Overview
Typically miniature railways have a rail track gauge between 5 in (127 mm) and 18 in (457 mm), though both larger and smaller gauges are used.
These large model railroads are most often seen in urban parks or in commercial settings, such as amusement park rides.
The major distinction between a miniature railway and a narrow gauge railway is that miniature lines use models of full-sized prototypes. There are miniature railways that run on gauges as wide as the 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) gauge on the defunct Disneyland Viewliner, or as wide as the 2 ft (610 mm) gauge on the operating Wicksteed Park Railway. There are also narrow gauge railways running on extremely narrow track as small as 15 in (381 mm) gauge or less, for example the Rudyard Lake Steam Railway, Perrygrove Railway and the Eaton Hall Railway. These are known as minimum gauge railways.
Typically in the UK miniature lines are operated as public heritage railways, though many private lines also exist, especially in the USA.
At gauges of 5 in (127 mm) and less, the track is commonly raised above ground level. Flat cars are arranged with foot boards so that driver and passengers sit astride the track. The track is often multi-gauged, to accommodate 5 in (127 mm), 3 1⁄2 in (89 mm), and sometimes 2 1⁄2 in (64 mm) gauge locomotives.
In Australia, most 5 inch gauge tracks are at ground level.
Australian societies are generally members of the Australian Association of Live Steamers, Ltd, which arranges Codes of Practice for Operations, Standards and Training, for the operation of miniature railways below 8 inch gauge through their subcommittee the Australian Live Steamers Safety Committee (ALSSC), and Boiler codes for the operation of miniature steam boilers through the Australian Miniature Boiler Safety Committee (AMBSC).
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