Ridable miniature railway
A ridable miniature railway (USA: 'riding railroad' or 'grand scale railroad') is a ground-level, large scale model railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or petrol engines, live steam engines or electric motors).
Overview
Typically they have a rail track gauge between 5 in (127 mm) and 18 in (457 mm), though both larger and smaller gauges are used.
These large model railroads are most often seen in urban parks or in commercial settings, such as amusement park rides.
The major distinction between a miniature railway and a narrow gauge railway is that miniature lines use models of full-sized prototypes. There are miniature railways that run on gauges as wide as 2 ft (610 mm), for example the Wicksteed Park Railway. There are also narrow gauge railways running on extremely narrow track as small as 15 in (381 mm) gauge or less, for example the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, Perrygrove Railway and the Eaton Hall Railway: these are known as minimum gauge railways.
Typically in the UK miniature lines are operated as public heritage railways, though many private lines also exist, especially in the USA.
At gauges of 5 in (127 mm) and less, the track is commonly raised above ground level. Flat cars are arranged with foot boards so that driver and passengers sit astride the track. The track is often multi-gauged, to accommodate 5 in (127 mm), 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm), and sometimes 2 1⁄2 in (63.5 mm) gauge locomotives.
In Australia, most 5 inch gauge tracks are at ground level.
Australian societies are generally members of the Australian Association of Live Steamers, Ltd, which arranges Codes of Practice for Operations, Standards and Training, for the operation of miniature railways below 8 inch gauge through their subcommittee the Australian Live Steamers Safety Committee (ALSSC), and Boiler codes for the operation of miniature steam boilers through the Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee (AMBSC).
UK Miniature Railways
21 in (530 mm) gauge
20 in (508 mm) gauge
18 in (457 mm) gauge
15 in (381 mm) gauge
- Bellevue Park Railway, Belfast, Northern Ireland
- Blackpool Zoo Railway, Lancashire
- Blenheim Park Railway, Oxfordshire
- Bure Valley Railway, Aylsham, England
- Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, Lincolnshire
- Conwy Valley Railway Museum, Betws-y-Coed, North Wales
- Combe Martin Wildlife Park, Devon [1]
- Craigtoun Miniature Railway, Craigtoun Park, St. Andrews
- Duffield Bank Railway, Derbyshire (closed)
- Eaton Hall Railway, Cheshire (closed) [2]
- Evesham Vale Light Railway, Evesham Country Park, Twyford, Evesham, Worcestershire[3]
- Fairbourne Railway, Wales (re-gauged)
- Gulliver's Land, Milton Keynes
- Gulliver's World, Warrington, Cheshire
- Haigh Country Park Railway, Greater Manchester
- Heatherslaw Light Railway, Northumberland
- Kirklees Light Railway, Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire [4]
- Knowsley Safari Park (The Lakeside Railway), Prescot, Merseyside
- Lakeside Miniature Railway, Southport, Merseyside
- Lappa Valley Steam Railway, Cornwall
- Lightwater Valley Themepark, Ripon, North Yorkshire
- Longleat House Railway[5]
- Markeaton Park Light Railway, Derby [6]
- Marwell Zoo, Colden Common, Hampshire
- Oakwood Adventure Park, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
- Paradise Park, Hayle, Cornwall
- Paultons Park, Ower, Romsey, Hampshire
- Perrygrove Railway, Gloucestershire
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, Cumbria
- Rhiw Valley Light Railway, Manafon, Powys
- Rhyl Miniature Railway, Clwyd
- Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, Kent
- Saltburn Miniature Railway, Cat Nab, Cleveland
- Sand Hutton Miniature Railway, Yorkshire (closed)
- Sherwood Forest Railway, Nottinghamshire
- Waveney Valley Railway, Bressingham Gardens, Norfolk
- West Midlands Safari Park, Worcestershire
- Windmill Farm Railway, Burscough, Lancashire
- Wildlife Park, Chard Cricket St Thomas, Chard, Somerset
12 1⁄4 in (311 mm) gauge
- Exbury Gardens Steam Railway, Beaulieu, Hampshire
- Fairbourne Railway, Gwynedd
- Hotham Park Railway, Bognor Regis, West Sussex [7]
- Littlehampton Miniature Railway, Littlehampton, West Sussex [8]
- Newchapel Railway, Horne, Horley, Surrey
12 in (305 mm) gauge
10 1⁄2 in (267 mm) gauge
10 1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge
- Audley End Railway, Audley End, Saffron Walden, Essex [11]
- Berkeley Light Railway, Gloucestershire [12]
- Bickington Steam Railway, Trago Mills, Liverton, Newton Abbot, Devon [13]
- Birchley Miniature Railway [14]
- Brechin Castle Centre Railway, Haughmuir, Brechin
- Bressingham Gardens, Norfolk
- Brooklands Pleasure Park, Worthing, Sussex
- Chichester & District Society of Model Engineers, Chichester, Sussex
- Drayton Manor Park and Zoo, Staffordshire
- Eastleigh Lakeside Railway, Hampshire [15]
- Egerton Park Sportsground, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
- Exmouth Express, Exmouth, Devon
- Ferry Meadows Miniature Railway, Nene Park, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
- Happy Mount Park, Bare, Morecombe, Lancashire
- Hastings Miniature Railway, Hastings, Sussex
- Isle of Mull Railway, Mull, Scotland
- Kerr's Miniature Railway, West Links Park, Arbroath
- Kirkby Green Light Railway, Sleaford, Lincolnshire (private with open days)
- Knebworth Park Miniature Railway, Hertfordshire
- The Rio Grande Miniature Railway [16] Selby Road, Garforth, Leeds
- Manor Railway, Ingfield Manor, Billingshurst, Sussex
- Mortocombe Railway, Chilton, Oxfordshire [17]
- Newby Hall Miniature Railway North Yorkshire
- Paignton Environmental Park, Paignton, Devon
- Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
- Pettit's Animal Adventure Park, Reedham, Norfolk
- Poole Park Miniature Railway, Poole, Dorset
- Queens Park, Chesterfield, Derbyshire
- Radwell Manor Railway, Radwell, Bedfordshire (closed)
- Royal Victoria Railway, Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, Southampton, Hampshire [18]
- Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, Rudyard, near Leek, Staffordshire
- Smokey Oak Railway, Woodland Park, Brokerswood, Westbury, Wiltshire
- Stapleford Miniature Railway, Stapleford Park, Leicestershire Private but opens mid June and Aug BH each year see [19]
- South Downs Light Railway, Pulborough, Sussex
- St. Anne's Miniature Railway, St. Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire
- Sutton Hall Railway, Rochford, Essex [20]
- Vanstone Woodland Railway, Vanstone Park Garden Centre, Codicote, Hertfordshire.[21]
- Watford Miniature Railway, Cassiobury Park, Watford, Hertfordshire
- Wells and Walsingham Light Railway, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk
- Wells Harbour Railway, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk [22]
- Weymouth Bay Miniature Railway, Lodmoor, Weymouth, Dorset
9 1⁄2 in (241 mm) gauge
- Downs Light Railway, Colwall, Near Malvern, Worcestershire
- Clevedon Fields Miniature Railway, Salthouse Fields, Somerset
- Hall Leys Park, Matlock, Derbyshire
- Lakeshore Railroad, South Marine Park, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
- Barking Park Miniature Railway, Barking, Essex (Now Closed).
