffestiniog Railway The history of British narrow gauge railways is long and complex. ... This article is about the country. ...

Only a few of these lines survive as commercial common carriers. The great majority of the remaining narrow gauge lines operate purely as tourist attractions, and a number of new narrow gauge tourist lines have been built in recent years. The sole passenger-carrying exception is the Glasgow Subway, an underground metro line that operates on a 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge. The Talyllyn Railway holds the distinction of being the first railway in the world of any gauge to be run entirely by volunteers. In addition a few private industrial narrow gauge railways remain, mainly serving the coal and peat extraction industries. A common carrier is an organization that transports persons or goods, and offers its services to the general public. ... An Inner Circle train arrives at West Street station. ... A rapid transit, underground, subway, tube, elevated, or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area — with a high capacity and frequency of service, and grade separation from other traffic. ... The Talyllyn Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) narrow gauge preserved railway line running for 7 miles (11. ...

Amongst the most well-known narrow gauge lines in Britain are the Ffestiniog - now the oldest independent railway company in the world - the Vale of Rheidol, and the Welshpool & Llanfair in Wales, and the Lynton & Barnstaple in England. Unique amongst British railways is the rack-and-pinion Snowdon Mountain Railway which climbs to just below the summit of Wales' highest peak. The Ffestiniog Railway (in Welsh Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a narrow-gauge heritage railway, located in North West Wales. ... Train taking on water, Vale of Rheidol Railway The Vale of Rheidol Railway is a narrow-gauge (1 foot 11¾ inches) heritage railway that runs for 11¾ miles between Aberystwyth and Devils Bridge (Pont yr Fynach (Welsh) - Bridge over the Mynach) - in Wales, UK. It was the last steam line... The Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway (W&LLR) is a narrow gauge heritage railway in Wales. ... The Lynton & Barnstaple Railway (L&B) opened as an independent railway in May 1898. ... Half way up the Mountain. ...

A train on the Welsh Highland Railway.

Double Fairlie locomotive David Lloyd George on the Ffestiniog Railway.

Download high resolution version (1296x972, 368 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Download high resolution version (1296x972, 368 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The route of the WHR. The Welsh Highland Railway (WHR) is a narrow gauge railway in Wales, which originally ran from Dinas near Caernarfon to Porthmadog, with a branch line to Bryngwyn and the slate quarries at Moel Tryfan. ... The Ffestiniog Railway (in Welsh Rheilffordd Ffestiniog) is a narrow-gauge heritage railway, located in North West Wales. ...

North America

Canada

Main article: Canadian narrow gauge railways

Although many railways of central and eastern Canada were initially built to a broad gauge, there were several railways, especially on Canada's Atlantic coast, which were built as individual narrow gauge lines. Although most railways of central Canada were initially built to a broad gauge, there were several on Canadas Atlantic coast which were built as individual narrow gauge lines. ... For other uses, see Gauge. ...

The first public passenger carrying narrow gauge railways in North America were in Ontario, the Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway and the Toronto and Nipissing Railway, opening in the summer of 1871. The gauge of 3ft 6in was chosen on the recommendation of Carl Abraham Pihl, Chief Engineer of the Norwegian State Railways, who adopted this gauge in Norway in the early 1860’s. The objective of the Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway and the Toronto and Nipissing Railway was to open up the bush country north of Toronto to settlement and commerce. The chief Engineer of both railways was Edmund Wragge, a former pupil and associate of Sir Charles Fox. The Ontario lines were over 300 miles in length, and both were built with the objective of connecting with a future Pacific railway. They attempted several innovations: the use of Clark’s six wheel radial axles for longer stock – a complete failure and never used; the use of four wheel boxcars for economy and flexibility – not entirely successful; the use of large Fairlie articulated 0-6-6-0 freight locomotives – found useful initially, but heavy on maintenance and not pursued further; and the early use of powerful Avonside Engine Company 4-6-0 and Baldwin Locomotive Works 2-8-0 locomotives for freight haulage – successful engines which remained in service with the Canadian Pacific Railway after gauge standardization. Initially very successful in stimulating trade, the two railways had difficulty carrying all the traffic offered in the early 1870’s. Then, after buying large numbers of new freight locomotives and cars, the traffic fell off during the depression of the mid 1870’s and was insufficient to support the capital invested. Like all smaller railways in central Canada in the early 1880’s they then became vulnerable in the battle for feeder routes and traffic between the Grand Trunk Railway and the Canadian Pacific Railway. The Toronto and Nipissing Railway was amalgamated into the Midland Railway of Canada in 1881 and made standard gauge as part of the Midland's plan to obtain direct access to Toronto; later the whole enterprise was absorbed by the Grand Trunk Railway. The Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway was first acquired by the Grand Trunk Railway which converted it to standard gauge in 1881, but then ceded control to the Canadian Pacific Railway. Much of the track has been abandoned. Twenty miles of the T&NR from Toronto to Stouffville carries GO Transit commuter trains and a further twelve miles from Stouffville to Uxbridge is operated as a tourist line by the York Durham Heritage Railway. Twenty-six miles of the TG&BR from Toronto to Bolton carries CPR freight trains, and about three miles from Melville Junction to Orangeville is operated by the Orangeville-Brampton Railway. Carl Abraham Pihl Carl Abraham Pihl (born January 16 1825 in Stavanger, Norway, died September 14, 1897) in 1865) became Norways first railroad engineer and director. ... Sir Charles Fox (March 11 1810 - June 14 1874) was an English civil engineer and contractor. ... Fairlie locomotive built for Burma Railways by the Vulcan Foundry Co. ... The Avonside Engine Company was a locomotive manufacturer in Bristol, England. ... Baldwin Locomotive Works builders plate, 1922 The Baldwin Locomotive Works was an American builder of railroad locomotives. ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... The Midland Railway of Canada was a historical Canadian railway which ran from Port Hope, Ontario to Midland on Georgian Bay. ... The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. ... The Grand Trunk Railway (GTR) was a railway system which operated in the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, as well as the American states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Vermont. ... An eastbound CPR freight at Stoney Creek Bridge in Rogers Pass. ... Stouffville is the primary urban area within the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario. ... // GO Transit (AAR reporting marks GOT), officially known as the Greater Toronto Transit Authority (GTTA), is Canadas first, and Ontarios only, interregional public transit system, established to link Toronto with the surrounding regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA). ... Stouffville is the primary urban area within the Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, Ontario. ... This article is about the township. ... The York Durham Heritage Railway is a heritage railway in Uxbridge, Ontario, just north of Toronto. ... Bolton is the most populated village within the township of Caledon, located in the Region of Peel, approximately 50 kilometers north-west of Toronto, Canada. ... Orangeville is a town in southwestern Ontario, Canada. ... Overview The Orangeville-Brampton Railway (OBRY) is a 55 kilometre (34 mile) long short line railway between Orangeville and Streetsville Junction in Mississauga, Ontario. ...

