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.
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Railways
edit| Name | Country | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bush Mill Railway |  Australia |
Port Arthur | Closed |
| Donauparkbahn |  Austria |
Vienna | [2] |
| Prater Liliputbahn | Austria |
Vienna | |
| Bear Creek Park Train |  Canada |
Surrey, British Columbia | [3] |
| Pindal Electric Tramway | Canada |
London, Ontario | Formerly in Montreal |
| Springbank Express | Canada |
London, Ontario | [4][5] |
| Model Park Denmark |  Denmark |
Egå, Aarhus | |
| Model Park Denmark | Denmark |
Brande | |
| Tivoli lane railway, Tivoli Gardens | Denmark |
Copenhagen | The smallest of all: Park Railways. 381 mm (15 inches): This is found, for example, in Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen (Tivolibanen). |
| Chemin de fer Touristique d'Anse |  France |
Anse, Rhône | |
| Dresden Park Railway |  Germany |
Dresden | |
| Killesberg Park Railway | Germany |
Stuttgart | |
| Leipziger Parkeisenbahn | Germany |
Leipzig | |
| Difflin Lake Railway |  Ireland |
||
| Cygnus wood-land Railway |  Japan |
Osaka | [6] |
| Sakuradani Light Railway | Japan |
Toyono District of Osaka Prefecture | |
| Shuzenji Romney Railway | Japan |
Niji-no-Sato (Rainbow Park) in Izu, Shizuoka | |
| Driving Creek Railway |  New Zealand |
||
| Whangaparaoa Narrow Gauge Railway | New Zealand |
Closed[7][8] | |
| Adventure Railway[broken anchor] |  UK |
Alton Towers | Defunct, 1982–1992 – park still operating |
| Bellevue Park Railway | UK |
Belfast, Northern Ireland | Closed 1950 |
| Blackpool Zoo miniature railway | UK |
Lancashire | |
| Blakesley Miniature Railway | UK |
Blakesley Hall, Northamptonshire | Opened 1903, closed c.1944[9] |
| Blenheim Park Railway | UK |
Oxfordshire | |
| Brocklands Adventure Park | UK |
Cornwall | Closed 2007 |
| Bure Valley Railway | UK |
Norfolk | Standard-gauge line closed 1982. 15-inch–gauge line opened 1990. |
| Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway | UK |
Lincolnshire | |
| Conwy Valley Railway Museum | UK |
Betws-y-Coed, North Wales | Short tramway |
| Craigtoun Miniature Railway | UK |
Craigtoun Park, St. Andrews | |
| Duffield Bank Railway | UK |
Closed 1916 | |
| Eaton Hall Railway | UK |
Closed 1946 | |
| Evesham Vale Light Railway | UK |
Evesham Country Park, Twyford, Worcestershire | [10] |
| Fairbourne Railway | UK |
Wales | Now converted to 12+1⁄4 in or 311 mm gauge |
| Far Tottering and Oyster Creek Branch Railway | UK |
Battersea Park, London | Closed 1975 |
| Gulliver's Land | UK |
Milton Keynes | |
| Gulliver's World | UK |
Warrington, Cheshire | |
| Haigh Hall Miniature Railway | UK |
Greater Manchester | |
| Heatherslaw Light Railway | UK |
Northumberland | |
| International Garden Festival Railway | UK |
1984 | |
| Whistlestop Valley (Formerly Kirklees Light Railway) | UK |
Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire | [11] |
| Knowsley Safari Park (The Lakeside Railway) | UK |
Prescot, Merseyside | |
| Lakeside Miniature Railway | UK |
Southport, Merseyside | |
| Lappa Valley Steam Railway | UK |
Cornwall | |
| Lightwater Express Rio Grande | UK |
Ripon, North Yorkshire | Theme park |
| Longleat Railway | UK |
||
| Markeaton Park Light Railway | UK |
Derby | Closed September 2016[12] |
| Marwell Zoo | UK |
Colden Common, Hampshire | Closed 2022 |
| Oakwood Theme Park | UK |
Narberth, Pembrokeshire | |
| Paradise Park | UK |
Hayle, Cornwall | |
| Paultons Park | UK |
Ower, Romsey, Hampshire | |
| Perrygrove Railway | UK |
Gloucestershire | |
| Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway | UK |
Cumbria | |
| Rhiw Valley Light Railway | UK |
Manafon, Powys, Wales | Closed 2022 |
| Rhyl Miniature Railway | UK |
Clwyd, Wales | |
| Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway | UK |
Kent | |
| Saltburn Miniature Railway | UK |
Cat Nab, Cleveland | |
| Sand Hutton Miniature Railway | UK |
Yorkshire | Closed 1922 |
| Sherwood Forest Railway | UK |
Nottinghamshire | |
| Waveney Valley Railway | UK |
Bressingham Steam and Gardens Norfolk | |
| West Midlands Safari Park | UK |
Worcestershire | Closed 2014 |
| Windmill Farm Railway | UK |
Burscough, Lancashire | |
| Wildlife Park Cricket St Thomas | UK |
Chard, Somerset | |
| Wotton Light Railway | UK |
Wotton Underwood, Buckinghamshire | |
| American Heritage Railroad |  US |
Illinois | [13] |
| Amusement Rides | US |
City Park, Iowa City | [14][15] |
| B.A.D. Great Northern Railroad | US |
California | [citation needed] |
| Eden Springs Park Railroad) | US |
Benton Harbor, Michigan | [16] |
| Gage Park Railroad | US |
Gage Park, Topeka, Kansas | |
| Glenwood, South Park & Pacific Railroad | US |
California | [17] |
| Hillcrest & Wahtoke Steam Railroad | US |
Reedley, California | [18] |
