Almost every country with tramways/railways had some or all of that trackage as narrow gauge lines. These narrow gauge railways continue to exist in many parts of the world, either as operational railways or as heritage operations (tourist railways, museums, etc.).
Railways highlighted here are representative of narrow gauge lines but their selection is very personal, often simply ones that I have visited and photographed.
Lynn Zelmer
- Queensland Government Railways/Queensland Rail
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QR operates passenger and freight services over 10,000 km of 1067mm (3' 6") gauge rail lines in the state of Queensland. Built as a series of narrow gauge resource lines to develop agricultural areas of the state, QR now depends upon coal traffic for much of its revenue and has expanded operations Australia-wide.
QldRailHeritage.com provides links to many of QR's heritage operations and museums.
- Queensland's Shire Railways
- Shire railways were owned and operated by local Shires, often either as an adjunct to the state rail system (QGR, now QR) or in the hope of state rail expansion into their area. Eg: Buderim-Palmwoods Heritage Tramway and Krauss restoration; Mapleton Tramway history site.
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Sugar Cane Tram/Railways - These mainly 610mm gauge industrial railways have their own web site. While the CaneSIG site is oriented towards modellers it has a wealth of information for the railfan as well. [Direct links: Angola, Argentina, Australia, Cuba, Fiji, Florida, Hawaii, India, Indonesia, Louisiana, Philippines]
- Coal Creek Bush Tramway, Victoria
- A 610mm bush tramway operating in a Gippsland heritage village setting.
- Ida Bay Railway
- Recently re-opened, this 6.8 km 610mm (2') gauge tourist railway in SE Tasmania started life carrying limestone.
- Redwater Creek Steam and Heritage Society
- With more than 1 km of track at Sheffield in Tasmania, this 2' gauge railway operates steam train rides using a Krauss 0-4-0.
- Multiple Gauge Examples
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With a variety of gauges in operation it is inevitable that some locations will have trackwork for more than one gauge. The Queensland cane fields provides two examples: New
dual gauge track, Airdale 3 siding, April 2002, and the dual gauge
change of side at Brown's Rd, Northcote, Invicta/Pioneer Mills,Oct 1997.
A unique Australian
triple gauge situation occurs in South Australia on the line between Broken Hill (NSW) and Port Pirrie (SA). This photo shows the East end of the Gladstone Yard (SA) in May 1982. - Canadian Narrow Gauge
- The 3' 6" gauge Newfoundland Railway is perhaps Canada's best known narrow gauge railway but there were several others, including in the Pacific Northwest logging industry.
- English and European Narrow Gauge
The well-known Welsh narrow gauge lines hauled
slate from the mines to wharf but it is possible to find narrow gauge lines in almost every country and industry.
- Gwalior Light Railway, India
- This 300km+ 610mm railway started life as a Maharaja's 'toy'.
- Puerto Rico
- Railroads of Puerto Rico - Ferrocarriles de Puerto Rico (Standard and narrow gauge).
- USA Narrow Gauge
- Several 610mm (2') narrow gauge railways existed in Maine, but the best known are the 915mm (3') gauge mountain lines in Colorado (mining) and Pacific states (logging). Examples: D&RGW 3' gauge box car plan.
- Timber/Logging Railways
- Timber/Logging railways aren't always narrow gauge, but even the standard gauge ones generally operated much the same as their narrow gauge cousins.
Site maintained on behalf of the Australasian Region, National Model Railroad Association, Narrow Gauge SIG by Lynn Zelmer (lynn @ zelmeroz.com). Site/content © Lynn Zelmer and/or contributors. Materials on this site have been provided for personal, non-commercial modelling use, inquire for all other uses. last updated 6 May 2011.