Reproduced here are a combination of the first questions I ever asked Carl about 15″ gauge railways plus a few questions received via the site over the past 12 months or so.

Kirklees Light Railway

Surely there weren’t any real 15″ gauge railways?
On the contrary. Sir Arthur Heywood pioneered this gauge at Duffield Bank, Derbyshire (UK) starting in 1874:

Starting with a line leading from the drive to the workshops near the house, this grew during the next seven years to a length of a little over a mile, including sidings, and was designed to test thoroughly the potential of the gauge. The extension from the workshops climbed for about a quarter of a mile on gradients of 1 in 10 and 1 in 12 as it rounded a severe curve and doubled back on itself to reach old quarries 80ft. higher, where there was space to lay a ”main line” with a loop at each end, part of it level, part on a gradient no worse than 1 in 20. Here there were three tunnels, two bridges, a timber trestle viaduct 19ft. long and 20ft. high, and six stations. The line was equipped with interlocking points and signals which were worked from two signal boxes linked by telephone.

from “Narrow Gauge Railways: England and the Fifteen Inch” - Humphrey Household

The gauge became popular for both private garden and estate railways - the Duke of Westminster saved £225 per year - a significant amount in those days - compared to road cartage when Sir Arthur persuaded him to install a three mile line linking the Duke’’s Eaton Hall estate to the nearest station on the GWR Shrewsbury-Chester line.

There are still tourist railways operating to a 15 inch gauge in the UK including the Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway in Kent, the Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway in Cumbria and Kirklees Light Railway in West Yorkshire. This site, however, is interested in modelling the working 15″ lines - minimum gauge working trains, rather than miniaturised versions of the standard gauge.

Where did Gn15 come from? Who invented this scale?
It was generally assumed that Steve Bennett (of Sidelines) invented and named Gn15, but Steve’s come clean about who really invented the scale - check out his interview with us to find the real culprit!

Where can I find out more about 15″ gauge railways?
Books we recommend are:

“Fifteen Inch Gauge Railways“, by Mosley and van Zeller

In my opinion this is the best overview book of the subject.

“Ravenglass & Eskdale Railway“, by W.J.K. Davies

The official biog of the line, full of great photos both historical and contemporary. Originally published in 1968, reissued in 2000 as part of the 125th birthday celebration - both editions are worth having, there are substantial differences!

“Sir Arthur Heywood and the Fifteen Inch Gauge Railway“, by Mark Smithers

The classic in the field. Chock full of photos, plans, information, and inspiration. He also follows Heywood’s influence on other lines like the R&ER, Eaton Hall, etc.
and

“Narrow Gauge Railways: England and the Fifteen Inch” by Humphrey Household

There are a number of mailing lists at Yahoo! that cover 15 inch gauge prototypes. These include Minimum Gauge and Estate Railways, Modelling Minimum Gauge, Extra Narrow Gauge Railways and/or Small Layout Design (the last for layout ideas - most Gn15 layouts are relative small affairs).

If you prefer your information in print, why not subscribe to the ”Modelling the Minimum Gauge” newsletter? This is edited by Howard Martin (of Avalon Models and Chairman of the 7mm Narrow Gauge Association) and replaces Owen Ryder’s ”Ratty Modeller” newsletter. Published twice a year (the first issue under Howard’s editorship was published in July 2002), it will cover modelling and prototype topics of any gauge between 10¼” and about 21″, rather than sticking strictly to the Heywood 15″ definition and costs just £1 per issue. You can order your copy or subscription from Pepper7.com.

Where can I get these book?
There are at least three “networked” online out-of-print booksellers, each of whom represents hundreds of bookshops worldwide and lists just about everything you can imagine! I’ve used them all and found all three to be honest and reliable.

• ABEbooks (ABEbooks.com)
• A Libris (ALibris.com), and
• Bookfinder (Bookfinder.com)

They all do worldwide mail order. Sometimes only one has what you want, sometimes two or even all three … at a variety of prices, so it pays to check thoroughly before you order! For Plateway Press Books (e.g., Smithers), you might also try the delightful Transport Diversions Emporium (U.K.) at TransportDiversions.com.