Fifteen-inch gauge railway

Track gauge
By transport mode
Tram · Rapid transit
Miniature · Scale model
By size (list)

Minimum
  Fifteen inch 381 mm (15 in)

Narrow
  600 mm,
Two foot
597 mm
600 mm
603 mm
610 mm
(1 ft 11 12 in)
(1 ft 11 58 in)
(1 ft 11 34 in)
(2 ft)
  750 mm,
Bosnian,
Two foot six inch,
800 mm
750 mm
760 mm
762 mm
800 mm
(2 ft 5 12 in)
(2 ft 5 1516 in)
(2 ft 6 in)
(2 ft 7 12 in)
  Swedish three foot,
900 mm,
Three foot
891 mm
900 mm
914 mm
(2 ft11 332 in)
(2 ft 11 716)
(3 ft)
  Metre 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 38 in)
  Three foot six inch,
Cape, CAP, Kyōki
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)
  Four foot six inch 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in)

  Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 12 in)

Broad
  Russian,
Five foot
1,520 mm
1,524 mm
(4 ft 11 2732 in)
(5 ft)
  Irish 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)
  Iberian 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 2132 in)
  Indian 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)
  Six foot 1,829 mm (6 ft)
  Brunel 2,140 mm (7 ft 14 in)
Change of gauge
Break-of-gauge · Dual gauge ·
Conversion (list) · Bogie exchange · Variable gauge
By location
North America · South America · Europe

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.

Installations

Country/territory Railway
Australia
Austria
France
  • Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse
Germany
Japan
New Zealand
United Kingdom

England

  • Adventure Railway (located in Alton Towers) (defunct - park still operating)
  • Haigh Hall Country Park, Wigan (closed in 2012, reopened in 2014)

Northern Ireland

Scotland

Wales

  • Fairbourne Railway (converted from 2 ft (610 mm) gauge, then converted to 12 14 in (311 mm) gauge) (dual gauge lines with 18 in (457 mm) gauge track and 15 in (381 mm) gauge track previously present) (operating)
United States

Arizona

  • Paradise & Pacific Railroad (located in McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park) (separate 7 12 in (190.5 mm) railway named Scottsdale Live Steamers also present) (operating)

California

Colorado

Massachusetts

Michigan

  • Eden Springs Park (operating)

Pennsylvania

  • Pint-Sized Pufferbelly (separate standard gauge railway named Strasburg Rail Road also present) (operating)

Texas

  • Forest Park Miniature Railroad (operating)
  • San Antonio Zoo Eagle (operating)

Wisconsin

See also

References

  1. Heywood, A.P. (1974) [1881, Derby: Bemrose]. Minimum Gauge Railways. Turntable Enterprises. ISBN 0-902844-26-1.
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