| Joshua Tree & Southern GSD | US |
California | [19] |
| Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad | US |
Kansas City, Missouri | [20] |
| Laurel Run Railroad | US |
Pennsylvania | [21] |
| Little Toot Railroad | US |
Rough and Tumble Engineers Historical Association, Pennsylvania | |
| Look Park | US |
Northampton, Massachusetts | |
| Miniature Railway at Silver Lake, Ohio | US |
Silver Lake, Ohio | Defunct |
| Miniature Train at Monarch Park | US |
Oil City, Pennsylvania | Defunct |
| Nickel Plate Railroad | US |
California | |
| Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation | US |
Ohio | [citation needed] |
| Orland, Newville and Pacific Railroad | US |
California | Operating |
| Paradise & Pacific Railroad | US |
McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park, Scottsdale, Arizona | [22] Separate 7+1⁄2 in or 190.5 mm railway named Scottsdale Live Steamers also present. Operating. |
| Phoenix & Holly Railroad | US |
Oregon | [23] |
| Pint-Sized Pufferbelly | US |
Strasburg Rail Road, Strasburg Township, Pennsylvania | [24] Operating |
| Redwood Valley Railway | US |
Tilden Regional Park, California | [25] Operating |
| Riverside and Great Northern Railway | US |
Wisconsin | |
| Riverview & Twin Lakes Railroad | US |
Wyoming | |
| Safari Train | US |
Milwaukee County Zoo, Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Operating |
| Sioux City Railroad Museum | US |
Iowa | [26] |
| Sonoma TrainTown Railroad | US |
California | [27] Operating |
| Sullivan Railroad | US |
Horseheads, New York | [28] |
| Sutton Miniature Railway, now Tyseley Miniature Railway Project | UK |
Sutton Coldfield, Cleethorpes, Tyseley | Shut down in 1962 and stored. Moved to Cleethorpes in 2002. Moved to Tyseley in 2020, under restoration since 2024[29] |
| Tiny Town Railroad | US |
Colorado | |
| Waterman & Western Railroad | US |
Illinois | [30] |
See also
edit
References
edit- ↑ Heywood, A.P. (1974) [1881, Derby: Bemrose]. Minimum Gauge Railways. Turntable Enterprises. ISBN 0-902844-26-1.
- ↑ Donaupark
- ↑ Bear Creek Park
- ↑ "CEC: Closed Canadian Parks – Springbank Park". Cec.chebucto.org. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ Going again
- ↑ "シグナス森林鉄道". Nose Electric Railway. Retrieved 10 June 2017.[permanent dead link]
- ↑ Tripadvisor
- ↑ End of the line
- ↑ "The Blakesley Miniature Railway". The SMJ Society. Retrieved 30 March 2022.
- ↑ "Home". Evlr.co.uk. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Home". Kirklesslightrailway.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Sadness as last remnants of Markeaton Park Railway to be demolished". Derbytelegraph. Derbyshire Live. 2018-11-02. Retrieved 3 November 2018.
- ↑ "American Heritage Railroad". Americanfarmheritagemuseum.org. Archived from the original on 12 August 2013. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "City Park". City of Iowa City. Retrieved 7 June 2017.
- ↑ "City Park (Iowa City)" (PDF). Uni.edu. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Eden Springs Park Benton Harbor Michigan Formerly The House of David". Edenspringspark.org. Retrieved 18 November 2017.
- ↑ "Glenwood, South Park & Pacific Railroad". Traill.us. Archived from the original on 21 May 2014. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Hillcrest". Hillcrestreedley.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Joshua Tree & Southern GSD". Home.easrthlink.net. Archived from the original on 6 December 2002. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Kansas City Northern Miniature Railroad". kcparks.org/places/kansas-city-northern-railroad.
- ↑ "Reading Society of Model Engineers". Rsme.org. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ Sayre, Dave. "McCormick – Stillman Railroad Park". Arizonaandpacificrr.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Flower Farmer and Phoenix & Holly Railroad – Welcome to the Flower Farmer and Phoenix & Holly Railroad". Flowerfamrer.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Pint-Sized Pufferbelly". Archived from the original on 2019-03-27. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
- ↑ "Redwood Valley Railway". Redwoodvalleyrailway.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Flower Farmer and Phoenix & Holly Railroad – Welcome to the Flower Farmer and Phoenix & Holly Railroad". Flowerfamrer.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
- ↑ "Sioux City Railroad Museum Website". siouxcityrailroadmuseum.org. Retrieved 15 June 2025.
- ↑ "Sullivan Railroad in Horseheads NY – Trains Magazine – Trains News Wire, Railroad News, Railroad Industry News, Web Cams, and Forms".
- ↑ "PressReader.com - Digital Newspaper & Magazine Subscriptions". www.pressreader.com. Retrieved 2025-11-07.
- ↑ "waterman & western railroad – Home". Petestrain.com. Retrieved 1 June 2016.