Newfoundland Railway Stamp

A narrow gauge railway serving coal mines in the Lethbridge area of Alberta was converted to standard gauge after its purchase by the Canadian Pacific; the same fate befell a number of narrow gauge mine railways built in southern British Columbia. The 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Prince Edward Island Railway was built 1871 but was slow to be converted to standard gauge, the conversion occurring in stages under the auspices of Canadian Government Railways after Prince Edward Island joined Canada in 1873. The last narrow gauge sections were not removed until 1920. For other uses, see Alberta (disambiguation). ... The Prince Edward Island Railway (PEIR) was a historic Canadian railway. ... 1871 (MDCCCLXXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Canadian Government Railways (CGR) was the descriptive name used between 1915_1918 for all federal government-owned railways in Canada. ...

Construction on the 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Newfoundland Railway took place between 1881 and 1898. It became part of the Canadian National Railways (CNR) when Newfoundland became part of Canada in 1949. In 1987 Canada deregulated its railway industry and allowed railways to abandon money-losing lines. As a result, the railways lines on P.E.I. were abandoned by the CNR in 1989. The CNR lines in Newfoundland were abandoned in 1988 as the result of a political deal between the province and the federal government, which saw the province receive money for the upgrading the Trans Canada Highway in return for agreeing with the federal government that the CNR be allowed to abandon the lines. (The continuance of railway service in Newfoundland was part of the deal agreed when Newfoundland joined Canada in 1949.) Newfoundland also had two separate, privately owned narrow-gauge railways, one serving mines near Buchans, the other serving a paper mill in Grand Falls. Both are now closed Newfoundland Railway logo or herald (used 1926-1949) The Newfoundland Railway was a historic railway that operated on the island of Newfoundland and was the longest narrow gauge railway system in North America. ... Year 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... CN redirects here, as its the most common usage of the abbreviation in Canada; for more uses, see CN (disambiguation). ... Year 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article is about the year 1987. ... Deregulation is the process by which governments remove selected regulations on business in order to (in theory) encourage the efficient operation of markets. ... Year 1989 (MCMLXXXIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar). ... Year 1988 (MCMLXXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar). ... Example of Trans-Canada Highway marker shield. ...

Various mining and industrial operations in eastern, central and western Canada have also operated narrow gauge railways. The only narrow gauge system still in operation in the country is the 3 ft (914 mm) gauge White Pass and Yukon Route that reopened in 1988 to haul tourists from cruise ships docking at Skagway, Alaska through White Pass on the International Boundary to Bennett, British Columbia. The White Pass and Yukon Route (WP&Y, WP&YR) (AAR reporting marks WPY) is a narrow gauge railroad linking the port of Skagway, Alaska with Whitehorse, the capital of Canadas Yukon Territory. ... A cruise ship or a cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ships amenities are considered an essential part of the experience. ... Metung Wharf on Bancroft Bay, Gippsland Lakes, Victoria, Australia A wharf is a fixed platform, commonly on pilings, roughly parallel to and alongside navigable water, where ships are loaded and unloaded. ... Broadway Avenue, Skagway, May 2007. ... For other uses, see Alaska (disambiguation). ... The White Pass is a mountain pass through the Coast Mountains in Alaska and British Columbia that leads from Skagway, Alaska, United States to the town of Bennett, British Columbia, Canada on Lake Bennett. ... ... Bennett, British Columbia, Canada is a mostly-abandoned town next to Lake Bennett. ... Motto: Splendor sine occasu (Latin: Splendour without diminishment) Capital Victoria Largest city Vancouver Official languages English (de facto) Government Lieutenant-Governor Steven Point Premier Gordon Campbell (BC Liberal) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament House seats 36 Senate seats 6 Confederation July 20, 1871 (6th province) Area  Ranked 5th Total 944...

Mexico

Various 3 ft (914 mm) narrow gauge lines operated around Mexico City. A famous one operated in Morelos State. There were also dozens of private narrow gauge lines built to service the mining district.

The Yucatán Peninsula region of Mexico has a network of narrow gauge lines, established before the region was linked by rail to the rest of Mexico in the 1950s. Only the main line connecting Mérida to central Mexico has been widened to standard gauge. The Yucatán peninsula as seen from space The Yucatán Peninsula, in Southeastern Mexico, separates the Caribbean Sea from the Gulf of Mexico. ... Cathedral on the Plaza Mayor, the oldest in North America [1]. Mérida is the capital and largest city of the Mexican state of Yucatán. ...

United States

Main article: American narrow gauge railroads

Many narrow gauge railways were built in the United States. The most extensive and well known systems were the 3 ft (914 mm) gauge lines through the Rocky Mountain states of Colorado and New Mexico. For a while the majority of the railway mileage in these states was narrow gauge. // The Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad in Portland Maine East Broad Tops rare gas-electric railcar M-1 In 1866, the East Tennessee and Western North Carolina Railroad constructed a narrow gauge railroad between Johnson City, Tennessee and Cranberry, North Carolina. ... Rocky Mountain National Park (photo courtesy of NPS) View of Colorado Rockies. ... Official language(s) English Demonym Coloradan Capital Denver Largest city Denver Largest metro area Denver-Aurora Metro Area Area  Ranked 8th in the US  - Total 104,185 sq mi (269,837 km²)  - Width 280 miles (451 km)  - Length 380 miles (612 km)  - % water 0. ... Official language(s) None Spoken language(s) English 68. ...

In Maine, a network of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge lines served the rural economy between the 1870s and 1940s. Across the US, industrial narrow gauge railways were used, perhaps the best known being the 3 ft (914 mm) gauge logging lines of the western states of Oregon and California. Official language(s) None (English and French de facto) Capital Augusta Largest city Portland Area  Ranked 39th  - Total 33,414 sq mi (86,542 km²)  - Width 210 miles (338 km)  - Length 320 miles (515 km)  - % water 13. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ...

Today a few lines survive as heritage railways and tourist attractions. USG Corporation operates an industrial 3 ft (914 mm) gauge line at Plaster City, California and narrow gauge railways are still used for some tunneling and mining work. A scene on a heritage railway. ... Categories: Companies traded on NYSE | Corporation stubs | Fortune 500 companies | Companies based in Illinois ... USG Corporation NYSE: USG, also known as United States Gypsum Corporation, is a Fortune 500 (rank 458 in 2004) company that manufactures construction materials. ...

Shay logging locomotive in California

A steam locomotive of the C&TS RR

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (890x545, 214 KB)Classs C Shay locomotive Sonora. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (890x545, 214 KB)Classs C Shay locomotive Sonora. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 537 pixelsFull resolution (2946 × 1978 pixel, file size: 823 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Durango, Colorado Durango and Silverton Narrow... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 800 × 537 pixelsFull resolution (2946 × 1978 pixel, file size: 823 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Durango, Colorado Durango and Silverton Narrow...

