Introduction

This page contains links to a series of Minor Railway Histories. Each history will open up in a new window or tab.

This overview summarises the development of the public passenger carrying miniature railway in Great Britain, from the first such railways of 1901 up to the end of the First World War in 1918. Only brief details are given for each railway, many of which were only laid down in connection with various exhibitions.

The history of miniature railways can be traced through individual railways or through the locomotives, which operated on them. Due to their size, miniature railway locomotives are easily transportable and some have been very nomadic during their life! They also have a habit of apparently disappearing, only to be rediscovered some years later in a completely different location. Re-numberings and re-namings, at the whim of the various owners, also present the researcher with problems. Here, we follow the life story of one particular 10¼" gauge steam locomotive.

This article is neither a detailed historical study of the events of the time, nor an attempt to describe the comprehensive history of the various railways mentioned. It does, however, portray the background to the construction of a number of similar railways at a time when events elsewhere would have seemed to conspire against such developments. All photographs are from the author's collection. Note: this is an extended version of the article, which previously appeared in The Narrow Gauge No.182 (Autumn 2003).