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15 In Gauge Railways
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. 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 gauge, he settled on gauge as the minimum that he felt was practical. Railways See also *Bassett-Lowke * British narrow-gauge railways *Heritage railway * List of British heritage and private railways *List of track gauges *Minimum-gauge railway Minimum-gauge railways have a gauge of most commonly , , , , , or . The notion of minimum-gauge railways was originally developed by estate railways and the French company of Decauville for light railways, trench railways, mining, and farming ... References {{Rail tracks Minimum gauge railways ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Difflin Lake Railway
Oakfield Demesne is a house, grounds and townland in County Donegal, Ireland, originally built in 1739 for the Dean of Raphoe. Since 1996 it has been owned by Sir Gerry Robinson and his wife, Lady Heather Robinson. The demesne includes the 100-acre Oakfield Park gardens, open to the public which includes the narrow-gauge railway Difflin Lake Railway. History The house that is central to the estate was originally built by the Church of Ireland for the Deanery of Raphoe in 1739. It ceased to be used as a deanery after being sold to Captain Thomas Butler Stoney of the Donegal Militia in 1869. Former occupants included Captain Stoney. The Irish Republican Army were known to have occupied the house in the 1920s. The Patterson family, known for their music, were owners during the twentieth century. After purchasing the estate the Robinsons engaged the architect Tony Wright to transform the overgrown estate into parklands, gardens and lakes to restore the house to its original ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Northamptonshire
Northamptonshire (; abbreviated Northants.) is a county in the East Midlands of England. In 2015, it had a population of 723,000. The county is administered by two unitary authorities: North Northamptonshire and West Northamptonshire. It is known as "The Rose of the Shires". Covering an area of 2,364 square kilometres (913 sq mi), Northamptonshire is landlocked between eight other counties: Warwickshire to the west, Leicestershire and Rutland to the north, Cambridgeshire to the east, Bedfordshire to the south-east, Buckinghamshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the south-west and Lincolnshire to the north-east – England's shortest administrative county boundary at 20 yards (19 metres). Northamptonshire is the southernmost county in the East Midlands. Apart from the county town of Northampton, other major population centres include Kettering, Corby, Wellingborough, Rushden and Daventry. Northamptonshire's county flower is the cowslip. The Soke of Peterborough fal ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blakesley Hall (Northamptonshire)
Blakesley Hall was a 13th-century manor house situated near the village of Blakesley in Northamptonshire, England. It was demolished in 1957-58. History The Hall dated from the reign of King Henry III and at one time was given by Henry VIII to his daughter, Princess Elizabeth (Queen Elizabeth I of England). The Hall was once a possession of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. It was owned by the Hibbit family for over forty years between 1823 and 1867. The owner William Hibbit (c1770–1840) inherited the titles lord of the manor and 'patron of the living'. During this period the Hibbit's were responsible for many alterations to both the Hall and the grounds. These included construction of a hospital wing and extensive landscaping of the gardens. The stable block was a focal meeting point for the Blakesley Hunt during their residence. The family connections with Blakesley extended to the local church St Mary The Virgin, where they were celebrated patrons (a plaque is on disp ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blakesley Miniature Railway
The Blakesley Miniature Railway was an gauge railway from Blakesley railway station to Blakesley Hall in Blakesley in West Northamptonshire, which operated from 1903 to 1946. Location The 15-inch (381 mm) railroad was less than half a mile (800 m) long and ran from Blakesley Railway Station on the standard gauge East & West Junction Railway to the power plant and cowsheds at the back end of the property. It served primarily for the transport of coke, but was also occasionally used for transporting passengers from and to the nearby station. History The track was laid in 1903 by Charles William Bartholomew (1850–1919) on his estate at Blakesley Hall. He was a wealthy civil engineer and landowner, major shareholder of the Great Central Railway and the East & West Junction Railway (E&WJR), self-proclaimed squire of the communities of Blakesley and Woodend. It was inaugurated in 1903 with a Cagney steam locomotive. In the following year, 1904, another Cagney steam l ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Blackpool Zoo
Blackpool Zoo is a zoo, owned by Parques Reunidos and located in the sea-side resort of Blackpool, Lancashire, England. It provides a home to over 1,350 animals from all over the world. History The zoo opened in 1972 on a site which had previously been the Stanley Park Aerodrome. 2005 saw the opening of the 'Dinosaur Safari', a walkthrough exhibition featuring models of 32 life-size dinosaurs around a trail. "Amazonia" opened in 2006. This is a walk-through enclosure of South American animals and birds including squirrel monkeys. Giraffes were re-introduced to the zoo in 2008, after an absence of fourteen years, and over £0.5m was invested in the new giraffe house and pens. In summer 2009, penguins were to be added to the list of animals at the zoo, with the arrival of twenty Magellanic penguins from two Spanish conservation centres. A £1m sealion pool was opened in May 2010 along with the addition of a male sealion from Spain. 2011 saw the opening of a new Children's F ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Bellevue Park Railway