Central America

Costa Rica

Main article: Rail transport in Costa Rica

See also Railways in Costa Rica Railroads in Costa Rica are owned by Incofer (Instituto Costarricense de Ferrocarriles). ... Railways: total: 950 km narrow gauge: 950 km 1. ...

Costa Rican railways are 3 ft (914 mm) gauge and mostly 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge.

El Salvador

Main article: Rail transport in El Salvador

El Salvador ran 3 ft (914 mm) gauge steam trains into the 1970s. How much of this survived a civil war, earthquake and hurricane is unknown. FENADESAL passenger train in San Salvador Terminal Oriente on January 17, 2005. ...

See also

• Railways in El Salvador

// Main article: Rail transport in El Salvador total: 602 km (single track; all traffic suspended; note - some sections abandoned, unusable) narrow gauge: 602 km 0. ...

Guatemala

Main article: Rail transport in Guatemala

• 3 ft (914 mm) gauge, Ferrovías Guatemala

Freight train of Ferrovías Guatemala in Sanarate on September 3, 2004 Guatemala has 200 miles (322 km) of narrow-gauge (914 mm) railroads as of 2006. ...

Panama

Main article: Rail transport in Panama

Mule Locos haul ships through the locks in the Panama Canal (Gauge???) As of 2006, the only functioning railroad in Panama is Panama Canal Railway Company, successor of Panama Railway - the oldest transcontinental railroad in the world. ... The Panama Canal is a waterway in Central America which joins the Pacific and Atlantic oceans. ...

See also

• Transport in Panama

Railways total: 355 km broad gauge: 0 km 1. ...

South America

Metre and 3 ft (914 mm) gauge lines are found in South America. Some of the 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in)-gauge lines cross international borders, though not as efficiently as they might.

Argentina

See The railway system of Argentina Argentina has a complex net of routes, crossed by long distance buses, and a number of national and international airports. ...

1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) railways are found in the northern half of the country. The Old Patagonian Express (La Trochita) is a 402 km-long 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) narrow gauge railway in the Andean foothills of Patagonia, now running as two portions of its original length. However, all the track is preserved. The Southern Fuegian Railway (End of the World Train) on a 500 mm (1 ft 7¾ in) track is considered the southernmost operating railway in the world. There is also a coal railway, Red de Ferrocarril Industrial de Rio Turbio, that operates between Rio Turbio and Rio Gallegos. Track gauge is 750 mm. La Trochita, in English known as the Old Patagonian Express, is a narrow gauge railway in Patagonia, Argentina using steam locomotives. ... This article is about the mountain system in South America. ... Patagonia, as most commonly defined (in orange). ... The Southern Fuegian Railway or the End of the World Train (Spanish: Ferrocarril Austral Fueguino (FCAF) or El Tren del Fin del Mundo) is a narrow gauge railway in Tierra del Fuego Province, Argentina using steam locomotives. ...

Bolivia

All railways in Bolivia are 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge.

Brazil

See Railways in Brazil Transportation in Brazil // total: 27,882 km (1,122 km electrified); note - excludes urban rail broad gauge: 4,057 km 1. ...

In Brazil, almost all the lines are 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge, with the exception of a few lines in the states of São Paulo, Minas Gerais, Rio de Janeiro and Mato Grosso. Vale (ex-CVRD) also has a line with 1.6m gauge , from Carajás (PA) to São Luís (MA). A network of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge lines once operated in Minas Gerais, centered around the city of São João del Rey. This network at one time had over 250 km of railway in operation, but only about 13 km remain in operation as a steam powered tourist railway (Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas). Other small narrow gauge lines include the Rio de Janeiro streetcar (Bonde Santa Tereza), with approximately 13 km of 1,100 mm (3 ft 7.31 in) gauge, and a very short industial railway near Bertioga built to 800 mm (2 ft 7½ in) gauge. A number of industrial (a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge Portland Cement line near São Paulo, for example) and agricultural (rubber plantations, sugar plantations, logging) railways also existed in Brazil in a number of narrow gauges, but few of those survive today. The Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas was a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway located in the southeastern Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. ...

Anhumas station of the Campinas-SP

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1128x673, 218 KB) pt: Passeio de Maria Fumaça de Campinas-SP à Jaguariúna-SP. Estação Anhumas em Campinas-SP. ver [1] en: Stroll of locomotive of Campinas-SP to the Jaguariúna-SP. Anhumas station in Campinas-SP. CC... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1128x673, 218 KB) pt: Passeio de Maria Fumaça de Campinas-SP à Jaguariúna-SP. Estação Anhumas em Campinas-SP. ver [1] en: Stroll of locomotive of Campinas-SP to the Jaguariúna-SP. Anhumas station in Campinas-SP. CC...

Chile

Meter gauge railways are found in the northern half of the country. The Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia was originally built to 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge, as were a number of mining and nitrate railways. The Ferrocarril de Antofagasta a Bolivia (in English: Antofagasta (Chili) & Bolivia Railway or for short: FCAB) is a non-government railway operating in the northern provinces of Chile. ...

Colombia

Most of the railways in Colombia are 3 ft (914 mm) gauge.

Ecuador

The railways in Ecuador are 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge. This is a famous route, the one that zig zags past the chilling canyon of the Devil's Nose. Floods, landslides and government neglect have put this operation in doubt, but they are working to restore the railway. The recently elected president Rafael Correa declared the state of emergency of the national railroad. He have secure funding for a master plan to restore it to its previous glory. In the first phase of this plan, the Ecuadorian government will invest over US $283 million to completely repair all the countrie's existing railway system and infrastructure like bridges, walls and train stations. The government will also purchase new locomotives. A second phase seek the building of new railway lines to connect the country with Brazil and Venezuela. Currently two Baldwin locomotives are ready to work, depending on track and traffic. There are also a number of diesel railbuses and some Alsthom diesel locomotives available.

Peru

The Cuzco-Quillibama line in Peru is 3 ft (914 mm) gauge. The other narrow gauge line (Huancayo-Huancavelica) will be converted to standard gauge.

The Cusco-Machu Picchu railway

Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1775x1190, 883 KB) The photo was taken by HÃ¥kan Svensson (Xauxa) in 2002. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1775x1190, 883 KB) The photo was taken by HÃ¥kan Svensson (Xauxa) in 2002. ...

Uruguay

There were four big narrow gauge lines in Uruguay: Puerto del Sauce (now Juan Lacaze)-Terminal: 3 ft (914 mm), (1901-1959), Piriapolis-Pan de Azucar: 750 mm (2 ft 5½ in) (1903-1958), km 393-Arrozal 33: 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) and km 110-Cantera Burgueño: 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in). All were dismantled. There were also several quarry lines of 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) gauge, among them the famous INDARE sand line. Around 300 m of that sand line is preserved and also a lot of steam locomotives. One of those is in working order. Also, a new narrow gauge line, of around 1 km, with two diesel locomotives from the former km 110-Cantera Burgueño line, was constructed in a park on the town of Santiago Vazquez, in the West of Montevideo.

