Large Scale Central

Estate and field railways?

Prototypes
#1

I’m not too clear on these. What exactly is a “field railway”? What was the purpose of an estate railways – i.e., what was it used for?

#2

Estate, and I believe Field Railways too were small railways on an estate or plantation that served to move the workers and product from the fields to the living and shipping points. These were very small guage railways. I believe one of the first was developed in England and was a 15" guage line.

#3
Ray Dunakin said:
I'm not too clear on these. What exactly is a "field railway"? What was the purpose of an estate railways -- i.e., what was it used for?
Field Railways are what we call Narrow Gauge in the U.S.

Germany used these during WW I & II to move troops and supplies to the front. These Miltary Feldbahns were quick & easy to set-up & take down when compared to a standard rail line.

The current Field Railways in the World are listed at:

https://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/fields/2121.html

#4

I have no wish to be disagreeable , but would you then class the White Pass as a field railway ?
In normal terms , I believe that you will find that it is a railway of any gauge , laid in a temporary manner using sets of track rather like we get in train sets . A famous example of this is the French Decauville system . Used for trench railways , and thus temporary (hopefully) . Some of it still survives on the old battlefiields .
In general , field railways are not laid on ballast , but on roughly prepared ground , they are very common on the peat bogs in Ireland where , by necessity , they are regularly moved to follow the cutting of peat . The same is done with standard guage overhead electrice in the Braunkohl area between Cologne and Aachen in Germany . The field rail there actually gets quite posh and runs to the power stations locally which have a merry go round unloader for the brown coal–which is half way between coal and peat–for burning in the boilers of the power station .
In the Midlands of the UK , Ironstone railways of standard guage often were calassed as filed railways becuse they also followed the mining operations . So , in general , field railways are just that , rail laid in a field , straight on the turf with luck .
Estate railways were permanent ones , and as the name suggests , were seen on Estates , usually owned by the landed gentry—one example in the area of the Grouse Moors was used to ferry the shooting party and guns out with the dogs , and back in with the cull of grouse from the local Laird’s house .
Some estate railways served hospitals , typically for the import of coal fuel for the hospital heating sytems ,these hospitals frequently being the old estate houses where the local lord had to sell up because of death duties being so punitive —it is expensive to die in the UK , best to stay alive if you want your family to have your house.
The common factor of the Field and Estate railways in the UK is that they did not need a parliamentary order granting permission .

Mike

#5
Mike Morgan said:
Some estate railways served hospitals , typically for the import of coal fuel for the hospital heating sytems ,these hospitals frequently being the old estate houses where the local lord had to sell up because of death duties being so punitive ---it is expensive to die in the UK , best to stay alive if you want your family to have your house.

Mike


Sigh.

Let’s tax them twice. That should be an incentive to create wealth and jobs for the folk.

“A whiff of grapeshot should discourage that sort of activity.” Lt. Col. Napoleon Bonaparte, French Army, ~ca.1792

#6

Thank you Mike, for a very good description of both types of railway.

I was going to attempt a description, but couldn’t have done it any better.

There is one “Estate Railway” that is worth mentioning, as a lot of it has been modelled, especially for it’s point throws etc., but the name escapes me at this moment. I should go and search it out in some of my British Railway magazines…if I can find the time.

#7
Mike Morgan said:
I have no wish to be disagreeable , but would you then class the White Pass as a field railway ? In normal terms , I believe that you will find that it is a railway of any gauge , laid in a temporary manner using sets of track rather like we get in train sets . A famous example of this is the French Decauville system . Used for trench railways , and thus temporary (hopefully) . Some of it still survives on the old battlefiields . In general , field railways are not laid on ballast , but on roughly prepared ground , they are very common on the peat bogs in Ireland where , by necessity , they are regularly moved to follow the cutting of peat . The same is done with standard guage overhead electrice in the Braunkohl area between Cologne and Aachen in Germany . The field rail there actually gets quite posh and runs to the power stations locally which have a merry go round unloader for the brown coal--which is half way between coal and peat--for burning in the boilers of the power station . In the Midlands of the UK , Ironstone railways of standard guage often were calassed as filed railways becuse they also followed the mining operations . So , in general , field railways are just that , rail laid in a field , straight on the turf with luck . Estate railways were permanent ones , and as the name suggests , were seen on Estates , usually owned by the landed gentry---one example in the area of the Grouse Moors was used to ferry the shooting party and guns out with the dogs , and back in with the cull of grouse from the local Laird's house . Some estate railways served hospitals , typically for the import of coal fuel for the hospital heating sytems ,these hospitals frequently being the old estate houses where the local lord had to sell up because of death duties being so punitive ---it is expensive to die in the UK , best to stay alive if you want your family to have your house. The common factor of the Field and Estate railways in the UK is that they did not need a parliamentary order granting permission .

Mike


Mike,

Thanks for the clarification. The link to the chart is still a good reference.

#8

Fred , very kind of you to say so . I also have the name of the famous one at the tip of the tongue , I shall have to lubricate it (Rushes off for a tot or two of Famous Grouse )
O Lonesome One , nobody was slighting your link to the chart , it was most enlightening , indeed , I have put its address in my "things to know about railways " folder .

I will however apologise for the speling in mi risponce ,snot like me tooo gett werds rong like dat .

Mike

#9
Mike Morgan said:
Fred , very kind of you to say so . I also have the name of the famous one at the tip of the tongue , I shall have to lubricate it (Rushes off for a tot or two of Famous Grouse ) O Lonesome One , nobody was slighting your link to the chart , it was most enlightening , indeed , I have put its address in my "things to know about railways " folder .

I will however apologise for the speling in mi risponce ,snot like me tooo gett werds rong like dat .

Mike


As a well-known Old Fart, Pontificator and know-it-all, I have to point out a couple of things here -

  1. The term ‘Field railway’ is a direct translation from the German word ‘Feldbahn’, and has no true equivalent in the English language. they were usually referred to in documents of the time as ‘Narrow gauge military railways’.

  2. Much of the British and Commonwealth 15" and 18" gauge rolling stock was built in the USA, particularly the locomotives, and in particular the little ALCO ‘Mountaineer’ type that served so well supporting the trench warfare, and in particular the needs of the Royal Artillery and their big bullets.

  3. ‘Mountaineer’ was modelled in 16mm a few years ago, even coal-fired, but was a very rare beast indeed. It shared with the original the rather odd quirk of running backwards far better than forwards…

Hope this adds to the general fund of information.

tac, back
Ottawa Valley GRS