A ridable miniature railway is a large scale, usually ground-level railway that hauls passengers using locomotives that are often models of full-sized railway locomotives.
Overview
Typically miniature railways have a rail track gauge between and under, though both larger and smaller gauges are used. At gauges of and less, the track is commonly raised above ground level. Flat cars are arranged with foot boards so that driver and passengers sit astride the track. The track is often multi-gauged, to accommodate,, and sometimes gauge locomotives. The smaller gauges of miniature railway track can also be portable and is generally / gauge on raised track or as / on ground level. Typically portable track is used to carry passengers at temporary events such as fêtes and summer fairs. Typically miniature lines are operated bynot for profit organisations - often model engineering societies - though some are entirely in private grounds and others operate commercially. There are many national organisations representing and providing guidance on miniature railway operations including the Australian Association of Live Steamers and Southern Federation of Model Engineering Societies.
A model railway is one where the gauge is too small for people to ride on the trains. Due to the use of mixed gauge tracks, passengers may ride on a miniature railway which shares the same gauge as, and be pulled by, a large model locomotive on a smaller model gauge, although this is rare. Miniature railways are railways that can be ridden by people and aimed at pleasure / pastime for their constructors and passengers. In the US miniature railways are also known as 'riding railroads' or 'grand scale railroads'. The track gauges recognised as being miniature railways varies by country, but for the UK the maximum gauge is 350mm. A minimum-gauge railway, which generally starts at 15" gauge, is one that was originally conceived as a commercial railways with small gauge track with a working function as estate railways, or industrial railways, or providers of public transport links. In the UK a "gauge of 350mm or cross a carriageway" is the criterion used by the ORR, the Office of Rail and Road, as the gauge above which railways are no longer classed as miniature and therefore subject to formal regulation: they may be minor railways and or heritage railways - the concept of minimum gauge is not recognised for the purposes of regulation.
Gauge
Around the world there are over 1,000 miniature railways open to public, with being by far the most numerous.