Asia

China

Main article: Chinese narrow gauge railways

Many narrow gauge railways existed in China. Metre gauge railways were popular in China in several regions before 1949. The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge Kunming-Hekou Railway (previously known as Sino-Vietnamese Railway) was built by French colonists between Vietnam and China. In Manchuria, lumber industries built narrow gauge railways into the forests, mostly of 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge. The 1 m (3 ft 33⁄8 in) gauge Kunming-Hekou Railway (previously known as Sino-Vietnamese Railway) was built by French colonists between Vietnam and China. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

In Hong Kong the Kowloon-Canton Railway was partially laid to 2 ft (610 mm) and 3 ft (914 mm) gauge during its construction and the Sha Tau Kok Railway was 2 ft (610 mm) gauge for much of its existence. The famous Hong Kong Tramways are 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge. KCR redirects here. ... Sha Tau Kok Railway (沙頭角鐵路) was a narrow gauge railway running from Fanling to Sha Tau Kok in the northern New Territories area of Hong Kong. ... Hong Kong Double-Decker Tram (#120), the only tram in the fleet that retained its 1950s style. ...

Preserved Kowloon-Canton Railway locomotive

Image File history File linksMetadata KCRBagnall. ... Image File history File linksMetadata KCRBagnall. ...

India

India has a substantial narrow gauge network, most of which uses 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge. There are some lines that use a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge, and a few that use 2 ft (610 mm) gauge. These are what are known in India as "narrow gauge" (as opposed to "metre gauge") lines. About 17,000 km of route are metre-gauge in India. Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8½ in (1. ...

In the 1990s, India concluded that cities on the metre-gauge network have a second-rate train service, and is now converting most of the metre-gauge network to broad gauge as Project Unigauge - the advantages of uniformity and interoperability were judged to outweigh any other possible benefits arising from the use of diverse gauges. For other uses, see Gauge. ... Unigauge is a project of Indian Railways to convert most of its lines from four different and incompatible gauges to mostly broad gauge. ...

In 1999 the Darjeeling Himalayan Railway (sometimes called the Darjeeling "Toy Train") was officially designated as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railway that runs from Siliguri to Darjeeling in the state of West Bengal. The railway travels climbs the foothills of the Himalayas and uses several unusual civil engineering techniques to gain the necessary height including several switchbacks, and spirals including the famous double loop at Agony Point. Until recently all trains on this railway were powered by steam locomotives; however in 2001 two modern diesel engines were built for the line. Most trains are now hauled by the latter, though the former are still used for some tourist services. The Darjeeling Himalayan Railway, nicknamed the Toy Train, is a 2 ft (610 mm) gauge narrow-gauge railway from Siliguri to Darjeeling in the Indian state of West Bengal, run by the Indian Railways. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... For the movie Himalaya, see Himalaya (film). ... A schematic of a simple spiral A spiral (sometimes called a spiral loop) is a technique employed by railways to ascend steep hills. ...

The Matheran Hill Railway is another surviving 2 ft (610 mm) gauge hill railway. The route was destroyed by landslides caused by heavy rains in the 2005 monsoons, but has been rebuilt. Matheran Railway No. ...

The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. Another narrow gauge railway line in India runs in Kangra Valley, Himachal Pradesh. The trains on this route run from Pathankot to Joginder Nagar through Kangra Valley. Kalka Shimla Train The Kalka-Shimla Railway is a 26 (762mm) narrow gauge railway in North-West India travelling along a mostly mountainous route from Kalka to Shimla. ... Kalka is an important town in Panchkula district of Haryana, India. ... , Shimla   (Hindi: शिमला), originally called Simla, is a city in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh. ... Kangra is a town in Kangra District of Himachal Pradesh state in northern India, and lends its name to the district of the same name. ... , Himachal Pradesh (Hindi: हिमाचल प्रदेश, IPA:  ) is a state in the north-west of India. ... , Pathankot (Punjabi: ਪਠਾਨਕੋਟ, Hindi: पठानकोट, Pashto: پٹھان ڪوٽ) a city and a municipal committee in Gurdaspur district in the Indian state of Punjab. ...

Parlakimidi Light Railway, the Naupada-Gunupur railway line in India is laid between the east coast and Eastern Ghats in North Eastern Andhra Pradesh and Southern Orissa. It was built by Maharajah of Paralakhemundi in 1889. Naupada is a village in located in Santha Bommali mandal of Srikakulam district, Andhra Pradesh, India. ... , Gunupur is a town and a notified area council in Rayagada district in the Indian state of Orissa. ... The Eastern Ghats are a discontinuous range of mountains, eroded and cut through by the four major rivers of southern India, the Godavari, Mahanadi, Krishna, and Kaveri. ... Andhra redirects here. ... , Orissa   (Oriya: ଓଡ଼ିଶା), is a state situated on the east coast of India. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ...

Other narrow gauge lines are^[3]:

The Darjeeling Himalyan Railway

The Kalka Shimla Railway

Shantipur is a town in the district of Nadia in West Bengal,India. ... Actually called Krishnanagar, Krishnagar is a town in the Indian state of West Bengal, and the headquarters of Nadia district and is located in the eastern part of India. ... Nabadwip is a city and a municipality in Nadia district in the Indian state of West Bengal. ... , Nadiad (Gujarati:નિડયાદ Hindi:निडयाद) is a city and a municipality in Kheda district in the Indian state of Gujarat. ... Petlad is a city and a municipality in Anand district in the Indian state of Gujarat. ... Bhadran is a village in the Indian state of Gujarat. ... , Dabhoi is a city and a municipality in Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. ... HI , I AM RAXESH BHANUBHAI UPADHYAY BORN IN JAMBUSAR ON 12. ... Bodeli is a census town in Vadodara district in the state of Gujarat, India. ... Waghai is a town in the Dang District of the southern part of Gujarat state in India. ... Dholpur (also Dhaulpur) is a city in eastern Rajasthan state of India. ... For other uses, see Bari (disambiguation). ... , Gwalior   is a city in Madhya Pradesh in India. ... Sabalgarh is a city and a municipality in Morena district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. ... Achalpur is a city and a municipal council in Amravati district in the state of Maharashtra, India. ... , Murtajapur (also called as Murtijapur and Murtizapur) is a municipal council and one of the taluka of district of Akola of Amravati division of Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. ... Yavatmal (यवतमाळ) is a city and a municipal council in Yavatmal district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. ... , Pulgaon is a city and a municipal council in Wardha district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... , Although unrelated, Miraj can also refer to the Islamic tradition regarding Muhammads ascent to heaven. ... Vithoba of Pandharpur Pandharpur is a town in district Solapur in state of Maharashtra in Western India. ... Kurduvadi is a city and a municipal council in Solapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra. ... Barsi is a town and the name of a railway station in the Solapur district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. ... Latur (Marathi: लातुर) is both a district and an important city in Maharashtra, India. ... Nainpur is a city and a municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. ... , Jabalpur (Hindi: जबलपुर) is a city in the state of Madhya Pradesh in India. ... Balaghat is a city in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. ... Katangi is a town and a nagar panchayat in Jabalpur district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. ... , Mandla (Hindi:मंडला) is a city and a municipality in Mandla district in the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. ... Chhindwara (also spelt Chindawara or Chindwara) is a city in Madhya Pradesh state of central India. ... , Nāgpur   (Marathi: नागपुर) Third largest city in the western Indian state of Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune with a population of 2. ... , Nāgpur   (Marathi: नागपुर) Third largest city in the western Indian state of Maharashtra after Mumbai and Pune with a population of 2. ... , Raipur   (Hindi: रायपुर) is the capital city of the state of Chhattisgarh, India. ... Dhamtari is abbreviated from Dhamma+Tarai District is situated in the fertile plains of Chhattisgarh Region. ... Barddhaman is a city and a municipality in Barddhaman district in the state of West Bengal, India. ... , Katwa is a subdivision in the district of Bardhaman, West Bengal. ... Ahmadpur is a taluk headquarters town situated 50 km north of Udgir, in Latur District. ... , Lucknow ( , Hindi: लखनऊ, Urdu: لکھنؤ, ) is the capital city of Uttar Pradesh, the most populous state of India. ... For other uses, see Agra (disambiguation). ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1214 KB) Description: Toy Train, Darjeeling, India Source: I have taken this photo myself in mid 2004 with my own Sony DSC-707. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (2560x1920, 1214 KB) Description: Toy Train, Darjeeling, India Source: I have taken this photo myself in mid 2004 with my own Sony DSC-707. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 524 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 786 pixel, file size: 952 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Kalka-Simla Railway. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 800 × 524 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 786 pixel, file size: 952 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) Kalka-Simla Railway. ...

