Narrow-gauge railways in North America
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Most narrow-gauge railways in North America were constructed with 3 ft (914 mm) track gauge.
Canada
Although many railways of central and eastern Canada were initially built to a 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) (
The only narrow-gauge system still in operation in the country is the 3 ft (914 mm) gauge White Pass and Yukon Route.
Costa Rica
Costa Rican railways are 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) {Cape} gauge. Due to its mountainous terrain, the first railway was laid using Cape gauge in 1871. This set the standard for other railways to use the same gauge. Currently all 950 km (590 mi) of rail are 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in). They are state owned and operated by INCOFER.
See also
El Salvador
El Salvador ran 3 ft (914 mm) gauge steam trains into the 1970s. How much of this survived a civil war, earthquake and hurricane is unknown. However, the country began to rebuild and fix existing tracks in anticipation for new train service. FENADESAL currently uses the tracks to connect the capital city of San Salvador to its suburbs. There are now more plans to start a metro rail on the current tracks, making it the most effective narrow-gauge train tracks in Central America.
Guatemala
- 3 ft (914 mm) gauge, Ferrovías Guatemala[1]
Haiti
Mexico
Various 3 ft (914 mm) narrow-gauge lines operated around Mexico City. A famous one operated in Morelos State. There were dozens of private narrow-gauge lines built to service the mining district, and some 2 ft (610 mm) common carriers including the Córdoba and Huatusco Railroad, Cazadero and San Pablo Railroad, Hornos Railroad, and Tacubaya Railroad.
The
Panama
Mule Locos haul ships through the locks in the Panama Canal (Gauge???)
See also
- Transport in Panama
St Kitts and Nevis
The narrow-gauge (30 inches[2]) St. Kitts Scenic Railway circles the island and offers passenger service from its headquarters near the airport, although the service is geared more for tourists than as day-to-day transportation for residents. Built between 1912 and 1926 to haul sugar cane from farms to the sugar factory in Basseterre, since 2003 the railway has offered a 3.5 hour, 30-mile circle tour of the island on specially designed double-decker open-air coaches, with 12 miles of the trip being by bus.[3]
United States
Many narrow-gauge railways were built in the United States with track gauge 3 ft (914 mm). The most extensive and well known systems were the 3 ft (914 mm) gauge lines through the
Today a few lines survive as
References
- ^ Ferrovías Guatemala
- ^ Schwartzman, M. T. "St. Kitts Railway: One Sweet Ride," Cruise Travel, December 2005, accessed 15 December 2012.
- ^ St. Kitts Scenic Railway, official site, accessed 15 December 2012.
Further reading
- Waite, James (2023). Narrow Gauge in the Americas. Narrow Gauge Album No. 3. Chippenham, Wilts, UK: Mainline & Maritime. ISBN 9781900340724.