Being relaid in 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge, re-opening Easter 2009.[23]
- Danson Park, Bexleyheath, Kent 1942 (Temporary line for Holidays at Home Exhibition)
- Danson Park, Bexleyheath, Kent 1949 to 1962 [24]
- Sidcup Miniature Railway, Sidcup, Kent, 1945 to 1951
- East Ham Miniature Railway, East Ham, London, 1945 to 1949
9 in (229 mm) gauge
8 1⁄4 in (210 mm)
- Brambridge Park Garden Centre, Eastleigh, Hampshire
7 1⁄4 in (184 mm)
- Barking Park Light Railway: Re-opened Easter 2009 [23]
- Beer Heights Light Railway, Devon
- Bekonscot Light Railway [25]
- Bentley Miniature Railway [26]
- Bents Miniature Railway, Warrington (1982–88)[27]
- Bolebroke Castle Miniature Railway
- Brookside Miniature Railway, Poynton (1988–99)[27]
- Conwy Valley Railway Museum, Wales
- Coate Water Miniature Railway, Swindon
(Combined 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) and 5 in (127 mm))
- Cutteslowe Park Miniature Railway, Oxfordshire, Oxford [28]
- Danson Park, Bexleyheath, 1946 to 1948 [24]
- Dobwalls Forest Railroad, Cornwall (closed)
- Dragon Miniature Railway, Marple, Greater Manchester[27]
- Eastbourne Miniature Steam Railway [29]
- East Herts Miniature Railway, Great Amwell near Ware, Hertfordshire.[30]
- Echills Wood Railway, Kingsbury Water Park, Warwickshire [31]
- Fancott Miniature Railway, Bedfordshire [32]
- Frimley Lodge Miniature Railway [33]
- Great Cockcrow Railway [34]
- Grosvenor Park Miniature Railway, Chester [35]
- Guildford Model Engineering Society [36]
- Halton Miniature Railway Society, Runcorn, Cheshire[37]
- Leyland Society of Model Engineers, Lancashire [38]
- Little Orchard Railway, Suffolk [39]
- Malden and District Society of Model Engineers Ltd [40]
- Mizens Railway, Woking, Surrey [41]
- Mortocombe Railway, Chilton, Oxfordshire [17]
- Moors Valley Railway, Dorset [42]
- National Railway Museum, York
- Ness Islands Railway, Inverness
- North London Society of Model Engineers (NLSME) [43]
- Pinewood Miniature Railway, Wokingham, Berkshire[44]
(Combined 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) and 5 in (127 mm))
- Plowman's Railroad, Dorset
- Pugneys Light Railway, Wakefield
- Saltwood Miniature Railway [45]
- Spenborough Model & Experimental Engineers Ltd, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire [46]
- Stainer Liliputbahn AG, Stein am Rhein, Switzerland - [47]
- Strand Miniature Railway, Gillingham, Kent[48]
- Swanley New Barn Railway, Kent
- Thames Ditton Miniature Railway[40]
- Thornes Park Miniature Railway, Wakefield, West Yorkshire
- Weston Miniature Railway, Somerset [49]
- Weston Park Railway, Shropshire [50]
- Willen Miniature Railway, Milton Keynes.
- Willow Wood Railway, Stowupland, Suffolk.
- Wolds Way Lavender Narrow Gauge Railway
- Wintringham, North Yorkshire (used to transport harvested lavender, logs and passengers)
5 in (127 mm)
- Crowborough Miniature Railway [51]
- Cutteslowe Park Miniature Railway (raised & ground level), Oxfordshire, Oxford [28]
- Hove Park Railway[52]
- Leyland Society of Model Engineers, Lancashire [38]
- Strawberry Line - part of Avon Valley Country Park
- Maidstone Model Engineering Society, Mote Park, Maidstone [53]
- Malden and District Society of Model Engineers Ltd [40]
- Spenborough Model & Experimental Engineers Ltd, Cleckheaton West Yorkshire BD195LL [46]
- Tonbridge Model Engineering Society [54]
- Bentley Miniature Railway [26]
- Crowborough Miniature Railway [51]
- Guildford Model Engineering Society [36]
- Coventry Model Engineering Society (Running "Ryton Pool Miniature Railway", also 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm) gauge)
- GEC Model Engineering Society (Running "GEC Miniature Railway", also 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm) & 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauges)