Indonesia

Indonesia had large numbers of narrow gauge railways supporting industry, mainly sugar cane plantations in Java. In recent years, sugar cane production in Java has been declining and the railways are now largely closed or used for tourism. 2004 is a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Most of the current active railways in Indonesia use the Cape gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm).

Japan

Except for the high-speed Shinkansen lines, all of Japan Railways Group's network is narrow gauge, built at 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). Some companies, such as Kintetsu, Keisei Electric Railway, Keihin Electric Express Railway, Hankyu Railway, Tokyo Metro's Ginza Line and Marunouchi line, use standard gauge. Keio Electric Railway, Toei Shinjuku Line and Tokyo and Hakodate tramways use 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) gauge. There are some dual gauge lines which allow Shinkansen trains to travel on narrow gauge branches. Japan adopted 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) as a standard narrow gauge for minor, forestry and industrial lines. However, most of these narrow gauge lines were abandoned and currently only four lines remain in operation. For the record label, see Shinkansen Records. ... Map showing the approximate areas covered by each company in the JR Group. ... The Kintetsu Corporation (近畿日本鉄道株式会社 Kinki Nippon Tetsudō Kabushiki Gaisha), better known as Kintetsu (近鉄), is Japanese largest private railway company. ... Keisei Headquarters Skyliner, Keiseis express train from Tokyo to Narita Airport The ) is a major private railway in Chiba and Tokyo, Japan. ... A 2100 Series train. ... Hankyu Umeda Station and Department Store Hankyu Railway (阪急電鉄, HankyÅ« Dentetsu) is a Japanese private railway that provides commuter and interurban service to the northern Kansai region. ... new Tokyo Metro sign and logo This office tower, above Tokyo Metro Ueno Station, houses the headquarters of the Tokyo Metro. ... Ginza Line (Click on image to enlarge. ... Marunouchi Line train crossing the Kanda River near Ochanomizu Station Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (東京地下鉄丸ノ内線) is a subway line, part of the Tokyo Metro system in Tokyo, Japan. ... The Keio Electric Railway (京王電鉄 Keio Dentetsu) is a private railway in Tokyo, Japan. ... The Toei Shinjuku Line ) is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation. ... Toden cars crossing The Tokyo Toden ) or simply Toden, is the streetcar network of Tokyo, Japan. ... Type 9600 tramcar, known as Rakkuru-gō. Hakodate Haikara-gō is a vintage tramcar debuted in 1910, still operated for tourists. ...

Modern Japan Railways freight locomotive

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 565 KB) JR貨物EF64形（1000番台）電気機関車（EF641024。更新車）2006年5月15日八王子駅 投稿者（Kone）が撮影 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narrow gauge Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1280x960, 565 KB) JR貨物EF64形（1000番台）電気機関車（EF641024。更新車）2006年5月15日八王子駅 投稿者（Kone）が撮影 File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Narrow gauge Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added...

Malaysia

Malaysia's oldest railway systems are solely 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge, a standard that has been adopted since the British colonial government laid down the first railway lines in 1885.

Keretapi Tanah Melayu, the main railway operator in Peninsular Malaysia, uses metre gauge for the main west and east coast intercity lines, as well as railway lines spanning Singapore, from the Johor-Singapore Causeway to the Tanjong Pagar railway station. Existing metre gauge lines are also used for KTM Komuter, the country's commuter rail service, which links Kuala Lumpur with neighbouring suburbs. However, standard gauge is used by the newer light rail operators in Kuala Lumpur city (Putra LRT, Star LRT) as well as the privately operated Express Rail Link to the airport. Keretapi Tanah Melayu Berhad (KTMB) or Malayan Railway Limited is the main rail operator in Peninsular Malaysia. ... Map of Peninsular Malaysia Peninsular Malaysia (or Semenanjung Malaysia in the Malay language) is the part of Malaysia which lies on the Malay Peninsula, and shares a land border with Thailand in the north. ... The Johor-Singapore Causeway, as viewed from the Woodlands Checkpoint in Singapore, facing towards Johor Bahru, Malaysia. ... Tanjong Pagar railway station A Welcome to Malaysia sign was hung above the entrance of the railway station. ... KTM Komuter is an electrified commuter train service first introduced in 1995, catering especially to commuters in Kuala Lumpur and the surrounding suburban areas. ... A Connex commuter train stands by the platform in Melbourne, Australia Regional rail systems, or commuter rail systems, usually provide a rail service through a central business district area into suburbs or other locations that draw large numbers of people on a daily basis. ... This article is about light rail systems in general. ... Nickname: Motto: Maju dan makmur (English: Progress and Prosper) Location in Malaysia Coordinates: , Country State Establishment 1857 Granted city status 1974 Government  - Mayor (Datuk Bandar) Datuk Abdul Hakim Borhan From 14 December 2006 Area  - Total 243. ... Screeshot of www. ... Screenshot of www. ... Screenshot of www. ...

