Aheritage railway orheritage railroad (U.S. usage) is a railway operated asliving history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) in the history ofrail transport.
The BritishOffice of Rail and Road defines heritage railways as follows:[1]
...'lines of local interest', museum railways or tourist railways that have retained or assumed the character and appearance and operating practices of railways of former times. Several lines that operate in isolation provide genuine transport facilities, providing community links. Most lines constitute tourist or educational attractions in their own right. Much of the rolling stock and other equipment used on these systems is original and is of historic value in its own right. Many systems aim to replicate both the look and operating practices of historic former railways companies.
Heritage railway lines have historic rail infrastructure which has been substituted (or made obsolete) in modern rail systems. Historical installations, such as hand-operatedpoints,water cranes, and rails fastened with hand-hammeredrail spikes, are characteristic features of heritage lines. Unlike tourist railways, which primarily carry tourists and have modern installations and vehicles, heritage-line infrastructure creates views andsoundscapes of the past in operation.
Due to a lack of modern technology or the desire for historical accuracy, railway operations can be handled with traditional practices such as the use oftokens. Heritage infrastructure and operations often require the assignment of roles, based on historical occupations, to the railway staff. Some, or all, staff and volunteers, includingstation masters andsignalmen, sometimes wearing period-appropriate attire, can be seen on some heritage railways. Most heritage railways use heritage rolling stock, although modern rail vehicles can be used to showcase railway scenes with historical-line infrastructure.
While some heritage railways are profitabletourist attractions, many are not-for-profit entities; some of the latter depend on enthusiastic volunteers for upkeep and operations to supplement revenue from traffic and visitors. Still other heritage railways offer a viable public-transit option, and can maintain operations with revenue from regular riders or government subsidies.
Children's railways are extracurricular educational institutions where children and teenagers learn about railway work; they are often functional, passenger-carrying narrow-gauge rail lines. The railways developed in theUSSR during theSoviet era. Many were called "Pioneer railways", after theyouth organisation of that name. The first children's railway opened inMoscow[2] in 1932 and, at the breakup of the USSR, 52 children's railways existed in the country.[3] Although the fall of communist governments has led to the closure of some, preserved children's railways are still functioning inpost-Soviet states andEastern European countries.
Many children's railways were built on parkland in urban areas. Unlike many industrial areas typically served by a narrow-gauge railway, parks were free of redevelopment. Child volunteers and socialist fiscal policy enabled the existence of many of these railways. Children's railways which still carry traffic have often retained their original infrastructure and rolling stock, including vintage steam locomotives;[4][5] some have acquired heritage vehicles from other railways.
Examples of children's railways with steam locomotives include theDresden Park Railway in Germany; theGyermekvasút inBudapest; thePark Railway Maltanka inPoznań; theKošice Children's Railway in Slovakia, and the7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge steam railway on the grounds of St Nicholas' School inMerstham,Surrey, which the children help operate with assistance from the East Surrey 16mm Group and other volunteers.[6][7]
Creating passages for trains up steep hills and throughmountain regions offers many obstacles which call for technical solutions.Steep grade railway technologies and extensivetunneling may be employed. The use ofnarrow gauge allows tightercurves in the track, and offers a smallerstructure gauge and tunnel size. At high altitudes, construction and logistical difficulties, limited urban development and demand for transport and special rolling-stock requirements have left manymountain railways unmodernized. The engineering feats of past railway builders and views of pristine mountain scenes have made many railways in mountainous areas profitable tourist attractions.
Pit railways have been in operation in underground mines all over the world. Small rail vehicles transport ore, waste rock, and workers through narrow tunnels. Sometimes trains were the sole mode of transport in the passages between the work sites and the mine entrance. The railway'sloading gauge often dictated the cross-section of passages to be dug. At many mining sites, pit railways have been abandoned due to mine closure or adoption of new transportation equipment. Someshow mines have a vintage pit railway and offermantrip rides into the mine.