- North London Society of Model Engineers (NLSME) [43]
- Thames Ditton Miniature Railway[40]
3 1⁄2 in (89 mm) gauge
- Cutteslowe Park Miniature Railway, Oxfordshire, Oxford [28]
- Leyland Society of Model Engineers, Lancashire [38]
- Maidstone Model Engineering Society, Mote Park, Maidstone [53]
- Malden and District Society of Model Engineers Ltd [40]
- Spenborough Model & Experimental Engineers Ltd, Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire BD195LL[46]
- Tonbridge Model Engineering Society [54]
- Crowborough Miniature Railway [51]
- North London Society of Model Engineers (NLSME) [43]
- Thames Ditton Miniature Railway[40]
Miniature railways - rest of the world
18 in (457 mm) gauge
- Aotea Railway, Aotea Lagoon, Porirua, New Zealand
- Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, Los Gatos, California, USA [55]
- Collegeville and Southern Railway, USA [56]
- Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad, USA [57]
- National Railway Museum, Adelaide SA (also operate the Semaphore & Fort Glanville Tourist railway) [58]
- Venice Miniature Railway, Venice Beach, Venice, California, (1943–1968),[59]
15 in (381 mm) gauge (USA)
- American Heritage Railroad, Illinois, USA [60]
- B.A.D. Great Northern Railroad, California, USA
- Gage Park Railroad, Gage Park, Topeka, Kansas, USA
- Glenwood South Park & Pacific Railroad, California, USA [61]
- Hillcrest & Wahtoke Steam Railroad, California, USA
- Joshua Tree & Southern GSD, California, USA [62]
- Laurel Run Railroad, Pennsylvania, USA
- Little Toot Railroad, Illinois, USA
- Look Park, Northampton, Massachusetts, USA
- Milwaukee County Zoological Gardens, Wisconsin, USA
- Nickel Plate Railroad, California, USA
- Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation, Ohio, USA
- Orland, Newville and Pacific Railroad, California, USA
- Paradise and Pacific Railroad, Scottsdale Arizona, USA [63]
- Phoenix & Holly Railroad, Oregon, USA
- Redwood Valley Railway, in Tilden Regional Park, California, USA [64]
- Riverside and Great Northern Railway, Wisconsin, USA
- Riverview & Twin Lakes Railroad, Wyoming, USA
- Sonoma Traintown, California, USA [65]
- Tiny Town Railroad, Colorado, USA
- Waterman & Western Railroad, USA [66]
15 in (381 mm) gauge (Rest of the World)
- Bal Bahran Park Railway, Delhi, India
- Bear Creek Park Train, British Columbia, Canada
- Bush Mill Railway, Port Arthur, Australia
- fr:Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse, France
- Dalaas Waldbahn, Austria
- Donauparkbahn, Vienna, Austria
- Dresdner Park Liliputbahn, Germany
- Driving Creek Railway, New Zealand
- Killesberg Park Railway, Stuttgart, Germany
- Leipziger Parkeisenbahn, Leipzig, Germany
- Prater Liliputbahn, Vienna, Austria
- Sakuradani Light Railway, Japan
- Springbank Express, London, Ontario, Canada [67]
- Shuzenji Romney Railway, Japan
- Whangaparaoa Narrow Gauge Railway, New Zealand
12 in (305 mm) gauge
- C&H Railroad, USA [68]
- Folsom Valley Railway, Folsom, California USA [69]
- Poco Loco Railroad, LaPorte, Indiana, USA
- Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railway, Missouri, USA [70]
- Zilker Zephyr, Zilker Park, Austin, Texas USA
7 1⁄2 in (190.5 mm) gauge (USA)
- Los Angeles Live Steamers (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in)
- Golden Gate Live Steamers, (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [71]
- Hesston Steam Museum (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [72]
- Sacramento Valley Live Steamers, (108 mm/4 1⁄4 in) and (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [73]
- Train Mountain, Chiloquin, Oregon, USA (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [74]
- Sagebrush Short Line Railroad, Ridgecrest CA (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [75]
- Riverside Live Steamers, Riverside, California (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [76]
