The earliest railroad in recorded history is thought to be one that served a mine in Bohemia in 1556. Other railways built in the 16th century were primarily hand-pushed lines that served mines as well.
It was on this day, July 31st, in 1865 that the world’s first modern narrow gauge railway opened in Granchester, Australia.
Narrow gauge railways are less expensive to construct and operate than standard gauge railways. Their tracks range from gauges between 2 and 3.5 feet. The technology is used in areas with lower traffic, so it is not efficient to build costly standard gauge railroads. Narrow gauge railroads are also specialized for use in mines and other environments where a very small loading gauge is necessary.