TheMetro 1 (officially the Millennium Underground Railway or M1), built from 1894 to 1896, is the oldest line of theBudapest Metro system and the second-oldest underground railway in the world.[8] The M1 underwent major reconstruction during the 1980s and 1990s, and Line 1 now serves eight original stations whose original appearance has been preserved. In 2002, the line was listed as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[9] In the Deák Ferenc Square concourse's Millennium Underground Museum, many other artifacts of the metro's early history may be seen.
The first heritage railway to be rescued and run entirely by volunteers was theTalyllyn Railway inWales. Thisnarrow-gauge line, taken over by a group of enthusiasts in 1950, was the beginning of the preservation movement worldwide.
La Trochita (officially Viejo Expreso Patagónico, the Old Patagonian Express) was declared aNational Historic Monument by theGovernment of Argentina in 1999.[10] Trains on thePatagonian750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)narrow-gauge railway use steam locomotives. The 402-kilometre-long (250 mi) railway runs through the foothills of theAndes betweenEsquel andEl Maitén inChubut Province andIngeniero Jacobacci inRío Negro Province.
In southern Argentina, theTrain of the End of the World to theTierra del Fuego National Park is considered the world's southernmost functioning railway. Heritage railway operations started in 1994, after restoration of the old500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) (narrow-gauge)steam railway.
InSalta Province in northeastern Argentina, theTren a las Nubes (Train to the Clouds) runs along 220 km (140 mi) of1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge track in what is one of thehighest railways in the world. The line has 29 bridges, 21 tunnels, 13 viaducts, twospirals and twozigzags, and its highest point is 4,220 metres (13,850 ft) above sea level.
In theMisiones Province, more precisely in the Iguazú National Park, is the Ecological Train of the Forest. With a speed below 20 km per hour to avoid interfering with wildlife and the formations are propelled toliquefied petroleum gas (LPG), a non-polluting fuel.[11]
TheVilla Elisa Historic Train (operated by Ferroclub Central Entrerriano) runs steam trains between the cities ofVilla Elisa andCaseros inEntre Ríos Province, covering 36 km (22 mi)[12] in 120 minutes.[13]
.jpg)
The world's second preserved railway, and the first outside the United Kingdom, was Australia'sPuffing Billy Railway. This railway operates on 15 miles (24 km) of track, with much of its original rolling stock built as early as 1898. Just about over half of Australia's heritage lines are operated by narrow gauge tank engines, much like the narrow gauge lines of the United Kingdom.
TheHöllental Railway is a 4.9-kilometre-long (3.0 mi),760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) narrow-gauge (Bosnian gauge) railway, operating inLower Austria. It runs on summer weekends, connectingReichenau an der Rax to the nearbyHöllental.
Flanders, Belgium's northern Dutch-speaking region, has theDendermonde–Puurs Steam Railway; whereasWallonia, with its strong history of 19th century heavy industries, has theChemin de fer à vapeur des Trois Vallées and PFT operates theChemin de Fer du Bocq.
Heritage streetcar lines:
Museums with operational heritage streetcar lines:
On the Finnish state-ownedrail network, the section between Olli andPorvoo is a dedicated museum line. In southernFinland, it is the only line with many structural details abandoned by the rest of the network which regularly carries passenger traffic. Woodensleepers, gravel ballast and lowrail weight with nooverhead catenary make it uniquely historical.[16] Along the line, the Hinthaara railway station and the Porvoo railway station area are included in the National Board of Antiquities' inventory of cultural environments of national significance in Finland. Also on the list is scenery in thePorvoonjoki Valley, through which the line passes.[17]
TheJokioinen Museum Railway is a stretch of preserved narrow-gauge railway betweenHumppila andJokioinen. Nykarleby Järnväg is a stretch of rebuilt narrow-gauge railway on the bank of the old Kovjoki–Nykarleby line.[18]
%2c_Bahnsteig_Kleinbahn_(2).JPG)
TheBuckower Kleinbahn [de] is a 4.9-kilometre (3.0 mi)spur line of thePrussian Eastern Railway, located in theMärkische Schweiz Nature Park inBrandenburg. It was originally constructed in 1897 as anarrow-gauge railway, with a gauge of750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in), connectingBuckow to theMüncheberg (Mark) station. This line was electrified and changed tostandard gauge in 1930. It has operated as a heritage railway since 2002.
