Fifteen-inch gauge railway

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

One of the Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse's X131 when passing through the hills

Track gauge
By transport mode
By size (list)
Graphic list of track gauges

Minimum
  Minimum
  Fifteen inch 381 mm (15 in)

Narrow
 
  • 600 mm
  • 610 mm
  • 686 mm
  • (1 ft 11+58 in)
  • (2 ft)
  • (2 ft 3 in)
 
  • 750 mm
  • 760 mm
  • 762 mm
  • (2 ft 5+12 in)
  • (2 ft 5+1516 in)
  • (2 ft 6 in)
 
  • 891 mm
  • 900 mm
  • 914 mm
  • 950 mm
  • (2 ft 11+332 in)
  • (2 ft 11+716 in)
  • (3 ft)
  • (3 ft1+1332 in)
  Metre 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+38 in)
  Three foot six inch 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
  Four foot 1,219 mm (4 ft 0 in)
  Four foot six inch 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in)
  1432 mm 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+38 in)

  Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+12 in)

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

Railways

15 inch gauge railway installations
Name Country Location Notes
Bush Mill Railway Australia Australia Port Arthur Closed
Donauparkbahn Austria Austria Vienna [2]
Prater Liliputbahn Austria Austria Vienna
Bear Creek Park Train Canada Canada Surrey, British Columbia [3]
Pindal Electric Tramway Canada Canada London, Ontario Formerly in Montreal
Springbank Express Canada Canada London, Ontario [4][5]
Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse France France Anse, Rhône
Dresden Park Railway Germany Germany Dresden
Killesberg Park Railway Germany Germany Stuttgart
Leipziger Parkeisenbahn Germany Germany Leipzig
Difflin Lake Railway Republic of Ireland Ireland
Cygnus wood-land Railway Japan Japan Osaka [6]
Sakuradani Light Railway Japan Japan Toyono District of Osaka Prefecture
Shuzenji Romney Railway Japan Japan Niji-no-Sato (Rainbow Park) in Izu, Shizuoka
Driving Creek Railway New Zealand New Zealand
Whangaparaoa Narrow Gauge Railway New Zealand New Zealand Closed[7][8]
Adventure Railway United Kingdom UK Alton Towers (defunct, 1982–1992 - park still operating)
Bellevue Park Railway United Kingdom UK Belfast, Northern Ireland Closed 1950
Blackpool Zoo miniature railway United Kingdom UK Lancashire
Blakesley Miniature Railway  UK Blakesley Hall, Northamptonshire Opened 1903, closed c.1944.[9]
Blenheim Park Railway United Kingdom UK Oxfordshire
Brocklands Adventure Park United Kingdom UK Cornwall Closed 2007
Bure Valley Railway United Kingdom UK Norfolk Standard gauge line closed 1982. 15-inch gauge line opened 1990.
Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway United Kingdom UK Lincolnshire
Conwy Valley Railway Museum United Kingdom UK Betws-y-Coed, North Wales (short tramway)
Craigtoun Miniature Railway United Kingdom UK Craigtoun Park, St. Andrews
Duffield Bank Railway United Kingdom UK Closed 1916
Eaton Hall Railway United Kingdom UK Closed 1946
Evesham Vale Light Railway United Kingdom UK Evesham Country Park, Twyford, Worcestershire [10]
Fairbourne Railway United Kingdom UK Wales (now converted to 12+14 in or 311 mm gauge)
Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway United Kingdom UK Battersea Park, London Closed 1975
Gulliver's Land United Kingdom UK Milton Keynes
Gulliver's World United Kingdom UK Warrington, Cheshire
Haigh Hall Miniature Railway United Kingdom UK Greater Manchester
Heatherslaw Light Railway United Kingdom UK Northumberland
International Garden Festival Railway United Kingdom UK 1984
Whistlestop Valley (Formerly Kirklees Light Railway) United Kingdom UK Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire [11]
Knowsley Safari Park (The Lakeside Railway) United Kingdom UK Prescot, Merseyside
Lakeside Miniature Railway United Kingdom UK Southport, Merseyside
Lappa Valley Steam Railway United Kingdom UK Cornwall
Lightwater Express Rio Grande United Kingdom UK Ripon, North Yorkshire Theme Park
Longleat Railway United Kingdom UK
Markeaton Park Light Railway United Kingdom UK Derby Closed September 2016[12]
Marwell Zoo United Kingdom UK Colden Common, Hampshire
Oakwood Theme Park United Kingdom UK Narberth, Pembrokeshire
Paradise Park United Kingdom UK Hayle, Cornwall
Paultons Park United Kingdom UK Ower, Romsey, Hampshire
Perrygrove Railway United Kingdom UK
Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway United Kingdom UK Cumbria
Rhiw Valley Light Railway United Kingdom UK Manafon, Powys, Wales Closed 2022
Rhyl Miniature Railway United Kingdom UK Clwyd, Wales
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway United Kingdom UK Kent
Saltburn Miniature Railway United Kingdom UK Cat Nab, Cleveland
Sand Hutton Miniature Railway United Kingdom UK Yorkshire Closed 1922
Sherwood Forest Railway United Kingdom UK Nottinghamshire
Waveney Valley Railway United Kingdom UK Bressingham Steam and Gardens Norfolk
West Midland Safari Park United Kingdom UK Worcestershire
Windmill Farm Railway United Kingdom UK Burscough, Lancashire
Wildlife Park Cricket St Thomas United Kingdom UK Chard, Somerset
Wotton Light Railway United Kingdom UK Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire
American Heritage Railroad United States USA Illinois [13]
Amusement Rides United States USA City Park, Iowa City [14][15]
B.A.D. Great Northern Railroad United States USA California
Eden Springs Park Railroad) United States USA Benton Harbor, Michigan [16]
Gage Park Railroad United States USA Gage Park, Topeka, Kansas
Glenwood, South Park & Pacific Railroad United States USA California [17]
Hillcrest & Wahtoke Steam Railroad United States USA Reedley, California [18]
Joshua Tree & Southern GSD United States USA California [19]
Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad United States USA Kansas City, Missouri [20]
Laurel Run Railroad United States USA Pennsylvania [21]
Little Toot Railroad United States USA Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association, Pennsylvania
Look Park United States USA Northampton, Massachusetts
Miniature Railway at Silver Lake, Ohio United States USA Silver Lake, Ohio Defunct
Miniature Train at Monarch Park United States USA Oil City, Pennsylvania Defunct
Nickel Plate Railroad United States USA California
Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation United States USA Ohio
Orland, Newville and Pacific Railroad United States USA California (operating)
Paradise & Pacific Railroad United States USA McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale, Arizona [22] (separate 7+12 in or 190.5 mm railway named Scottsdale Live Steamers also present) (operating)
Phoenix & Holly Railroad United States USA Oregon [23]
Pint-Sized Pufferbelly United States USA Strasburg Rail Road, Strasburg Township, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania [24] (operating)
Redwood Valley Railway United States USA Tilden Regional Park, California [25] (operating)
Riverside and Great Northern Railway United States USA Wisconsin
Riverview & Twin Lakes Railroad United States USA Wyoming
Safari Train United States USA Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (operating)
Sonoma TrainTown Railroad United States USA California [26] (operating)
Tiny Town Railroad United States USA Colorado
Waterman & Western Railroad United States USA Illinois [27]

See also

References

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