Narrow-gauge railways in Europe
The picturesque Septemvri–Dobrinishte narrow-gauge line is 125 km long and features 25 stations, 35 tunnels, many bridges, spiral loops.
The Stoomcentrum Maldegem has a 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge line laid on the former standard-gauge trackbed to Donk.
Most railway lines in Denmark were built with standard gauge from the beginning, since the country was fairly densely populated in the 19th century.
The French National Railways used to run a considerable number of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) lines, extensive 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in) gauge lines were also built for the sugar-beet industry in the north often using ex-military equipment after the First World War.
A number of narrow-gauge lines survive, largely as a consequence of German reunification, in the former East Germany where some of them form part of the public transport system as active commercial carriers.
Most extensive of those still employing steam traction is the Harz mountain group of metre-gauge lines, the Harzer Schmalspurbahnen.
Although most rely on the tourist trade, in some areas they provide significant employment as steam traction is particularly labour-intensive.
In the Western part of Germany, Selfkantbahn (close to Heinsberg near Aachen) and Brohltalbahn (Linz/Rhine) are the best known ones, offering services in summer weekends.
All passenger service on the metre-gauge network in the Peloponnese (except the Diakofto Kalavrita Railway) was suspended in 2011.
However, the old narrow-gauge tracks remain in place between Velestino and Palaiofarsalos via Aerino, so that occasional special excursion trains use them.
The line ran from the center of Athens to Kifissia with a branch from Heraklion to Lavrion, finally closed in 1957.
In 1968 the Communist government started to implement a policy to dismantle the narrow-gauge network in favour of road traffic.
Apart from small heritage venues, the Irish narrow gauge today only survives in the bogs of the Midlands as part of Bord na Móna's extensive industrial network for transporting harvested peat to distribution centres or power plants.
Nowadays, a lot of this industrial rail heritage is preserved in museums or in theme parks, such as the Efteling Steam Train Company.
In Norway, a number of main lines were in the 19th century built with narrow gauge, 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm).
[4] Several old narrow-gauge railways in Romania are being renovated for tourist purposes: the one in the Vaser Valley (Maramureș County) is now well known, the line from Abrud to Campeni is sporadically operating and other renovation projects have made tentative steps and may commence regular operations in the near future, such as the Agnita railway line,[5] which has been declared as a historical monument and is now starting to be restored by volunteers.
The narrow-gauge railway line in Mokra Gora on the northern slopes of mountain Zlatibor in Serbia climbs a 300-metre ascent using an unusual loop in the form of the figure 8 – the popular "Šargan Eight".
Trieste–Buje–Parenzo, connected Trieste (Italy) – Capodistria Koper, Isola d'Istria Izola (Slovenia) – Parenzo Poreč (Croatia) (dismantled).
In Spain there is an extensive 1,250 km (780 mi) system of 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) gauge railways, in the north of the country, operated by RENFE (until 2013 by FEVE) and EuskoTren.
Also on the island of Majorca, the FS (Ferrocarril de Sóller) operates a 3 ft (914 mm) gauge electrified railway and connecting tramway.
Some were converted to standard gauge (the latest one the line between Berga and Kalmar in the 1970s) and some remain as heritage railways.
Most of the lines were originally built to haul minerals or agricultural products over short distances, though many also carried passengers.
The longest passenger line was the combined Welsh Highland and Ffestiniog railways at 36 miles or 58 kilometres.
The Welsh Highland was completely re-opened in 2011 giving a total length (together with the Ffestiniog) of about 40 miles (64 km).
The sole passenger-carrying exception is the Glasgow Subway, an underground metro line that operates on a 4 ft (1,219 mm) gauge.
Amongst the most well-known narrow-gauge lines in Britain are the Ffestiniog – one of the earliest railway organisations in the world – the Vale of Rheidol, and the Welshpool & Llanfair in Wales, the Lynton & Barnstaple, Amerton Railway, the Ravenglass and Eskdale and the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch, in England.
