British narrow-gauge railways

After the start of the Industrial Revolution it became possible to create railways with iron tracks and wheels, which reduced the friction involved in moving wagons, and made longer horse-hauled trains possible.

These could move more material over longer distances, allowing the construction of railways from mines and quarries to transshipment points on rivers, canals and the coast.

In 1804, Richard Trevithick demonstrated the first locomotive-hauled railway in the world: the 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge Penydarren Tramway in south Wales.

The mountains of the north held large quantities of slate and their narrow valleys and steep hillsides meant that the smaller narrow-gauge railways were cost effective.

The major slate mining regions at Bethesda, Llanberis, Blaenau Ffestiniog and Corris all developed multiple railways to serve the quarries.

Many common carrier lines were built: most of the railways on the Isle of Man were narrow-gauge – mostly 3 ft (914 mm) gauge.

These lines allowed communities that did not merit a full railway service to connect to the mainline network at low cost.

The 1920s saw a brief resurgence of the narrow gauge as surplus equipment from the War Department Light Railways (WDLR) became available.

Other lines such as the Glyn Valley Tramway and the Snailbeach District Railways were able to replace ageing locomotives relatively cheaply and continue to operate on shoestring budgets.

The last narrow-gauge commercial carrier in Britain was the Ashover Light Railway,[citation needed][dubious – discuss] opened in 1925 using surplus war equipment.

Many small railways were built to serve sand and gravel pits, cement works and the peat and timber extraction industries, often using ex-WDLR equipment.

The continued development of road transport and the economic crises of the 1930s saw a slow decline in the use of narrow-gauge railways across the country.

This decline accelerated after the Second World War as improved road transport displaced railways in industry and for passenger service.

Notable among the latter are the Glasgow Subway, an underground metro line that operates on a 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge, and the Manx Electric Railway on the Isle of Man.

These are private lines or collections owned by individuals or small groups and generally not open to the public.