TheMountain railways of India are the railway lines that were built in the mountainous regions ofIndia. The term mainly includes thenarrow-gauge andmetre-gauge railways in these regions but may also include somebroad-gauge railways.
Of the Mountain railways of India, theDarjeeling Himalayan,Nilgiri Mountain andKalka–Shimla Railways have been collectively designated as aUNESCOWorld Heritage Site.[19][20][21] To meet World Heritage criteria, the sites must retain some of their traditional infrastructure and culture.
TheNilgiri Mountain Railway is also the onlyrack and pinion railway in India. TheMatheran Hill Railway, along with theKangra Valley Railway are preserved narrow gauge railways under consideration for UNESCO status. Some scenic routes have been preserved as heritage railways. Here normal services have stopped, only tourist heritage trains are operated. Examples of these are thePatalpani–Kalakund Heritage Train and the Rajasthan Valley Queen Heritage train[22] which runs fromMarwar Junction toKhamlighat.
_class_B2502_2013-10-06_01.jpg)
In Indonesia there are several historic train lines and steam trains that are still operated today, includingAmbarawa Railway Museum,Sawahlunto Railway Museum,Cepu Forest Railway,Jaladara excursion train inSurakarta, and several narrow gauge lines in the Sugar Factory area.[23]
In Italy the heritage railway institute is recognized and protected by law no. 128 of 9 August 2017, which has as its objective the protection and valorisation of disused, suspended or abolished railway lines, of particular cultural, landscape and tourist value, including both railway routes and stations and the related works of art and appurtenances, on which, upon proposal of the regions to which they belong, tourism-type traffic management is applied (art. 2, paragraph 1).[24] At the same time, the law identified a first list of 18 tourist railways, considered to be of particular value (art. 2, paragraph 2).[24]
The list is periodically updated by decree of theMinistry of Infrastructure and Transport, in agreement with theMinistry of Economy and Finance and theMinistry of Culture, also taking into account the reports in the State-Regions Conference, a list which in 2022 reached 26 railway lines.[25] According to article 1, law 128/2017 has as its purpose: "the protection and valorisation of railway sections of particular cultural, landscape and tourist value, which include railway routes, stations and related works of art and appurtenances, and of the historic and tourist rolling stock authorized to travel along them, as well as the regulation of the use of ferrocycles".[24]
Below is the list of railway lines recognized as tourist railways by Italian legislation.
b) pursuant to the Ministerial Decree of 30 March 2022:[25]
|
TheBernina railway line is asingle-track1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)metre gauge railway line forming part of theRhaetian Railway (RhB). It links the spa resort ofSt. Moritz, in thecanton ofGraubünden,Switzerland, with the town ofTirano, in theProvince of Sondrio,Italy, via theBernina Pass. Reaching a height of 2,253 metres (7,392 ft) above sea level, it is thethird highest railway crossing in Europe. It also ranks as the highestadhesion railway of the continent, and – withinclines of up to 7% – as one of the steepest adhesion railways in the world. The elevation difference on the section between the Bernina Pass and Tirano is 1,824 m (5,984 ft), allowing passengers to view glaciers along the line. On 7 July 2008, the Bernina line and theAlbula railway line, which also forms part of the RhB, were recorded in the list ofUNESCO World Heritage Sites, under the nameRhaetian Railway in the Albula /Bernina Landscapes. The whole site is a cross-border joint Swiss-Italian heritage area. Trains operating on the Bernina line include theBernina Express.
