List of ridable miniature railways

Not to be confused with Minimum gauge railway.
Miniature railway ride in West Ryde, Australia in 2007.
Locomotive and train on the Chemin de fer touristique d'Anse in France.
Emerson Zooline Railroad's Chance Rides C.P. Huntington train in Saint Louis Zoo, one of hundreds of exact copies of this ride model in locations worldwide.

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 miniature railways 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 the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge on the defunct Disneyland Viewliner, or as wide as the 2 ft (610 mm) gauge on the operating 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 12 in (89 mm), and sometimes 2 12 in (64 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).

Miniature railways by rail gauge

3 12 in (89 mm) gauge

In the UK

Elsewhere

4 34 in (121 mm) gauge

5 in (127 mm) gauge

Miniature railway on Lindenhof hill in Zürich (Switzerland).

In the UK

Elsewhere

7 14 in (184 mm) gauge

An example of 7 1/4 inch track.

In the UK

Australia

Elsewhere

7 12 in (190.5 mm) gauge

In the USA

Elsewhere

8 14 in (210 mm) gauge

9 in (229 mm) gauge

Faversham Miniature Railway in 2007.

9 716 in (240 mm) gauge

9 12 in (241 mm) gauge

10 14 in (260 mm) gauge

Wells and Walsingham Light Railway

12 in (305 mm) gauge

12 14 in (311 mm) gauge

13 38 in (340 mm) gauge

14 in (356 mm) gauge

15 in (381 mm) gauge

In the UK

Bure Valley Railway
Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway

In the USA

Glenwood, South Park & Pacific engine #13

Elsewhere in the world

One of the Chemin de fer touristique d'Anse trains in France.

