In article ,
R.C. Payne wrote:
Andrew Robert Breen wrote:

See above. OTOH, no-one has started building a new network from scratch
at less than standard gauge for a long time: not since Big Mistake One,
IIRC.

How about the Romney Hythe and Dymchurch railway? They do serve a real
public transport purpose as well as touristy stuff (I assume the school
trains still run).

True, but t'aint really what you'd call a network. It's not as if there's
through running from the RH&D to other lines, for example.

Nearest we got was probably the plans for 2'-ish lines immediately after
WW1, using war-surplus rails and stock. There were some ambitious schemes
planned in the Highlands, for example (the Argyllshire Railway proposals:
Campbelton to Oban and Arrochar on 2'3", using ex-WD stock. The mind
boggles), and the Welsh Highland actually got built. Of course, all of
these ideas ignored all the ex-WD trucks coming onto the market, the
expansion and development of the motor industry driven by the war and
the large number of men coming back from war service who'd been trained
to drive and maintain road vehicles. The fate of the WHR was ample
proof of this misconception..

--
Andy Breen ~ Not speaking on behalf of the University of Wales, Aberystwyth
Feng Shui: an ancient oriental art for extracting
money from the gullible (Martin Sinclair)