Ridable miniature railway
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A ridable miniature railway is a ground-level, large scale model railroad (or railway) that hauls passengers using locomotives that are models of full-sized railway locomotives (powered by diesel or gasoline engines, live steam engines or electric motors).
Typically they have a track gauge between 10 and 18 inches (254 to 458mm), though both larger and smaller gauges are used. In the USA the terms riding railroad and grand scale railroad are commonly used to describe this type of railway.
These large model railroads are most often seen in municipal parks or in commercial settings, such as amusement park rides.
The major distinction between a miniature railway and a narrow gauge railway is that miniature lines use models of full-sized prototypes. There are miniature railways that run on gauges as wide as 2 ft (610 mm), for example the Wicksteed Park railway. There are also narrow gauge railways running on extremely narrow track as small as 15 inch gauge or less, for example the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, Perrygrove Railway and the Eaton Hall Railway: these are known as minimum gauge railways.
Typically in the UK miniature lines are operated as public heritage railways, though many private lines also exist, especially in the USA.
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[edit] UK Miniature Railways
[edit] 20 in gauge
- North Bay Railway, Scarborough, North Yorkshire website
[edit] 18 in (457 mm) gauge
- Heath Park Tramway, Cardiff
- Sundown Pets Corner, Retford, Nottinghamshire
- Terrific Train, New Metroland, Gateshead, Tyne & Wear
[edit] 15 in (381 mm) gauge
- American Adventure, Alfreton, Derbyshire
- Blackpool Zoo, Lancashire
- Blenheim Park Railway, Oxfordshire
- Bressingham Gardens, Norfolk website
- Bure Valley Railway, Norfolk website
- Cleethorpes Coast Light Railway, Lincolnshire website
- Conwy Valley Railway Museum, Betws-y-Coed, in North Wales website
- Coombe Martin Wildlife Park, Devon website
- Craigtoun Miniature Railway, Craigtoun Park, St. Andrews
- Eaton Hall Railway, Cheshire website
- Evesham Vale Light Railway, Evesham Country Park, Twyford, Evesham, Worcestershire website
- Gulliver's Land, Milton Keynes website
- Gulliver's World, Warrington, Cheshire website
- Haigh Country Park Railway, Greater Manchester
- Heatherslaw Light Railway, Northumberland
- Kirklees Light Railway, Clayton West, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire website
- Knowsley Safari Park, Prescot, Merseyside
- Lakeside Miniature Railway, Southport, Merseyside website
- Lappa Valley Railway website
- Lightwater Valley Themepark, Ripon, North Yorkshire
- Longleat House Railway website
- Markeaton Park, Derby website
- Marwell Zoo, Colden Common, Hampshire
- Oakwood Adventure Park, Narberth, Pembrokeshire
- Paradise Park, Hayle, Cornwall
- Paultons Park, Ower, Romney, Hampshire
- Perrygrove Railway, Coleford, Gloucestershire
- Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway, Cumbria website
- Rhiw Valley Light Railway, Manafon, Powys
- Rhyl Miniature Railway, Clwyd website
- Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, Kent website
- Saltburn Miniature Railway, Cat Nab, Cleveland
- Sherwood Forest Steam Railway, Nottinghamshire website
- West Midlands Safari Park, Worcestershire
- Windmill Farm Railway, Burscough, Lancashire
- Wildlife Park, Cricket St Thomas, Chard, Somerset
[edit] 121⁄2 in (317 mm) gauge
- Exbury Gardens Steam Railway, Beaulieu, Hampshire
- Newchapel Railway, Horne, Horley, Surrey
[edit] 12.25" (310mm) gauge
- Fairbourne and Barmouth Railway, Gwynedd
[edit] 12" in (305 mm) gauge
- Anglesey Model Village, Newborough
- Ruislip Lido Railway, Greater London website
[edit] 101⁄4 in (260 mm) gauge
- Audley End Railway, Audley End, Saffron Walden, Essex website
- Beale Park, Pangbourne, Berkshire website
- Berkeley Light Railway, Gloucestershire website
- Bickington Steam Railway, Trago Mills, Liverton, Newton Abbot, Devon website
- Birchley Miniature Railway website
- Brechin Castle Centre Railway, Haughmuir, Brechin
- Brooklands Pleasure Park, Worthing, Sussex
- Chichester & District Society of Model Engineers, Chichester, Sussex
- Drayton Manor Park and Zoo, Staffordshire
- Eastleigh Lakeside Railway, Hampshire website
- Egerton Park Sportsground, Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire
- Exmouth Express, Exmouth, Devon
- Ferry Meadows Miniature Railway, Nene Valley Park, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire
- Happy Mount Park, Bare, Morecombe, Lancashire
- Hastings Miniature Railway, Hastings, Sussex
- Kerr's Miniature Railway, West Links Park, Arbroath
- Kirkby Green Light Railway, Sleaford, Lincolnshire (private with open days)
- Knebworth Park Miniature Railway, Hertfordshire
- Lions Mane Line Miniature Railway, Saville Brothers Garden Centre, Selby Road, Garforth, Leeds
- Manor Railway, Ingfield Manor, Billingshurst, Sussex
