Exploring the World's Smallest Railways: From Miniature Tracks to Nano Trains

The Smallest Railway in the World

The title of the world's smallest railway is often attributed to the Baldwin Locomotive Works in the United States, but there is a strong contender in Kiel, Germany at Miniature Park. Both these railways operate on a gauge of just 15 inches (38 cm) and are typically only a few hundred feet long. They are built primarily for amusement and educational purposes rather than for traditional transportation.

The Nano Train

The Nano Train, built at a mere 1:655 scale, is another fascinating example. Using magnetic and linear propulsion technology, this railway allows any object attached to a magnet to be transported. This opens up the application to various Model Train scales such as O, HO, N, and of course, T. The T scale, being the smallest scale model available, is 1:480, making the actual model 480 times larger than the replica. Its relative size is 0.635 mm to 1 ft. So, a 2 ft actual model of a train would be about 1 millimeter in length.

T Scale Trains: The New Frontier

Over the years, model trains have been progressively getting smaller, and nowadays, much of the collecting community prefers the smaller scales due to their space management advantages. N scale trains are generally considered the smallest, but T scale trains are quickly catching up in popularity!

The Vatican City Railway System: The Shortest in the World?

While the world's smallest railway in terms of gauge is impressive, another contender that might hold the title of the shortest railway system is the Vatican City railway system. This railway system is only 300 meters (0.60 km) long and connects the Vatican to the nearest train station in Rome. This short track is designed for both amusement and educational purposes, adding to its charm and uniqueness.

Credentials: Academic Dictionaries and Encyclopedias

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Keywords: smallest railway, Vatican City railway, T scale trains