2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways
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Two foot and 600 mm gauge railways are narrow gauge railways with track gauges of 2 ft (610 mm) and 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in), respectively. Railways with similar, less common track gauges, such as 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) and 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm), are grouped with 2 ft and 600 mm gauge railways.
Overview
Most of these lines are tourist lines, which are often heritage railways or industrial lines, such as the Ffestiniog Railway in Wales and the Cripple Creek and Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad in Colorado.
World War I trench railways produced the greatest concentration of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge railways to date. In preparation for World War II, the French Maginot Line and Alpine Line also used 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge railways for supply routes to the fixed border defenses.
Australia has over 4,000 kilometres (2,500 mi) of 2 ft (610 mm) gauge sugar cane railway networks in the coastal areas of Queensland, which carry more than 30 million tonnes of sugar cane a year.
Many 2 ft (610 mm) gauge and 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge railways are used in amusement parks and theme parks worldwide.
Exchange of rolling stock
The interchange of rolling stock between these similar track gauges occasionally occurred; for example, the South African Class NG15 2-8-2 locomotives started their career on the 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge. The Otavi Mining and Railway Company in South West Africa (now Namibia) were transferred to the 2 ft gauge railways in South Africa and currently some surviving locomotives reside in Wales on the 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) gauge Welsh Highland Railway and the 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm) gauge Brecon Mountain Railway.
Railways
Country/territory | Railway | Gauge |
---|---|---|
Albania | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Angola |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Argentina |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Australia | 2 ft (610 mm) | |
Austria | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Belarus | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Belgium |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Brazil |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Brunei | 2 ft (610 mm) | |
Bulgaria | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Burundi |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Cambodia |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Canada |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Cameroon |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Central African Republic |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Chile |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
China | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Comoros |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Czech Republic |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Denmark | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Egypt |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Eritrea |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Estonia |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Falkland Islands |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Fiji | 2 ft (610 mm) | |
Finland | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
France | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Germany | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Greece |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Greenland |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Guatemala |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Hong Kong |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Hungary |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Iceland |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
India |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Indonesia |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Isle of Man |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Italy |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Japan |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Laos |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Latvia | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Lithuania |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
North Macedonia |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Madagascar |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Mauritius |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Mexico |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Montenegro |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Morocco | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Mozambique |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Myanmar |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Namibia |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Nauru |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Netherlands |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
New Zealand |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Norway | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Palestine |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Papua New Guinea |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Pakistan |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Philippines |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Poland | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Portugal |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Rwanda |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Somalia |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
South Africa | 2 ft (610 mm) | |
South Korea |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Spain | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Sudan |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Sweden | 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) | |
Switzerland |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Taiwan |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Tanzania |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Thailand |
| 2 ft (610 mm) |
Togo |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
Turkey |
| 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) |
United Kingdom | 2 ft (610 mm); 1 ft 11+3⁄4 in (603 mm); 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in); 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | |
United States | 2 ft (610 mm) | |
Zimbabwe | 2 ft (610 mm) |
See also
References
- ^ The Very Special Electric Tramway in Valle Hermoso, Argentina
- ^ Railways of the Far South - The Ushuaia prison railway & the FCAF
- ^ World Wide Listing of Two foot, 1' 11 1/2", 600 mm (60cm) & 610mm Railroads (from archive.org) - Argentina
- ^ "Music Express - Walibi Belgium - Pretparken.be". Retrieved 12 January 2024.
- ^ "The Vennbahn: Belgium's railway through Germany". Archived from the original on 2016-03-03. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
- ^ "Canadian Rail No, 439 - The Magazine of Canada's Railway History" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2020-07-25. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
- ^ "Niagara Rails - Other Lines". Archived from the original on 2014-02-21. Retrieved 2014-02-17.
- ^ Exploration Place Museum and Science Centre - official website
- ^ "Iconic Port Elgin beach train station demolished". Shoreline Beacon. May 20, 2020.
