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.

Installations

Country/territory	Railway
Australia	Bush Mill Railway
Austria	Prater Liliputbahn de:Donauparkbahn
France	Chemin de Fer d'Anse
Germany	Dresden Park Railway Killesberg Railway Leipziger Parkeisenbahn
Japan	Shuzenji Romney Railway
New Zealand	Driving Creek Railway
United Kingdom	England Adventure Railway (located in Alton Towers) (defunct - park still operating) Blackpool Zoo miniature railway Blenheim Park Railway Bure Valley Railway Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway Duffield Bank Railway Eaton Hall Railway Evesham Vale Light Railway Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway Haigh Hall Country Park, Wigan (closed in 2012, reopened in 2014) Heatherslaw Light Railway International Garden Festival Kirklees Light Railway Lakeside Miniature Railway Lappa Valley Steam Railway Longleat Railway Markeaton Park Light Railway Paradise Park, Cornwall Perrygrove Railway Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway Saltburn Miniature Railway Sand Hutton Miniature Railway Sherwood Forest Railway Waveney Valley Railway (located in Bressingham Steam and Gardens) (separate standard gauge railway, separate 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railway named Nursery Railway, and separate 10+1⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge railway named Garden Railway also present) (operating) Northern Ireland Main article: List of narrow gauge railways in Ireland Scotland Craigtoun Miniature Railway Wales Conwy Valley Railway Museum Fairbourne Railway (converted from 2 ft (610 mm) gauge, then converted to 12+1⁄4 in (311 mm) gauge) (dual gauge lines with 18 in (457 mm) gauge track and 15 in (381 mm) gauge track previously present) (operating) Rhiw Valley Light Railway Rhyl Miniature Railway
United States	Arizona Paradise & Pacific Railroad (located in McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park) (separate 7+1⁄2 in or 190.5 mm railway named Scottsdale Live Steamers also present) (operating) California Orland, Newville and Pacific Railroad (operating) Redwood Valley Railway (operating) Sonoma TrainTown Railroad (operating) Colorado Tiny Town & Railroad (operating) Massachusetts Look Park (operating) Michigan Eden Springs Park (operating) Pennsylvania Little Toot Railroad (located at the Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association) (separate 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge railway named Shay Railroad also present) (operating) 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 Riverside and Great Northern Railway (operating) Safari Train (located in Milwaukee County Zoo) (operating)

References

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

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

[1]

v t e Track gauge (list)
Minimum-gauge Minimum-gauge railways	15 in (381 mm) 400 mm (15+3⁄4 in) 16 in (406 mm) 18 in (457 mm) 19 in (483 mm) 500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) 20 in (508 mm) 21 in (533 mm) 1 ft 10 in (559 mm)
Narrow gauge	2 foot and 600 mm 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) 800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in) 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) Swedish three foot 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) 3 ft (914 mm) 950 mm (3 ft 1+3⁄8 in) Italian metre gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in), 1,055 mm (3 ft 5+1⁄2 in), 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) 1,093 mm (3 ft 7 in), 1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in), 1,200 mm (3 ft 11+1⁄4 in) 4 ft (1,219 mm) 4 ft 1 in (1,245 mm), Middleton Railway 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm), Scotch gauge 4 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1,384 mm), Scotch gauge 4 ft 7+3⁄4 in (1,416 mm) 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), almost standard gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄4 in (1,429 mm) 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)
Standard gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in / 1,435 mm, Stephenson gauge
Broad gauge	1,440 mm (4 ft 8+11⁄16 in) 1,445 mm (4 ft 8+7⁄8 in) 1,450 mm (4 ft 9+3⁄32 in) 4 ft 9+3⁄8 in (1,457 mm) 1,458 mm (4 ft 9+13⁄32 in) 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm), Toronto gauge 5 ft / 1,524 mm and 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in), Russian gauge. 5 ft 2+1⁄4 in / 1,581 mm and 5 ft 2+1⁄2 in / 1,588 mm, Pennsylvania gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), Irish gauge 5 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1,638 mm), Baltimore gauge 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in), Iberian gauge 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm), Indian gauge 1,945 mm (6 ft 4+9⁄16 in), De Arend 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), Brunel gauge 3,000 mm (9 ft 10+1⁄8 in), Breitspurbahn 8,200 mm (26 ft 10+27⁄32 in), Lärchwandschrägaufzug 9,000 mm (29 ft 6+5⁄16 in), Krasnoyarsk ship lift
List of track gauge articles	List of track gauges List of tram track gauges Miniature railways Minimum-gauge railways Large amusement railways
Gauge differences	Bogie exchange Break of gauge Dual gauge Gauge conversion list Variable gauge
Transport mode	Tram and light rail Rapid transit Miniature Scale model
Categories	by country by imperial units by metric units by name lists of track gauges

v t e Rail infrastructure
Tracks (history)	Axe ties Ballast Baulk road Breather switch Cant Clip and scotch Date nail Fastening system Fishplate Ladder track Minimum radius Profile Tie/Sleeper Transition curve
Trackwork	Balloon loop Classification yard Headshunt Pocket track Junction Gauntlet track Guide bar Passing loop Track gauge dual gauge Rail track tramway track Rail yard Railway electrification overhead lines third rail ground-level power supply Railway turntable Transfer table (traverser) Roll way Siding refuge siding Switch Track geometry Water crane Water trough Wye
Signalling and safety	Anti-trespass panels Block post Buffer stop Catch points Defect detector Derailer Guard rail Interlocking Level crossing Loading gauge Platform screen doors Railway signal Signalling control Structure gauge Signal bridge Tell-tale Train stop Wayside horn
Structures	Coaling tower Motive power depot/Railway workshop Platform Roundhouse Shed for trains for goods Station building clock ghost list Water stop
Types	Industrial Military Private station list

Installations

See also

References