In Sabah, the North Borneo Railway ("Keretapi Negeri Sabah") runs a metre gauge line from Kota Kinabalu up to Tenom in the Crocker Ranges, via Beaufort. Steam trains are also used in this route. For other uses, see Sabah (disambiguation). ... The North Borneo Railway was an enterprise of the British North Borneo Company, who built the initial rail line from the Bukau River, north to Beaufort and south to Weston, on Brunei Bay, in the 1890s in what later became Sabah. ... Nickname: Location in Malaysia and Sabah Country State Settled by BNBC 1882 Declared capital of North Borneo 1946 Granted city status February 2, 2000 Government  - Mayor Datuk Illiyas Ibrahim Area  - City 351 km²  (136 sq mi) Population (2007)  - City 532 129 [2]  - Density 1,516/km² (3,913/sq mi... Great Western Railway No. ...

A KTMB train

A train stopping at a KTMB railway station in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia. ... A train stopping at a KTMB railway station in Kuala Lipis, Pahang, Malaysia. ...

Philippines

Except for the Light Rail Transit (LRT) and Metro Rail Transit (MRT) systems in Metro Manila, which have both been constructed to the international standard gauge, the Philippine National Railways ("PNR") uses the "Cape Gauge" of 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). The PNR currently opertes only one line: from Manila to the southern Luzon city of Legaspi. Until the 1980s a more extensive network existed going as far north as San Fernando in La Union province. There are plans to restore the La Union line and to build new lines connecting Manila to Batangas and the international airport. A Yellow Line train stopping at a station Third generation Yellow Line train heading to EDSA Station The Manila Light Rail Transit System, popularly known as the LRT, is the main metropolitan rail system serving the Metro Manila area in the Philippines. ... MRT Train approaching Ayala Station. ... For the capital city of the Philippines, see Manila. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... Philippine National Railways, also known by its acronym, PNR, is a state-owned railway system in the Philippines, organized under the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) as an attached agency. ... For other meanings of the word, see Manila (disambiguation). ... Legazpi, usually misspelled Legaspi, is a city in the Philippines and the capital of the province of Albay. ... REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES Province of Batangas Region: CALABARZON (Region IV-A) Capital: Batangas City Founded: March 10, 1917 Population: 2000 census—1,905,348 (9th largest) Density—602 per km² (7th highest) Area: 3,165. ...

There are also a number of industrial narrow gauge steam railways operating in the sugar cane industry. These are concentrated on the islands of Negros and Panay. The Visayas region is the main center for the sugar cane lines; some of the mills, such as La Carlotta Milling in Negros, run charter trains for tourists. Abandoned lines exists on the islands of Cebu, abandoned in the 1950s or 1960s, Mindanao, and Panay, closed in the 1990s. There are plans to restore the Panay Rail line which connects Roxas City with Iloilo. Map of the Philippines showing the location of Negros. ... For American vessels, see USS Panay. ... Map of the Philippines showing Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao Visayas is one of the three island groupings in the Philippines along with Luzon and Mindanao. ... For other uses, see Cebu (disambiguation). ... Mindanao is the second largest and easternmost island in the Philippines. ... For American vessels, see USS Panay. ... Roxas City is a 2nd class city in the province of Capiz, Philippines. ... Iloilo is a province of the Philippines located in the Western Visayas region. ...

Taiwan

Except for the high speed railway and the metro systems in Taipei and Kaohsiung, all of Taiwan's railway network is narrow gauge, built at 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm). The isolated east coast railways that used 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge were converted to 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) when the lines were linked to the west coast system. The Taiwan High Speed Rail (traditional Chinese: , also known as the THSR) is Taiwans high-speed rail network, running approximately 335. ... The Taipei Rapid Transit System (Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ), also known as the MRT, or by locals simply as the Metro Taipei (Traditional Chinese: ; Pinyin: ) is a series of underground and elevated metro and VAL systems throughout the Taipei metropolitan area. ... The Kaohsiung Mass Rapid Transit (KMRT) is an underground metro system currently under construction in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. ...

A 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge Alishan Forest Railway stretches 72 km and connects the city of Chiayi to the mountain resort of Alishan. The line serves mainly as a tourist attraction and offers breathtaking mountain views. The Alishan Forest Railway (阿里山森林鐵路) is an 86 km network of narrow gauge (762 mm) railways running up to and throughout the popular mountain resort of Alishan in Chiayi County, Taiwan. ...

On September 7, 2006, Taiwanese government declared a plan to update to the standard gauge system.[6] It's not the first time that this plan was proposed. In fact, some of the facilities have allowed for standard gauge conversion such as the underground tunnels constructed since the late 1980s. Many experts criticize the proposal as prohibitively expensive if not impossible as all locomotives, passenger and freight cars must be converted to standard gauge. is the 250th day of the year (251st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Taiwan narrow gauge service

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 848 KB) (删除该图像的所有修订版本) (当前) 04:50 2006年6月5日 . . Chou0416 (Talk | 贡献 | 查封) . . 1600×1200 (868,757字节) (subst:Information| |A= 自強號停在竹田車站 |B= 攝於竹田站 |C= 2006年6月4日 |D= ~~~~ |E= 創用 CC |F= N/A cc-by-sa-2. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1600x1200, 848 KB) (删除该图像的所有修订版本) (当前) 04:50 2006年6月5日 . . Chou0416 (Talk | 贡献 | 查封) . . 1600×1200 (868,757字节) (subst:Information| |A= 自強號停在竹田車站 |B= 攝於竹田站 |C= 2006年6月4日 |D= ~~~~ |E= 創用 CC |F= N/A cc-by-sa-2. ...

Middle East

Until 1932 a narrow gauge train ran from Cairo through Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Persia (later Iran) and Iraq. The tracks and stations are mostly tourist sites, with some sections refurbished and run as a tourist attraction. The train was notorious for being slow, and failing to go uphill

Thailand

While the Northern Line was originally build as 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) standard gauge, the line was regauged after 1919 and the State Railway of Thailand now operates entirely on 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge, including international through services to Malaysia. However, standard gauge is used by the Bangkok Skytrain and the Bangkok Metro. The State Railway of Thailand (การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย) is the state-owned rail operator of Thailand. ... Skytrain approaching Sala Daeng Station Skytrain leaving Asok Station Bangkok Mass Transit System (BTS) or Skytrain (Thai: รถไฟฟ้า, rot fai fa, meaning sky train) is the elevated metro system in Bangkok, Thailand, operated by Bangkok Mass Transit System Public Company Limited (BTSC) under a concession granted by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration... The entrance to Huai Kwang station The Bangkok Metro, officially called the Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), is Bangkoks underground metro system. ...

Thailand Railway metre gauge locomotive

Image File history File linksMetadata TahiLand_RailWay002. ... Image File history File linksMetadata TahiLand_RailWay002. ...