In July 2023,Ferrovie dello Stato established a new company, the "FS Treni Turistici Italiani" (English: FS Italian Tourist Trains), with the mission "to propose an offer of railway services expressly designed and calibrated for quality, sustainable tourism and attentive to rediscovering the riches of the Italian territory. Tourism that can experience the train journey as an integral moment of the holiday, an element of quality in the overall tourist experience".[32] There are three service areas proposed:
Rail transport played a major role in the history of New Zealand and severalrail enthusiast societies and heritage railways have been formed to preserve New Zealand's rich rail history. The very first example was theOcean Beach Railway, which was established by the Otago Branch of theNew Zealand Railway and Locomotive Society in 1960. The first locomotive to run at the OBR, and the first locomotive to run in preservation in New Zealand, was PWD Fowler No. 540, in 1961.
TheČierny Hron Railway is anarrow-gauge railway in centralSlovakia, established in the first decade of the 20th century and operating primarily as a freight railway for the local logging industry. From the late 1920s to the early 1960s, it also offered passenger transport between the villages of Hronec and Čierny Balog. The railway becameCzechoslovakia's most extensiveforest railway network. After its closure in 1982, it received heritage status and was restored during the following decade. Since 1992, it has been one of Slovakia's official heritage railways and is a key regional tourist attraction. TheHistorical Logging Switchback Railway in Vychylovka is a heritage railway in north-central Slovakia, originally built to serve the logging industry in theOrava andKysuce regions. Despite a closure and dissasembly of most of its original network during the early 1970s, its surviving lines and branches have been (or are being) restored. The railway is owned and operated by the Museum of Kysuce, with a 3.8-kilometre (2.4 mi) line open to tourists for sightseeing.
Switzerland has avery dense rail network, both standard and narrow gauge. The overwhelming majority of railways, builtbetween the mid-19th and early 20th century, are still in regular operation today and electrified, a major exception being theFurka Steam Railway, the longest unelectrified line in the country and one of thehighest rail crossings in Europe. Many railway companies,especially mountain railways, provide services with well-preserved historic trains for tourists, for instance theRigi Railways, the oldest rack railway in Europe, and thePilatus Railway, the steepest in the world. Two railways, theAlbula Railway and theBernina Railway, have been designated as aWorld Heritage Site, although they are essentially operated with modern rolling stock. Due to the availability of hydroelectric resources in the Alps, the Swiss network was electrified earlier than in the rest of Europe.[33] Some of the most emblematic pre-World War II electric locomotives and trains are theCrocodile, notably used on theGotthard Railway,[34] and theRed Arrow. Both are occasionally operated bySBB Historic. Switzerland also comprehends a large number of funiculars, several still working with the original carriages, such as theGiessbachbahn.
In Britain, heritage railways are often railway lines which were run as commercial railways but were no longer needed (or closed down) and were taken over or re-opened by volunteers or non-profit organisations. The large number of heritage railways in the UK is due in part to the closure of many minor lines during the 1960s'Beeching cuts, and they were relatively easy to revive. There are between 100 and 150 heritage railways in the United Kingdom.
A typical British heritage railway will usesteam locomotives and originalrolling stock to create a period atmosphere, although some are concentrating on diesel and electric traction to re-create the post-steam era. Many run seasonally on partial routes, unconnected to a larger network (or railway), and charge high fares in comparison with transit services; as a result, they focus on the tourist and leisure markets. During the 1990s and 2000s, however, some heritage railways aimed to provide local transportation and extend their running seasons to carry commercial passenger traffic.
The first standard-gauge line to be preserved (not a victim of Beeching) was theMiddleton Railway; the second, and the first to carry passengers, was theBluebell Railway.
Not-for-profit heritage railways differ in their quantity of service and some lines see traffic only on summer weekends. The more successful, such as theSevern Valley Railway and theNorth Yorkshire Moors Railway, may have up to five or six steam locomotives and operate a four-train service daily; smaller railways may run daily throughout the summer with only one steam locomotive. TheGreat Central Railway, the only preserved British main line with a double track, can operate over 50 trains on a busy timetable day.
