Narrow Gauge
Narrow Gauge Railways
I have railways in the blood, so they are probably narrow gauge. Its all thanks to my parents who found out, very early on, railways kept me quiet and interested. My interest mainly stemmed from the engineering point of view but has now evolved to include mass transportation and associated environmental benefits.
I also take photos and visit as many preserved/heritage railways I can. I have no idea why I like them so much, but then I guess its no different to people being car enthusiasts, dog breeders, and so on. Its whatever makes us happy and that’s all that really matters.I will freely admit that my preference is for narrow gauge railways. This has probably got something to with being brought up in North Wales, where there seems to be a concentration of excellent narrow gauge lines.
The original intention of this lens was to cover all railways, I reckoned that my real preference is for NGRs so hence a lens about NGRs
Great Little Trains of Wales
There are at least 10 great narrow gauge railways in Wales, (I reckon there are more, it certainly seems that way). The concentration of these is in the North and are usually located on old industrial tramways, usually connected to slate mines. The bonus is that the countryside is spectacular too, and yes I am biased because I spent a lot of my early life living in the region. The oldest of these railways, with regards to continual running, is the Ffestiniog Railway, the youngest is the Corris Railway, located close the famous Talyllyn Railway.
The important aspect that connects all these railways are the historic element with regards to railway and industrial history. The slate mines of North Wales were the first to develop NGRs to haul out the slate and take it to where it was shipped off, as is the case with the Ffestiniog Railway. The newer side, as with all NGRs, is the importance to the tourist industry in Wales, which is why the region tourist agency promotes them. For a railway enthusiast its simply good to know there are plenty of steam railways and there are active developments taking place. If you find yourself going on holiday to this area then they are highly recommended.
For the past few years there have been several developments that have either seen lines expanded or new lines being built. Arguably the greatest of these developments is the re-building of the Welsh Highland line from Caernarfon to Porthmadog Harbour; the line will go past some of Wales’ most amazing scenery: along the base of Mount Snowdon and along the Aberglaslyn pass and in to Porthmadog to arrive next to the existing Ffestiniog route.
Cerny Balog
This railways runs for about 12km along old logging tracks (used to ferry timber from the forests) and has a few very well preserved steam locos. Whilst the track is not the smoothest, in time this will be a very good railway. They are making changes to the facilities and run special days. If ever you are in the area (on running days) I would recommend trying it out.
There are many more railways in Slovakia and Czech republic that are seeing the benefits of tourism and are enjoying a new chapter in their histories.
The website is in Slovak, but the map shows where its located.
Other Narrow gauge railways for Slovakia and Czech Republic can be found on the following site
Ffestiniog & Welsh Highland Railways
At least in my opinion this is the number one narrow gauge railway in the UK, and with current developments it is set to be the main center for NGRs in the UK. I spent most of my early life (age 2 to 12) spending a lot of time traveling on this line, watching it grow and expand.The original route goes from Porthmadog to Blaenau Ffestiniong, the round trip taking 2.5 hours and some spectacular schenery along the way.The new project (Welsh Highland Railway) goes from Porthmadog to Caernarfon, and will connect with the FR at Porthmadog station. This will simply be an amazing route and probably take all day. I am quite excited to see the completed Porthmadog to Caernarfon line as the schenery on this route is even more spectacular.
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad
The Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad runs from Durango in the south, 45 miles north to Silverton, and it is spectacular.The railway has a special place in my memory because I spent 3 wonderful months working in Silverton during a summer break from University. There wasn’t a day that passed that I didn’t see the train arrive. If you are ever in the area and have a day spare (it will take the best part of the day to do the return route) then take a trip on the D&SNGRR.
Trawling through the web I recently found the following photo that i certainly worth a mention since it captures the true essence of D&SNGR (click to see original), plus there are some great photos of the railroad to be found on RailPictures
Other Links