Africa

Narrow gauge railways are common in Africa, where great distances, challenging terrain and low funding have made the narrow gauges attractive. Many nations, particularly in southern Africa, including the extensive South African Railway network (Spoornet), use a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge. Metre gauge is also common, as in the case of the Uganda Railway. There used to be extensive 2 ft (610 mm) and 600 mm (1 ft 11⅝ in) gauge networks in countries such as Morocco, Congo, Angola, Namibia and South Africa, but these have mostly been dismantled. Spoornet, formerly South African Railways and Harbours, is the name of the South African railway system. ... The Uganda Railway is a railway system linking the interiors of Uganda and Kenya to the Indian Ocean at Mombasa in Kenya. ...

Because Africa is divided into many countries, railways built by different governments tend not to link up with each other, each country's lines connecting its outlands with its own port. Incompatible gauges are therefore not obvious. For example, a link from Nigeria to Cameroon would join 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) to 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in).

Eritrea

Further north, the Eritrean Railway is in the midst of resurrecting its 950 mm (3 ft 1⅜ in) narrow gauge railway, a relic of its former Italian colonial days that was abandoned and heavily damaged during Eritrea's war of independence. Neighbouring railways (should they ever connect) are 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) in Sudan and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) in Ethiopia. The Eritrean Railway is the only railway system in the African nation of Eritrea (on the Red Sea coast between Sudan and Ethiopia, and independent from the latter in 1993). ... Combatants ELF EPLF Ethiopia Cuba Soviet Union Commanders Isaias Afewerki Haile Selassie Mengistu Haile Mariam Casualties 65,000 (offical state figure) Up to 500,000 The Eritrean War of Independence started on 1 September 1961 when Hamid Idris Awate and his companions fired the first shots against the occupying Ethiopian...

Cameroon

During the First World War when Cameroon was a German possession, a network of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge Feldbahn railways were built. These eventually extended to around 150 km of track serving rubber and palm oil plantations. ^[4] Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ... Field railways attached to the Imperial German Army in the First World War. ...

The 1,000 mm (3 ft 3⅜ in) gauge is now in use.

Morocco

Main article: Rail transport in Morocco

Morocco had from 1912 - 1935 one of the largest 600 mm gauge network in Africa with total length of more than 1700 kilometres. After the treaty of Algeciras where the representatives of Great Powers agreed not to build any standard gauge railway in Morocco until the standard gauge Tangier - Fez Railway being completed, the French begun to built military 600 mm gauge lines in their part of Morocco French Morocco. French Morocco (Fr. ...

South Africa

See also: Rail transport in South Africa

Originally standard gauge, the railways of the then Cape Colony changed to narrow gauge 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm), sometimes known as Cape gauge, for cost-cutting reasons. However, with the development of a strong economy, with heavy export coal and iron ore traffic, and electrification of most main lines, South Africa, like Queensland, operates several narrow gauge trains that outdo most standard gauge and all broad gauge trains. In fact, in 1989 the Sishen-Saldanha line set a world record by carrying the biggest train in history, 7.2 km long containing 660 wagons pulled by 15 locomotives and weighing 71,232 tonnes. ^[5] However, the proposed Gautrain railway between Johannesburg and Pretoria will operate on standard gauge, and will thus not be capable of using any of the country's existing rail network. // Network Total: 20,384 km (2000) (from Transportation in South Africa) Gautrain - proposed link between Johannesburg and Pretoria Blue Train - Cape Town and Johannesburg Metrorail Railway links to adjacent countries Botswana - yes Lesotho - yes Mozambique - under repair Namibia - yes Swaziland - yes Zimbabwe - yes Gauge Cape_gauge - 1067mm (3 ft 6 in... Anthem: God Save the Queen Cape Colony Capital Cape Town Language(s) English and Dutch1 Religion Dutch Reformed Church, Anglican Government Constitutional monarchy Last Monarch King George VI Last Prime Minister  - 1908 – 1910 John X. Merriman Last Governor  - 1901 - 1910 Walter Hely-Hutchinson Historical era 19th century  - Dutch East India... An artists impression of the trains to be built for the Gautrain system (Bombardier press image). ... This article is about the city in South Africa. ... Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country Province Established 1855 Area  - Total 1,644 km² (634. ...

A modern commuter service near Cape Town

Class 19D locomotive at Pretoria

Nickname: Motto: Spes Bona (Latin for Good Hope) Location of the City of Cape Town in Western Cape Province Coordinates: , Country Province Municipality City of Cape Town Metropolitan Municipality Founded 1652 Government [1]  - Type City council  - Mayor Helen Zille  - City manager Achmat Ebrahim Area  - Total 2,499 km² (964. ... Motto: Praestantia Praevaleat Pretoria (May Pretoria Be Pre-eminent In Excellence) Country Province Established 1855 Area  - Total 1,644 km² (634. ...

Australia

Main article: Australian narrow gauge railways

Before 1901, each of the six British colonies was responsible for rail transport infrastructure. Queensland, Western Australia, and Tasmania constructed for narrow gauge railways. The other colonies built either standard gauge or broad gauge railways, maintaining only limited narrow gauge rail lines, except for South Australia, which built both narrow and broad gauge. As a result of this legacy, Australian railways are a confusing mix of all three gauges. Slogan or Nickname: Sunshine State, Smart State Motto(s): Audax at Fidelis (Bold but Faithful) Other Australian states and territories Capital Brisbane Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Quentin Bryce Premier Anna Bligh (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 28  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product ($m)  $158,506 (3rd... Slogan or Nickname: Wildflower State or the Golden State Other Australian states and territories Capital Perth Government Constitutional monarchy Governor Ken Michael Premier Alan Carpenter (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 15  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2005-06)  - Product ($m)  $107,910 (4th)  - Product per capita  $53,134/person... Slogan or Nickname: Island of Inspiration; The Apple Isle; Holiday Isle Motto(s): Ubertas et Fidelitas (Fertility and Faithfulness) Other Australian states and territories Capital Hobart Government Constitutional monarchy Governor William Cox Premier Paul Lennon (ALP) Federal representation  - House seats 5  - Senate seats 12 Gross State Product (2004-05)  - Product... For the song, see South Australia (song). ...

In 1865, the Queensland Railways was the first mainline narrow gauge railway in the world ^[6]. Its tracks would eventually extend to around 9000 km. Queensland Rail operates the QR Tilt Train, with a maximum speed of 165 km/h. This train currently holds the Australian Railway Speed Record of 210.7 km/h. Queensland also has extensive sugar cane tramways of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge. Wickham Terrace entrance to Central Station - showing Queensland Rail QR sign QR, previously known as Queensland Rail and Queensland Railways, is the corporation responsible for the operation and maintenance of the railway system in the State of Queensland, Australia. ... The Cairns (Diesel) Tilt Train The Rockhampton (Electric) Tilt Train The Tilt Train is a Queensland Rail train running the coast of Queensland, from Brisbane to Rockhampton and Cairns. ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ... Kilometre per hour (American spelling: kilometer per hour) is a unit of both speed (scalar) and velocity (vector). ...

