Rail-Fanning in Huntsville

[RobertInOntario]

Last Saturday, my youngest son and I were able to visit the Huntsville and Lake of Bays Railway (www.portageflyer.org), a small, narrow-gauge heritage railway in Huntsville, where 35 of us attended a special rail-fan day. (Huntsville is in Muskoka, about 2.5 hours north of Toronto by car.)

It was great riding behind their diesel, seeing an 0-4-0 under repair in the engine shed, but the best treat of all was watching, photographing and riding on an oil-fired 0-4-0 for several hours.

This is a great railway to visit, especially during the summer when they run their steam engine more often.

Here are a few pics.

Rob
(www.portageflyer.org)

 

[nachoman]

Doesn't that place have a real odd gauge - 40" or something like that?

Kevin

 

[Wolfy]

Doesn't that place have a real odd gauge - 40" or something like that?

Kevin

I believe it's 3'6" (42"), the same gauge as the 700mile Newfoundland Railway was.


Terry

 

[Squidbait]

Doesn't that place have a real odd gauge - 40" or something like that?

Kevin

It's not that odd. It's called "Colonial Gauge" or "Cape Gauge". Many railroads in British colonial territories were built to it (Canada, Africa and Australia) and other countries as well (Norway, Japan, Indonesia).

 

[RobertInOntario]

Doesn't that place have a real odd gauge - 40" or something like that?

Kevin

You're probably right. All I know is that it's narrow-gauge. ... But it looks like the other replies have pretty much answered this question. Thanks for your feedback. Rob

 

[Triplex]

Even in the US, I believe there was more 42" gauge than the better known 24".

 

[60103]

For interest, On42 will run on S gauge track.
42" was also the gauge of the Toronto & Nipissing and the Toronto Grey & Bruce, at least for their first decade. (see Rod Clarke's book)
I'm not sure if the biggest current system is the East Broad Top or the San Francisco cable cars.
edit: EBT is 36" gauge (see below).

 

[Squidbait]

David,

I think there's an unfinished thought there... are you trying to say the largest 42" gauge operating line? Or largest narrow gauge operating line?

EBT is 3' gauge. They only operate on about 5 miles of an originally 33 mainline-mile railroad. The White Pass and Yukon operates over more trackage, and was a bigger RR when fully operational. The Cumbres & Toltec operates over 60 miles of 3' gauge RR as well.

 

[60103]

I was talking 42" gauge; I thought EBT was 42". Mea culpa.