After the privatisation of main-line railways, the line between not-for-profit heritage railways and for-profitbranch lines may be blurred. TheRomney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway is an example of a commercial line run as a heritage operation and to provide local transportation, and the Severn Valley Railway has operated a fewgoods trains commercially. A number of heritage railway lines are regularly used by commercial freight operators.
Since the Bluebell Railway reopened to traffic in 1960, the definition of privatestandard gauge railways in the United Kingdom as preserved railways has evolved as the number of projects and their length, operating days and function have changed. The situation is further muddied by large variations in ownership-company structure, rolling stock and other assets. Unlikecommunity railways, tourist railways in the UK arevertically integrated (although those operating mainly ascharities separate theircharitable and non-charitable activities for accounting purposes).
Heritage railways are known in the United States as tourist, historic, or scenic railroads. Most are remnants of original railroads, and some are reconstructed after having been scrapped. Some heritage railways preserve entire railroads in their original state using original structures, track, and motive power.
Examples of heritage railroads in the US by preservation type:
Other operations, such as theValley Railroad orHocking Valley Scenic Railway operate on historic track and utilize historic equipment, but are not reflective of the operations carried out by the original railroad they operate on. Hence, they do not fit into the Heritage Railway category, but rather Tourist Railway/Amusement.
Heritage streetcar lines are operating in over 20 U.S. cities, and are in planning or construction stages in others. Several new heritage streetcar lines have been opened since the 1970s; some are stand-alone lines while others make use of a section of a modernlight rail system.
Heritagestreetcar systems operating inLittle Rock, Arkansas;Memphis, Tennessee;Dallas, Texas;New Orleans, Louisiana;Boston, Massachusetts (MBTA Mattapan Trolley)Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (SEPTA route 15); andTampa, Florida, are among the larger examples. A heritage line operates inCharlotte, North Carolina, and will become a part of the city's new transit system. Another such line, calledThe Silver Line, operates inSan Diego.
TheSan Francisco Municipal Railway, or Muni, runs exclusively historic trolleys on its heavily usedF Market & Wharves line. The line serves Market Street and the tourist areas along the Embarcadero, includingFisherman's Wharf.
Boston'sMassachusetts Bay Transportation Authority runs exclusivelyPCC streetcars on itsMattapan Line, part of that authority'sRed Line. The historic rolling stock is retained because doing so cost less than would a full rebuild of the line to accommodate either aheavy rail line (like the rest of the Red Line or theBlue orOrange Lines) or a modernlight rail line (like theGreen Line). It is also unique in that it used almost exclusively by commuters and is not particularly popular with tourists (and thus may not really be a true heritage system, despite the historic rolling stock).
Dallas has theM-Line Trolley.Denver has thePlatte Valley Trolley, a heritage line recalling the open-sided streetcars of the early 20th century.Old Pueblo Trolley is a volunteer-run heritage line inTucson, Arizona; its popularity inspired, in large part, a modern streetcar system for Tucson currently in the final planning stages, which would incorporate the heritage line. TheVTA inSan Jose, California, also maintains a heritage trolley fleet, for occasional use on the downtown portion of a newlight rail system opened in 1988. Other cities with heritage streetcar lines includeGalveston, Texas;Kenosha, Wisconsin; andSan Pedro, California (home of theport of Los Angeles). TheNational Park Service operates a system inLowell, Massachusetts.
