Metre-gauge railways ( US : meter-gauge railways ) are narrow-gauge railways with track gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) or 1 metre .
5-469: The Chiemsee-Bahn is a meter gauge railway line in Prien am Chiemsee , Germany. It is one of the world's last steam tramways, and the oldest continuously operated steam tramway in regular operation. The 1.9 km (1 mi) long line connects Prien am Chiemsee with Prien-Stock station. Its original terminus was on the west side of the main line railway tracks at Prien am Chiemsee station, which required
10-570: The Chiemsee-Bahn to cross the tracks . This situation was eliminated in the winter of 1908/1909, when the Chiemsee-Bahn moved its terminus to the east side of the station. The line, along with its steam locomotive and passenger cars, is registered as a historic monument of Bavaria, numbered D-1-87-162-66. After the death of King Ludwig II in 1886, his unfinished palace Herrenchiemsee was opened for visitors by his successor Luitpold, Prince Regent of Bavaria . Horse-drawn carriages transported
15-528: The line opened on July 9, 1887. The rolling stock consists of one steam engine and nine passenger cars, which still are in their original condition from 1887. Since 1982, the Chiemsee-Bahn also has a Deutz diesel engine, which was built in 1962 and was bought from the Halbergerhütte in Saarland . Meter gauge Metre gauge is used in around 95,000 kilometres (59,000 mi) of tracks around
20-563: The visitors from the railway station to the harbour, where they crossed over to the Herreninsel by boat. After an accident involving a horse-drawn carriage, Ludwig Feßler, operator of the Chiemsee-Schifffahrt , decided to contract Munich-based Krauss Locomotive Works with the planning for a local railway between Prien and Stock. The contract for the construction was signed on March 15, 1887. Construction began on May 2, and
25-671: The world. It was used by several European colonial powers including France, Britain and Germany in their colonies. In Europe, large metre-gauge networks remain in use in Switzerland, Spain and many European towns with urban trams , but most metre-gauge local railways in France , Germany and Belgium closed down in the mid-20th century, although some still remain. With the revival of urban rail transport, metre-gauge light metros were built in some cities. The slightly-wider 1,009 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 23 ⁄ 32 in ) gauge
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