- Great Lakes Live Steamers, Royal Oak and Southgate, Michigan. (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in ? ) [77]
- Triad Live Steamers, Farmington and Harrisburg, NC. (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [78]
- Railroad Museum of South Florida Train Village, USA (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [79]
- Orange County Model Engineers, USA [80]
- Willow Creek Railroad, Oregon, United States (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in ?) [81]
- Shady Dell Pacific, Pacific Northwest Live Steamers, Molalla, Oregon (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [82]
- Illinois Live Steamers, Chicago, Illinois (190.5 mm/7 1⁄2 in) [83]
7 1⁄2 in (190.5 mm) gauge (Rest of the World)
7 1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge
- Altona Miniature Railway, Victoria, Australia (127 mm/5 in and 184 mm/7 1⁄4 in) [85]
- Many Model Engineering Societies in New Zealand, including
- Kapiti Miniature Railway & Associates, Raumati Marine Gardens, Raumati Beach, New Zealand (5 in/127 mm and 7 1⁄4 in/184 mm) dual gauge)
- Keirunga Park Railway, Havelock North, New Zealand.[86]
- Canterbury Society of Model and Experimental Engineers, Christchurch, host of 2006 CANMOD International Convention
- Diamond Valley Miniature Railway, Eltham Victoria, Australia (184 mm/7 1⁄4 in) [87]
- Finnish Railway Museum, Hyvinkää, Finland
- MVRail, Morphett Vale Railway, Morphett vale, Weatsheaf Rd, South Australia, www.mvrail.org.au
- Roundhouse Park Miniature Railway, Toronto, Canada
- S.A.S.M.E.E. Park, Adelaide, Australia [88]
- Willans Hill Miniature Railway, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia.[89]
- Lankelz Railway in Esch-sur-Alzette, south-eastern Luxembourg.[90]
- Stoomgroep West Zuiderpark, The Hague, Netherlands. - A sizeable network in "Zuiderpark", a big city park [91]
- Swiss Vapeur Parc, Le Bouveret, Switzerland (dual gauge: 7 1⁄4 in/184 mm and 5 in/127 mm) [92]
5 in (127 mm) gauge
- Hawkes Bay Model Engineering Society, Anderson Park,Napier, New Zealand - 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm) and 5 in (127 mm)
- Northern Districts Model Engineering Society, Balcatta, Western Australia, Australia - 2 1⁄2 in (63.5 mm), 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm), 5 in (127 mm) and 7 1⁄4 in (184 mm)
- S.A.S.M.E.E. Park, Adelaide, Australia [88]
- Sydney Live Steam Locomotive Society, West Ryde, New South Wales, Australia (127 mm/5 in and 89 mm/3 1⁄2 in and 63.5 mm/2 1⁄2 in) [93]
- Willans Hill Miniature Railway, Wagga Wagga, NSW, Australia.[89]
- Stoomgroep West Zuiderpark, The Hague, Netherlands. - a 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm) and 5 in (127 mm) mixed raised oval.[91]
- Swiss Vapeur Parc, Le Bouveret, Switzerland (dual gauge: 7 1⁄4 in/184 mm and 5 in/127 mm) [94]
Others
- Cedar Rock Railroad, 16 in (406 mm) gauge, USA [95]
- Saint Louis Zoological Park, St. Louis, Missouri, USA
- Wenatchee Riverfront Railway, Wenatchee, Washington, USA
- Washington Park and Zoo Railway, 2 ft 6 in (762 mm), Portland, Oregon, USA
- Brackenridge Eagle, San Antonio Zoo, San Antonio, Texas, USA [96]
- Matsudayama Herb Garden, Matsuda, Kanagawa, Japan - includes Romancecar (Odakyū 10000 series HiSE) replica
- Kiddieland Amusement Park, Melrose Park, Illinois, USA
- Círculo Madrileño Ferroviario, at Madrid Delicias Train Museum, Spain (5 in/127 mm gauge) [97]
- Michigan AuSable Valley Railroad, 16 in (406 mm) gauge, Fairview, Michigan, USA [98]
- Santa Barbara Zoo, Santa Barbara, California, USA
See also
Media related to Ridable miniature railways at Wikimedia Commons
References
External links
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Ridable miniature railways in England
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