- ^ a b c Railways of the Far South - Chiloe Island
- ^ World Wide Listing of Two foot, 1' 11 1/2", 600 mm (60cm) & 610mm Railroads (from archive.org) - Java
- ^ "RailScape - Musashino-Mura". Archived from the original on 2014-02-25. Retrieved 2014-02-20.
- ^ Musashino-Mura - official website
- ^ Steamlocomotive.info - Chiba
- ^ Narita Yume Bokujō Railway - official website
- ^ Industrial Heritage in Madagascar, 2012
- ^ Narrow Gauge Railway Relics in Mauritius, 2012
- ^ Preserved Narrow Gauge Steam in Mexico 2012, Part 2
- ^ a b c d e f "Directory of preserved narrow gauge railways in Norway". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2014-02-18.
- ^ Changa Manga Forest Railway
- ^ "Severn Lamb - News Archive". Archived from the original on 2011-12-02. Retrieved 2014-02-24.
- ^ a b c "Trams of the World 2017" (PDF). Blickpunkt Straßenbahn. January 24, 2017. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 16, 2017. Retrieved February 16, 2017.
- ^ "Listadotren.es - Funicular de Molinos (Lleida)". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2014-03-16.
- ^ "Tren Minero de Utrillas". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2018-07-24.
- ^ Funimag - "Die Puschlaver Geisterbahn" Cavaglia
- ^ 610 mm gauge Shurugwi Railway
- ^ Shurugwi Peak Railway, Zimbabwe
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Minimum-gauge railways
- 15 in (381 mm)
- 400 mm (15+3⁄4 in)
- 16 in (406 mm)
- 18 in (457 mm)
- 19 in (483 mm)
- 500 mm (19+3⁄4 in)
- 20 in (508 mm)
- 21 in (533 mm)
- 1 ft 10 in (559 mm)
- 2 foot and 600 mm
- 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
- 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)
- 2 ft 6 in (762 mm)
- 800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
- 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) Swedish three foot
- 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in)
- 3 ft (914 mm)
- 950 mm (3 ft 1+3⁄8 in) Italian metre gauge
- 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge
- 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in),
- 1,055 mm (3 ft 5+1⁄2 in),
- 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm)
- 1,093 mm (3 ft 7 in),
- 1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in),
- 1,200 mm (3 ft 11+1⁄4 in)
- 4 ft (1,219 mm)
- 4 ft 1 in (1,245 mm), Middleton Railway
- 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm), Scotch gauge
- 4 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1,384 mm), Scotch gauge
- 4 ft 7+3⁄4 in (1,416 mm)
- 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), almost standard gauge
- 4 ft 8+1⁄4 in (1,429 mm)
- 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)
- 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in / 1,435 mm, Stephenson gauge
- 1,440 mm (4 ft 8+11⁄16 in)
- 1,445 mm (4 ft 8+7⁄8 in)
- 1,450 mm (4 ft 9+3⁄32 in)
- 4 ft 9+3⁄8 in (1,457 mm)
- 1,458 mm (4 ft 9+13⁄32 in)
- 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm), Toronto gauge
- 5 ft / 1,524 mm and 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in), Russian gauge.
- 5 ft 2+1⁄4 in / 1,581 mm and 5 ft 2+1⁄2 in / 1,588 mm, Pennsylvania gauge
- 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), Irish gauge
- 5 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1,638 mm), Baltimore gauge
- 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in), Iberian gauge
- 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm), Indian gauge
- 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), Brunel gauge
- 3,000 mm (9 ft 10+1⁄8 in), Breitspurbahn
- 8,200 mm (26 ft 10+27⁄32 in), Lärchwandschrägaufzug
- 9,000 mm (29 ft 6+5⁄16 in), Krasnoyarsk ship lift
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- by imperial units
- by metric units
- by name
- lists of track gauges