3 ft gauge railways in the United Kingdom

By transport mode

By size (list)



Minimum
Fifteen inch	381 mm	(15 in)

Narrow
600 mm	600 mm	(1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
Two foot	610 mm	(2 ft)
Two foot three inch	686 mm	(2 ft 3 in)
750 mm	750 mm	(2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Bosnian gauge	760 mm	(2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)
Two foot six inch	762 mm	(2 ft 6 in)
Swedish three foot	891 mm	(2 ft 11+3⁄32 in)
900 mm	900 mm	(2 ft 11+7⁄16 in)
Three foot	914 mm	(3 ft)
Italian metre	950 mm	(3 ft1+13⁄32 in)
Metre	1,000 mm	(3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Three foot six inch	1,067 mm	(3 ft 6 in)
Four foot	1,219 mm	(4 ft)
Four foot six inch	1,372 mm	(4 ft 6 in)
1432 mm	1,432 mm	(4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)

Standard	1,435 mm	(4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

Broad
Italian broad gauge	1,445 mm	(4 ft 8+7⁄8 in)
Dresden gauge	1,450 mm	(4 ft 9+3⁄32 in)
Leipzig gauge	1,458 mm	(4 ft 9+13⁄32 in)
Toronto gauge	1,495 mm	(4 ft 10+7⁄8 in)
1520 mm	1,520 mm	(4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)
Five foot	1,524 mm	(5 ft)
Pennsylvania gauge	1,581 mm	(5 ft 2+1⁄4 in)
Pennsylvania gauge	1,588 mm	(5 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Five foot three inch	1,600 mm	(5 ft 3 in)
Baltimore gauge	1,638 mm	(5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Iberian gauge	1,668 mm	(5 ft 5+21⁄32 in)
Five foot six inch	1,676 mm	(5 ft 6 in)
Six foot	1,829 mm	(6 ft)
Brunel	2,140 mm	(7 ft 1⁄4 in)
Breitspurbahn	3,000 mm	(9 ft 101⁄8 in)

Change of gauge

By location

A list of 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge railways in the United Kingdom.

The worldwide usage of locomotives on railways, including 3 ft (914 mm) gauge railways, has its origins in the United Kingdom in the early 19th century during the Industrial Revolution. In fact, in 1802, a 3 ft gauge plateway-type railway owned by the Coalbrookdale Company in England became the first railway in the world to have a locomotive designed and built for it. The locomotive's designer, Richard Trevithick, is credited with making the first recorded successful demonstration of a locomotive on rails (in 1804 on a different railway in Wales). 3 ft gauge locomotive-powered railways, along with other narrow-gauge railways of varying widths, would later become one of the most common railway gauges chosen for short-distance lines in the British Isles, such as those found in mines and industrial sites (see table below).

Railways

Country/territory	Railway
England	Alan Keef Headquarters (private) (2 ft (610 mm) gauge lines and dual gauge lines with 2 ft (610 mm) gauge track also present) (all 3 ft (914 mm) gauge trackage is dual-gauged with 2 ft (610 mm) gauge trackage) (operating) British Moss Litter Company (defunct) City of Worcester Tramways Company (defunct) Coalbrookdale Company (world's first railway to have a locomotive designed and built for it; however, no record of a successful run of this locomotive exists) (gauge of locomotive itself slightly wider than 3 ft (914 mm) gauge due to railway's plateway design) (defunct) Crowle Peatland Railway (operating) Eastwell tramway (defunct) Geltsdale Reservoir Railway (defunct) Kettering Ironstone Railway (1876-1962) Moorends Works (standard-gauge lines also present) (defunct) Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway (converted to 15 in (381 mm) gauge) (operating) Redlake Tramway (defunct) Rye and Camber Tramway (defunct) Scropton Tramway (defunct) Southend Pier Railway (1986-present) (operating) Southwold Railway (defunct) Steep Grade Railway (defunct) Thorne and Hatfield Moors (defunct) Titterstone Clee Hill (defunct) Torrington and Marland Railway (defunct) Tramways Trust Company (defunct) Trevithick Shed (located in Blists Hill Victorian Town) (UNESCO World Heritage Site status shared with entire Ironbridge Gorge area) (separate standard-gauge railway named Hay Inclined Lift and separate 2 ft (610 mm) gauge railway named Mine Railway also present) (operating) Tynemouth and District Tramways (defunct) Woolsthorpe tramway (defunct) Worcester Tramways Company (defunct)
Northern Ireland	Main article: List of narrow-gauge railways in Ireland
Scotland	Lochaber Narrow Gauge Railway (dual gauge lines with standard-gauge track also present) (defunct) Skye Marble Railway (defunct) Strathbathie Light Railway (1900-1949)
Wales	Barmouth Junction and Arthog Tramway (defunct) Deep Mine Railway (located in Llechwedd Slate Caverns) (separate 1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) gauge railway named Miners' Tramway also present) (operating) Gorseddau Tramway (defunct) Llanelly Tramways (defunct) Little Ormes Head Quarry Tramway (defunct) Penmaenmawr & Welsh Granite Co. (defunct) Porthgain Railway (defunct) Pwllheli and Llanbedrog Tramway (defunct)

References

^ Tonks, Eric (1992). The Ironstone Quarries of the Midlands Part 9: Leicestershire. Cheltenham: Runpast Publishing. ISBN 1-870-754-085.
Quine, Dan (2016). Four East Midlands Ironstone Tramways Part Two: Kettering. Vol. 106. Garndolbenmaen: Narrow Gauge and Industrial Railway Modelling Review.

External links

v t e Track gauge (list)
Minimum-gauge 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)
Narrow gauge	2 foot and 600 mm 2 ft 3 in (686 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)
Standard gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in / 1,435 mm, Stephenson gauge
Broad 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 1,945 mm (6 ft 4+9⁄16 in), De Arend 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
List of track gauge articles	List of track gauges List of tram track gauges Miniature railways Minimum-gauge railways Large amusement railways
Gauge differences	Bogie exchange Break of gauge Dual gauge Gauge conversion list Variable gauge
Transport mode	Tram and light rail Rapid transit Miniature Scale model
Categories	by country by imperial units by metric units by name lists of track gauges

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3 ft gauge railways in the United Kingdom

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