The Bellevue Park Railway, which closed in 1950, operated in Bellevue, Belfast. History Bellevue Park was a popular recreational facility between the two world wars, providing gardens, ponds, amusements, refreshments, a zoo, and a gauge miniature railway for the entertainment of visitors. The Bellevue Park Railway, which received a new locomotive and carriages in 1933 from Blackpool, closed in 1950. The locomotive, a German-built tender engine named 'Jean', was sold for scrap, but having been rescued by Sir William McAlpine eventually returned to its original railway, the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ..., under its original name, 'The Bug'. References {{15 inch gauge railways 15 in gauge railways in Northern Irelan ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alton Towers
Alton Towers Resort ( ) (often referred to as Alton Towers) is a theme park and resort complex in Staffordshire, England, near the village of Alton. The park is operated by Merlin Entertainments Group and incorporates a theme park, water park, spa, mini golf and hotel complex. Originally a private estate of the Earls of Shrewsbury, Alton Towers' grounds were opened to the public in 1860 to raise funds. In the late 20th century, it was transformed into a theme park and opened a number of new rides from 1980 onwards. In 2019, it was the second most visited theme park in the UK with 2,130,000 visitors which puts it after Legoland Windsor. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Alton Towers was only open from July 4th until November with a limited capacity meaning only 670,000 visitors came to the park in 2020. The park has many attractions such as Congo River Rapids, Runaway Mine Train, Nemesis, Oblivion, Galactica, The Smiler, Wicker Man, Rita and TH13TEEN. It operates a total of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Whangaparaoa Narrow Gauge Railway
The Whangaparaoa Peninsula is a suburban area about 25 km north of Auckland, New Zealand. It had 30,672 residents in 2013, many of them in the eponymous town of Whangaparaoa on its southern side. It is part of the Hibiscus Coast. The area is populated largely by retired Aucklanders and “weekenders” who may swell the numbers to many thousands in the holiday season. However, many residents commute from this area to the Auckland CBD for work both via the Gulf Harbour ferry and the Silverdale Bus Station. History The Kawerau hapū Ngāti Kahu traditionally inhabited the peninsula, prior to the arrival of Europeans. Ngāti Kahu's major focuses of settlement were around Te Haruhi Bay and Army Bay. A waka portage existed between Tindalls Beach and Matakatia, allowing travellers to bypass the Whangaparaoa Peninsula, who otherwise would have needed to travel around the entire peninsula. Whangaparaoa Peninsula was purchased by the government in 1853, after which se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Driving Creek Railway
The Driving Creek Railway is a narrow gauge bush and mountain railway on the outskirts of the provincial town of Coromandel on the northwestern coast of the Coromandel Peninsula on New Zealand's North Island. The railway leads up the mountain to a viewing platform building 165 m high above the surrounding Coromandel west coast country. History The original line was built by the potter Barry Brickell on his 22-hectare property, which he had acquired in 1961, aiming to start a pottery collective. He started construction of the 15-inch gauge rail line in 1975, originally mainly using it to transport clay and pine wood fuel to his kiln. In 1975, Brickell purchased a larger 60ha block of land, and began working on what would become the Driving Creek Railway and Potteries. The new line would be of gauge instead of gauge, and would serve the same purpose as the original, to bring clay and firewood down from the slopes above the potteries. It would also be used to help re-plant ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Izu, Shizuoka
is a city located in central Izu Peninsula in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 30,678 in 13,390 households, and a population density of 84 persons per km2. The total area of the city was . Geography Izu is located in the north-central portion of the Izu Peninsula, and includes most of the Amagi Mountains. The region is hilly and some 80% of the city area is covered by forest. The Kano River runs through the city, which has a short coastline to the west on Suruga Bay of the Pacific Ocean. The area is part of the Izu-Tobu volcanic region, and is therefore subject to frequent earthquakes, and the city also has numerous hot springs as a result. Warmed by the Kuroshio Current, the area enjoys a warm maritime climate with hot, humid summers and mild, cool winters. Surrounding municipalities *Shizuoka Prefecture **Numazu **Izunokuni ** Itō ** Higashiizu ** Kawazu ** Nishiizu Demographics Per Japanese census data, the population of Izu has ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shuzenji Romney Railway
The Shuzenji Romney Railway (ロムニー鉄道, ''Romney Railway'') is a 1.2 km, gauge ridable miniature railway located in Niji-no-Sato (Rainbow Park) in Izu, Shizuoka, on the Izu Peninsula in Japan. It is based on the English Romney, Hythe & Dymchurch Railway on the English Channel coast in Kent, which opened in 1927. The railway operates using a mixture of steam and diesel locomotives and enclosed saloon carriages. Its primary two steam engines were built by the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria, England, and are based on that line's 1976 ''Northern Rock'' 2-6-2 steam locomotive. Its No. 2 locomotive ''Ernest W. Twining'' was acquired from the Fairbourne Railway in Wales when that line converted to gauge. There is also a small 15-inch gauge railway museum A railway museum is a museum that explores the history of all aspects of rail related transportation, including: locomotives ( steam, diesel, and electric), railway cars, trams, and railway signalling eq ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
