18inch is for discussion of Railroads and Railways with a track gauge of eighteen to twenty-three inches between the rails and their metric equivalents. These are generally the smallest practical narrow gauge trains that exist. This gauge is also the happy medium size of amusement park trains - with overlap between "grand scale" and "minimum gauge."

Included are miniature railways (such as the 18" Venice Miniature Railway, 19" Overfair Railway, 21" Pleasure Beach Express, 22" Class E Cagney steam locomotives) and functional railroads (such as the 18" Sand Hutton, 500mm horsecars in the Yucatan, the 50 cm "Railway to the End of the World", the 20" gauge Sons of Gwalia & Coronado Ry and the 22 3/4" gauge Welsh railways). We also discuss industrial tramways that would serve plantations, farms, gunpowder factories, mines, brick works, and so on. 

This sesquipedelian gauge is a fine size for a large backyard railroad empire. Several members of the group have their own.  Eighteen-inch gauge is also nearly the smallest track that allows a centered aisle between seats in a coach, and a spacious operating cab in a locomotive. 

NOTE:  We do allow attachments with emails, but for longer term reference, you are encouraged to upload pictures to the Photos section, or information to the Files section of the groups site. Please visit the links and database features to find lots of cool information about railroads to ride, books and videos. This group originally was established in 2003 on another group discussion service, and a transfer was made in early 2018.

COVER PHOTO:  The J.B. Haggin was an early Baldwin locomotive of 22 inch gauge for the Homestake gold mines, and amazingly this little engine has been preserved in South Dakota.  This is a builder's photograph.