- Mull & West Highland Narrow Gauge Railway, Craignure, Isle of Mull website
- Paignton Environmental Park, Paignton, Devon
- Paradise Wildlife Park, Broxbourne, Hertfordshire
- Pettit's Animal Adventure Park, Reedham, Norfolk
- Poole Park Miniature Railway, Poole, Dorset
- Queens Park, Chesterfield, Derbyshire
- Royal Victoria Country Park, Netley, Hampshire website
- Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, Rudyard, near Leek, Staffordshire website
- Saville Brothers Garden Centre, Garforth, Yorkshire
- Smokey Oak Railway, Woodland Park, Brokerswood, Westbury, Wiltshire
- Stapleford Miniature Railway, Stapleford Park, Leicestershire website
- South Downs Light Railway, Pulborough, Sussex website
- St. Anne's Miniature Railway, St. Annes-on-Sea, Lancashire
- Sutton Hall Railway, Rochford, Essex website
- Twycross Zoo, Leicestershire
- Vanstone Park Miniature Railway, Vanstone Park Garden Centre, Codicote, Hertfordshire. website
- Watford Miniature Railway, Cassiobury Park, Watford, Hertfordshire website
- Wells & Walsingham Light Railway, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk website
- Wells Harbour Railway, Wells-next-the-Sea, Norfolk website
- Weymouth Bay Miniature Railway, Lodmoor, Weymouth, Dorset
[edit] 9½" in (241 mm) gauge
- Clevedon Fields Miniature Railway, Salthouse Fields, Somerset
- Hall Leys Park, Matlock, Derbyshire
- Lakeshore Railroad, South Marine Park, South Shields, Tyne & Wear
[edit] 9" in (229 mm) gauge
- Brogdale Horticultural Trust, Faversham, Kent
[edit] 8¼" in (210 mm) gauge
- Brambridge Park Garden Centre, Eastleigh, Hampshire
[edit] 7¼" (184 mm) gauge
- Beer Heights Light Railway, Devon
- Bekonscot Light Railway official website
- Conwy Valley Railway Museum, Wales
- Dobwalls, Forest Railroad, Cornwall
- Echills Wood Railway website
- Fancott Miniature Railway, Bedfordshire website
- Frimley Lodge Miniature Railway website
- Great Cockcrow Railway
- Malden and District Society of Model Engineers Ltd website
- Moors Valley Country Park website
- Weston Miniature Railway, Somerset website
- Weston Park Railway, Shropshire website
[edit] Miniature railways - rest of the world
[edit] 18 in (457 mm) gauge
- Billy Jones Wildcat Railroad, USA website
- Collegeville and Southern Railway, USA website
- Meadows and Lake Kathleen Railroad, USA website
- Shady Dell Pacific Railroad, Molalla, OR USA [1]
[edit] 15 in (381 mm) gauge
- Dalaas Waldbahn, Austria
- Weiner Prater Park Vienna, Austria
- Bear Creek Park Train, British Columbia, Canada
- Chemin de Fer d'Anse, France
- Dresdner Park Liliputbahn, Germany
- Stuttgart Park Railway, Germany
- Sakuradani Light Railway, Japan
- Driving Creek, New Zealand
- Whangaparaoa Narrow Gauge Railway, New Zealand
- B.A.D. Great Northern Railroad, California, USA
- Hillcrest & Wahtoke Steam Railroad, California, USA
- Joshua Tree & Southern GSD, California, USA website
- Leipzig Park Railway, Germany
- Laurel Run, Pennsylvania, USA
- Little Toot Railroad, Illinois, USA
- Milwaukee County Zoo, Wisconsin, USA
- Nickel Plate Railroad, California, USA
- Northwest Ohio Railroad Preservation, Ohio, USA
- Old Wakarusa Railroad, Indiana, USA website
- Orland Newville and Pacific Railroad, California, USA
- Paradise and Pacific Railroad, Arizona, USA
- Parkeisenbahn Auensee in Leipzig, Germany
- Phoenix & Holly Railroad, Oregon, USA
- Redwood Valley Railway, California, USA
- Riverside and Great Northern Railway, Wisconsin, USA website
- Riverview & Twin Lakes Railroad, Wyoming, USA
- Sonoma Traintown, California, USA
- Tiny Town Railroad, Colorado, USA
- Waterman & Western Railroad, USA
[edit] 12" in (305 mm) gauge
- C&H Railroad, 12" gauge, USA website
- Wabash Frisco & Pacific Railway, 12" gauge, Missouri, USA website
- Zilker Zephyr, 12" gauge, USA website
[edit] 7¼" and 7½" in (184 and 191 mm) gauge
- Los Angeles Live Steamers
- Train Mountain, Oregon, website
- Great Lakes Live Steamers, Royal Oak and Southgate, Michigan. website
- Riverside Live Steamers, Riverside, California website
- Many Model Engineering Societies in New Zealand, including
- Kapiti Miniature Railway & Associates, Raumati Marine Gardens, Raumati Beach, New Zealand (5" and 7¼" dual gauge)
- Havelock North Live Steamers and Associates inc
- Canterbury Society of Model and Experimental Engineers, Christchurch, host of 2006 CANMOD International Convention
- Railroad Museum of South Florida Train Village, 7.5" gauge, USA website
- Finnish Railway Museum
[edit] 5" gauge
[edit] Others
- Hesston Steam Museum website
- Cedar Rock Railroad, 16" gauge (406 mm), USA website
- Saint Louis Zoological Park
- Wenatchee Riverfront Railway
- Wicksteed Park railway
- Malden District Society of Model Engineers
[edit] See also
- Backyard railroad
- British industrial narrow gauge railways
- Children's railway
- Rail transport modelling
- Train ride
- War Department Light Railways
[edit] External links
- Grand Scales Quarterly the US magazine of grand scale railroading
- Miniature Railway World