16 in (406 mm) gauge

16 12 in (419 mm) gauge

18 in (457 mm) gauge

18 12 in (470 mm) gauge

19 in (483 mm) gauge

20 in (508 mm) gauge

21 in (533 mm) gauge

2 ft (610 mm) gauge

2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge

Unknown gauge

See also

References

  1. http://www.crowboroughminiaturerailway.com/about_us.html
  2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 City of Oxford Society of Model Engineers (COSME) website UK
  3. 3.0 3.1 3.2 website
  4. 4.0 4.1 Maidstone Model Engineering Society
  5. 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 Malden and District Society of Model Engineers Ltd Website
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 NLSME website
  7. 7.0 7.1 7.2 (http://www.spenborough.me.uk/)
  8. 8.0 8.1 Tonbridge Model Engineering Society
  9. 9.0 9.1 9.2 Canberra Society of Model and Experimental Engineers
  10. S.A.S.M.E.E. Park, Adelaide, Australia
  11. 11.0 11.1 http://www.mcsme.co.uk
  12. 12.0 12.1 Guildford Model Engineering Society
  13. Hove Park Railway
  14. 14.0 14.1 "Portarlington Miniature Railway". Flickr. Retrieved 22 June 2014.
  15. 15.0 15.1 SA Society of Model & Experimental Engineers (S.A.S.M.E.E.) unofficial home page, located in S.A.S.M.E.E. Park
  16. 16.0 16.1 "Club tracks".
  17. 17.0 17.1 Swiss Vapeur Parc
  18. Sydney Live Steam Locomotive Society Co-op Ltd website
  19. 19.0 19.1 WAGGA WAGGA Society of Model Engineers, official website. Retrieved 19 July 2010.
  20. http://www.sheffieldsmee.co.uk/
  21. website
  22. 23.0 23.1 website
  23. Bekonscot Light Railway website
  24. Bentley Miniature Railway website
  25. 26.0 26.1 26.2 "About DMR". Dragon Miniature Railway. Retrieved 21 August 2010.
  26. 27.0 27.1 1949 to 1962
  27. Eastbourne Miniature Steam Railway
  28. East Herts Miniature Railway website
  29. Echills Wood Railway website
  30. Fancott Miniature Railway website
  31. Frimley Lodge Miniature Railway website
  32. Great Cockcrow Railway website
  33. Halton Miniature Railway Society
  34. High Legh Railway
  35. http://www.iwemrc.org.uk/714_gauge.asp
  36. Little Orchard Railway website
  37. Mizens Railway website
  38. Moors Valley Railway website
  39. 41.0 41.1 Mortocombe Railway website
  40. Pinewood Miniature Railway
  41. Miniature Railway World
  42. "End of the line for Pugneys Light Railway?". Wakefield Express. 15 March 2015.
  43. Saltwood Miniature Railway website
  44. Strand Miniature Railway
  45. Railway website
  46. MRW website entry
  47. Weston Park Railway website
  48. Altona Miniature Railway website
  49. Diamond Valley Miniature Railway website
  50. http://www.mvrail.org.au
  51. Golden Horseshoe Live Steamers website
  52. Keirunga Park Railway website
  53. "Welcome to Esch-sur-Alzette", Luxembourg National Tourist Office. Retrieved 20 February 2011.
  54. (http://home.datacomm.ch/slb/index.html)
  55. (http://www.stoomgroep.be/)
  56. Annetta Valley & Western Railroad website
  57. Carillon Park Railroad website
  58. Carillon Park Rail & Steam Society website
  59. Central Pasco & Gulf Railroad website
  60. Golden Gate Live Steamers website
  61. Great Lakes Live Steamers website
  62. 64.0 64.1 Hesston Steam Museum website
  63. Houton Area Live Steamers website
  64. Illinois Live Steamers website
  65. Kitsap Live Steamers website
  66. Railroad Museum of South Florida Train Village website
  67. City of Largo, Florida: Train Weekend
  68. North Georgia Live Steamers website
  69. Orange County Model Engineers website
  70. Riverside Live Steamers website
  71. Sacramento Valley Live Steamers website
  72. Sagebrush Short Line Railroad website
  73. Shady Dell Pacific, Pacific Northwest Live Steamers website
  74. Tradewinds & Atlantic Railroad website
  75. Train Mountain website
  76. Triad Live Steamers, Farmington and Harrisburg website
  77. White Creek Railroad website
  78. Willow Creek Railroad website
  79. Burnaby Central Railway website
  80. http://minitraindesmarais.free.fr/sommaire.htm
  81. Paradise Valley Railroad website
  82. Audley End Railway website
  83. Beale Park website
  84. Berkeley Light Railway website
  85. Bickington Steam Railway website
  86. Birchley Miniature Railway website UK
  87. Eastleigh Lakeside Railway website
  88. Savilles Garden Centre
  89. Royal Victoria Railway website
  90. Rudyard Lake Steam Railway website
  91. Stapleford Miniature Railway website
  92. Sutton Hall Railway website
  93. Vanstone Woodland Railway website
  94. Wells Harbour Railway website
  95. City of Wenatchee - Wenatchee Riverfront Railway
  96. website
  97. C&H Railroad website
  98. Emerald Hills Railway website
  99. Folsom Valley Railway website
  100. Ruislip Lido Railway website
  101. Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railway website
  102. Hotham Park Miniature Railway website
  103. Littlehampton Miniature Railway website
  104. Combe Martin Wildlife Park website
  105. Evesham Vale Light Railway website
  106. Kirklees Light Railway website
  107. website Longleat
  108. website Markeaton
  109. American Heritage Railroad
  110. http://www.uni.edu/iowaonline/folklife/2/2/handouts/02.pdf
  111. Glenwood South Park & Pacific Railroad website
  112. Hillcrest & Wahtoke Steam Railroad website
  113. Joshua Tree & Southern website
  114. Paradise and Pacific Railroad website
  115. Phoenix & Holly Railroad
  116. www.redwoodvalleyrailway.com Redwood Valley Railway website
  117. Sonoma Traintown website
  118. Waterman & Western Railroad website
  119. Springbank Express
  120. http://www.srmduluth.org/G16/G16-history.shtml
  121. Balboa Park Miniature Railroad website
  122. Cedar Rock Railroad
  123. Little Florida Coast Line website
  124. AuSable Valley Railroad website
  125. Crown Metal Products Locomotive Roster
  126. Railway Preservation News
  127. "The Miniature Railway". CEC: Closed Canadian Parks. Retrieved 8 July 2012.
  128. Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad website
  129. Collegeville and Southern Railway website
  130. Heath Park Tramway
  131. Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad website
  132. National Railway Museum website
  133. Venice Miniature Railway
  134. Robert D. West (May 2, 2014). "Farewell is not Forever - Part 4: Oaks Amusement Park". Retrieved July 30, 2014. This train replaced a Miniature Train & Railroad Company G-16 that was installed in 1956. The G-16 ran on 16" gauge track, and resembled a diesel locomotive, painted in the colors of the Union Pacific Railroad. The track is dual-gauge: 16" for the former train and 24" for the current one. The train operates on a 2,600 foot oval-shaped loop that encircles the picnic areas.
  135. "Forest Park Miniature Railroad". Retrieved 6 May 2014.
  136. Brackenridge Eagle
  137. Matsudayama Herb Garden railway info

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ridable miniature railways.