Following the success of the narrow gauge in Queensland, several narrow gauge lines were built in South East Australia. From the 1920s onwards several of these were converted to broad gauge.

Inspired by the success of the narrow gauge in Queensland, Western Australia adopted the same gauge. Until closure in 1958 Perth had the only narrow gauge tramway network of any considerable extent in mainland Australia. Location of Perth within Australia This article is about the metropolitan area of Perth, Western Australia. ...

The Northern Territory adopted narrow gauge when it was still part of South Australia, and a North-South transcontinental line was planned from Adelaide to Darwin in the 1870s. In the event this line was never completed, and due to flood damage and lack of traffic, the narrow gauge line was closed.

Four common carrier lines in Victoria were built to the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) narrow gauge standard, to serve local farming and forestry communities. Sections of two lines (Belgrave to Gembrook and Thomson to Walhalla) have been restored as tourist railways. A common carrier is an organization that transports persons or goods, and offers its services to the general public. ... The former Victorian Railways, the state railway authority in Victoria, Australia built a number of experimental narrow-gauge railway lines around the beginning of the 20th century. ... VIC redirects here. ... Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants, animals and other life forms. ... A decidous beech forest in Slovenia. ...

Sugar train near Mossman in 1995

Puffing Billy train at Lakeside station

Image File history File links DaintreeSugarTrain. ... Image File history File links DaintreeSugarTrain. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ...

New Zealand

See also: Rail transport in New Zealand // National Rail Network The national rail network (currently owned by a State-Owned Enterprise, the New Zealand Railways Corporation) was constructed largely by government entities from 1863 onwards. ...

Much like Australia, there was initially no uniformity in track gauges in New Zealand. This was because the construction of railways was undertaken by the various provinces of New Zealand rather than the central government. The Canterbury Provincial Railways opened New Zealand's first railway in 1863 and used a broad gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) , while Southland built the Bluff and Kingston Branches to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in), and short segments of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ in) railway were also constructed in the Auckland and Northland Regions. Eventually, under the public works schemes of Premier Julius Vogel, the railways of New Zealand were made to adhere to a 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge. The first 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge railway in New Zealand was the Dunedin and Port Chalmers Railway, which opened on 1 January 1873. Today, the network connects most major New Zealand cities, and is around 4,000 km in length. (For the current top-level subdivision of New Zealand, see Regions of New Zealand) Provinces in New Zealand were used from 1841 until the Abolition of the Provinces Act came into force on November 1, 1876. ... The Canterbury Provincial Railways were an early part of the railways of New Zealand. ...   Categories: New Zealand-related stubs | Southland, New Zealand | Territorial Authorities of New Zealand ... The Bluff Branch is a railway line in Southland, New Zealand that links Invercargill with the port of Bluff. ... The Kingston Branch was a major branch line railway in Southland, New Zealand. ... The Auckland Region is one of the sixteen regions of New Zealand, named for Auckland City, the large city at its heart. ... The Northland Region (Māori: ), one of the 16 regions of New Zealand, is, as the name suggests, the northernmost of New Zealands administrative regions. ... Sir Julius Vogel Sir Julius Vogel KCMG (February 24, 1835 - March 12, 1899) was New Zealands only practicing Jewish prime minister. ... The Port Chalmers Branch was the first railway line built in Otago, New Zealand, and linked the regions major city of Dunedin with the port in Port Chalmers. ... is the 1st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1873 (MDCCCLXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ...

See also

This page provides an index of articles on Rail transport by country. ... As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the two rails of the track) which should be used. ... For other uses, see Gauge. ... The dominant rail gauge in each country shown Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... Field railways attached to the Imperial German Army in the First World War. ... A railroad switch is a mechanical installation enabling trains to be guided from one set of rail tracks (or tramway tracks) to another. ... // This is the Standard or international gauge Medium gauge railways are narrow gauge railways of approximately 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge and above. ... // This is the Standard or international gauge Medium gauge railways are narrow gauge railways of approximately 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge and above. ... // This is the Standard or international gauge Medium gauge railways are narrow gauge railways of approximately 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) gauge and above. ... Minimum Gauge Railways are narrow gauge railways that run on extremely narrow gauged rail tracks, below 2 ft (610 mm). ... Zooline Railroad St. ... Light railways made an important contribution to the Allied war effort in World War I. They were used for the supply of ammunition and stores, the transport of troops and the evacuation of the wounded. ...

External links

• Jane's World Railways (hard copy)
• Railroad Gauge Width
• Polish Narrow Gauge Railways
• Narrow Gauge Heaven - this site has a large photo gallery of narrow gauge railways
• Parovoz - Russian narrow gauge railways
• Narrow Gauge Railway Museum - based at the Talyllyn Railway in Wales.
• Cy Crumley ET&WNC Narrow Gauge Photo Collection
• Narrow Gauge in Austria
• Expo Narrow Gauge - model railway exhibition
• 'The Narrow Gauge for Us' Charles Cooper's Railway Pages
• 'Narrow Gauge Through the Bush' Charles Cooper's Railway Pages
• 'Toronto Grey and Bruce' R L Kennedy's Old Time Trains

The Talyllyn Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) narrow gauge preserved railway line running for 7 miles (11. ...

References

• P.J.G. Ransom. Narrow Gauge Steam - Its origins and worldwide development, Oxford Publishing Co., 1996, ISBN 0-86093-533-7
• P. Whitehouse, J. Snell. Narrow Gauge Railways of the British Isles, David & Charles, 1994, ISBN C-7153-0196-9
• Railroads of Colorado: Your Guide to Colorado's Historic Trains and Railway Sites, Claude Wiatrowski, Voyageur Press, 2002, hardcover, 160 pages, ISBN 0-89658-591-3
• Keith Chester. "East European Narrow Gauge" 1995
• "Narrow Gauge Through the Bush - Ontario's Toronto Grey and Bruce and Toronto and Nipissing Railways"; Rod Clarke; pub. Beaumont and Clarke, with the Credit Valley Railway Company, Streetsville, Ontario, 2007. ISBN 978-0-9784406-0-2
• "The Narrow Gauge For Us - The Story of the Toronto and Nipissing Railway"; Charles Cooper; pub. The Boston Mills Press; Erin, Ontario, 1982.
• "Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada"; Omer Lavallee; pub. Railfair, Montreal, 1972.
• "Narrow Gauge Railways of Canada"; Omer Lavallee, expanded and revised by Ronald S Ritchie; pub. Fitzhenry and Whiteside, Markham, Ontario, 2005.
• "The Toronto Grey and Bruce Railway 1863-1884; Thomas F McIlwraith; pub. Upper Canada Railway Society, Toronto, 1963.
• "Steam Trains to the Bruce"; Ralph Beaumont; pub. The Boston Mills Press; Cheltenham, Ontario, 1977
• "Running Late on the Bruce"; Ralph Beaumont & James Filby; pub The Boston Mills Press, Cheltenham, Ontario, 1980