A ridable miniature railway (US: riding railroad or grand scale railroad) is a large scale, usually ground-level

railway Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a p ...

that hauls passengers using

locomotive A locomotive or engine is a rail transport vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. If a locomotive is capable of carrying a payload, it is usually rather referred to as a multiple unit, motor coach, railcar or power car; the ...

s that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by

diesel Diesel may refer to: * Diesel engine, an internal combustion engine where ignition is caused by compression * Diesel fuel, a liquid fuel used in diesel engines * Diesel locomotive, a railway locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engi ...

petrol Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...

engines,

live steam Live steam is steam under pressure, obtained by heating water in a boiler. The steam is used to operate stationary or moving equipment. A live steam machine or device is one powered by steam, but the term is usually reserved for those that ar ...

electric motor An electric motor is an electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a wire winding to generate f ...

s).

Overview

Typically miniature railways have a rail

track Track or Tracks may refer to: Routes or imprints * Ancient trackway, any track or trail whose origin is lost in antiquity * Animal track, imprints left on surfaces that an animal walks across * Desire path, a line worn by people taking the shorte ...

gauge Gauge ( or ) may refer to: Measurement * Gauge (instrument), any of a variety of measuring instruments * Gauge (firearms) * Wire gauge, a measure of the size of a wire ** American wire gauge, a common measure of nonferrous wire diameter, es ...

between and under , though both larger and smaller gauges are used. At gauges of 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 , , and sometimes gauge locomotives. The smaller gauges of miniature railway track can also be portable and is generally / gauge on raised track or as / on ground level. Typically portable track is used to carry passengers at temporary events such as fêtes and summer fairs. Typically miniature lines are operated by not for profit organisations - often model engineering societies - though some are entirely in private grounds and others operate commercially. There are many national organisations representing and providing guidance on miniature railway operations including the Australian Association of Live Steamers and Southern Federation of Model Engineering Societies.

Distinctions between model, miniature, and minimum-gauge railway

A ' model railway' is one where the gauge is too small for people to ride on the trains. Due to the use of mixed gauge tracks, passengers may ride on a miniature railway which shares the same gauge as, and is pulled by, a large model locomotive on a smaller model gauge, although this is rare. 'Miniature railways' are

s that can be ridden by people and are used for pleasure/as a pastime for their constructors and passengers. In the USA, miniature railways are also known as 'riding railroads' or 'grand scale railroads'. The track gauges recognised as being miniature railways vary by country, but in the UK the maximum gauge is . A '

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 farmi ...

', which generally starts at gauge, is one that was originally conceived as a commercial railway with small gauge track, with a working function as an estate railway, an industrial railway, or a provider of public transport links, such as the

Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway The Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway (RH&DR) is a gauge light railway in Kent, England, operating steam and internal combustion An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs ...

, Fairbourne Railway or the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway. In the UK, a gauge of r aboveor crossing a carriageway are the criteria used by the Office of Rail and Road (ORR), at which a railway is no longer classed as miniature and is therefore subject to formal regulation: they may be minor railways and/or heritage railways; the concept of minimum gauge is not recognised for the purposes of regulation.

Gauge

There are over 1,000 miniature railways open to the public around the world, not counting private railways, with gauge being by far the most numerous. Many layouts have dual-gauge track combing two, three or even more different gauges.

Miniature railways

Gallery

File:WestRydeMiniRail.jpg, Miniature railway ride in West Ryde, Australia in 2007 File:W&WLR Locomotive 3.jpg,

Wells and Walsingham Light Railway The Wells and Walsingham Light Railway is a gauge heritage railway in Norfolk, England running between the coastal town of Wells-next-the-Sea and the inland village of Walsingham. The railway occupies a section of the trackbed of the former ...

File:There and Back light Railway at Rushden.jpg, There and Back light Railway at Rushden File:There and Back light Railway at Burghley.jpg, There and Back light Railway at Burghley

Fifteen-inch railways

Minimum-gauge railways

Large amusement railways

References

Bibliography

External links

''Grand Scales Quarterly''
the US magazine of grand scale railroading
Miniature Railway WorldLive Steam TracksBritains Great Little RailwaysThere and Back Light Railway7¼ Inch Gauge SocietyModel Engineering Association of New Zealand
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ridable Miniature Railway Backyard railways Miniature, ridable railway S.M.P.D. Brno - Olympia