Most heritage streetcar lines use overheadtrolley wires to power the cars, as was the case with the vast majority of original streetcar lines. However, on theGalveston Island Trolley heritage line, which opened in 1988, using modern-day replicas of vintage trolleys, the cars were powered by an on-board diesel engine, as local authorities were concerned that overhead wires would be too susceptible to damage from hurricanes.[35] In spite of that precaution, damage in 2008 fromHurricane Ike was heavy enough to put the line out of service indefinitely, and as of 2021 it has yet to reopen, but three streetcars are being repaired and reopening is planned.[36]
Another heritage line lacking trolley wires wasSavannah'sRiver Street Streetcar line, which opened in February 2009 and operated until around 2015. It was the first line to use a diesel/electric streetcar whose built-in electricity generator is powered bybiodiesel. InEl Reno, Oklahoma, theHeritage Express Trolley connects Heritage Park with downtown,[37] using a single streetcar that has been equipped with a propane-powered on-board generator. The car formerly operated onSEPTA'sNorristown High Speed Line, wherethird-rail current collection is used. The El Reno line issingle-track and 0.9 miles (1.4 km) long.[38]
InPortland, Oregon, replica-vintage cars provided a heritage streetcar service, namedPortland Vintage Trolley, along a section of that city's 1986-operatedlight rail line from 1991 to 2014.[39] Elsewhere in Portland, theWillamette Shore Trolley is a seasonal, volunteer-operated excursion service on a former freight railroad line, toLake Oswego, Oregon. This operation uses a diesel-powered generator on a trailer towed or pushed by the streetcar, as the line lacks trolley wires. Similarly, theAstoria Riverfront Trolley in Astoria, Oregon, is a seasonal heritage-trolley service along a section of former freight railroad and using a diesel-powered generator on a trailer to provide electricity to the streetcar.
Other seasonal or weekends-only heritage streetcar lines operate inYakima, Washington (Yakima Electric Railway Museum);Fort Collins, Colorado; andFort Smith, Arkansas. The Fort Collins and Fort Smith lines are both operated by an original (as opposed to replica)Birney-type streetcar, and in both cases the individual car in use is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[40][41] In Philadelphia, the Penn's Landing Trolley operated seasonal and weekend service as a volunteer operation with formerP&W equipment between September 1982 and December 17, 1995, on thePhiladelphia Belt Line track onChristopher Columbus Boulevard in the historicPenn's Landing district.
Over 50 years later, the revival of extendedstreetcar operations inNew Orleans is credited by many to the worldwide fame gained by its streetcars built by thePerley A. Thomas Car Works in 1922–23. These cars were operating on the system's Desire route made famous byTennessee Williams'A Streetcar Named Desire. Some Perley Thomas cars were maintained in continuous service on theSt. Charles Streetcar Line untilHurricane Katrina caused major damage to the right-of-way in 2005. The historic streetcars suffered only minor damage and several were transferred to serve on the, then recently rebuilt, Canal Street line while the St. Charles line was being repaired. By June 22, 2008, service was restored to the entire length of the St. Charles Streetcar line. The New Orleans' St. Charles streetcar line is aNational Historic Landmark. Pre-Katrina, New Orleans had plans to reconstruct the Desire line along its original route down St. Claude Avenue. Instead, the Loyola-UPT line was extended by building a spur downNorth Rampart Street toElysian Fields Avenue.
InSan Francisco, parts of thecable car andMuni streetcar system (specifically the above-mentioned F Market & Wharves line) are heritage lines, although they are also functioning parts of the city's transit system. The cable cars are a National Historic Landmark and are rare examples of vehicles with this distinction. Located east of San Francisco is one of several museums in the U.S. that restore and operate vintage streetcars andinterurbans, theWestern Railway Museum.
The preservation of theTalyllyn Railway was the inspiration for the 1953Ealing Studios comedyThe Titfield Thunderbolt. The film is centred on the preservation of a fictional Somerset branch line from Titfield to Mallingford. Filmed on theCamerton branch in the summer of 1952, the branch was lifted after production had finished.
Many preserved railways also served as a filming location for several production companies; for example, theKeighley and Worth Valley Railway served as a filming location for the1970 adaptation ofThe Railway Children.
Series three ofSurvivors uses heritage railways to help reestablish transportation, communication and trade in post-apocalyptic England.[citation needed]
mountain railways of india Search
| Bus service | |
|---|---|
| Rail | |
| Vehicles for hire | |
| Carpooling | |
| Ship | |
| Cable | |
| Other transport | |
| Locations | |
| Ticketing andfares | |
| Routing | |
| Facilities | |
| Scheduling | |
| Politics | |
| Technology and signage | |
| Models | |
| Other topics | |
