Re: Definition of a Railway (Was Port Elliot)

[Peter Homann <peter.homann@prr.DOT.org.au>]

>From Encyclopaedia Britannica:
--==QUOTE==--
railroad

  mode of land transportation in which flange-wheeled vehicles move over
two parallel
  steel rails, or tracks, either by self-propulsion or by the propulsion
of a
  locomotive.
--==UNQUOTE==--

>From that, (and I'm using railWAY and railROAD interchangeably), the
following probably rate:
1,2,5,6,7,9,14.
13 and 15 may qualify, depending on the type of wheels, although I would
tend to think a roller-coaster would have several sets of unflanged
wheels around a round "rail".

Even from the above, I guess Sandridge still comes in as 1st. (And this
from an ex-pat South Oz).

That should set the cat among the pigeons even more!

Cheers.
-- 
Peter Homann
Steam Fireman, Pichi Richi Railway
Administrator: http://www.prr.org.au
Editor: "Pichi Richi Patter".
-----------------------------------
The light at the end of the tunnel will be turned off
until economic conditions improve.  Management.

Chris Brownbill wrote:
> 
> OK all you learned people, this thread is raising an interesting point -
> what is the definition of a railway?
> 
> The recent ARHS NSW publication "Australian Railway Routes 1854 - 2000"
> uses the following definition... "A Railway is defined in this
> publication as one worked by mechanical power over steel (or iron)
> rails.  Excluded are street tramways and lines which used only horse or
> human power, and/or had wooden rails".
> 
> What do you all think about this definition?  Under these rules, the
> Sandridge line is Australia's first railway.  (And this from NSW!!!!!!)
> 
> When thinking about your definition, I suggest you consider each of the
> following examples to decide whether they would or would not be
> classified a railway under your alternative definition:
> 
> 1. Sydney to Parramatta
> 2. Melbourne to St Kilda Light Rail
> 3. Goolwa to Port Elliot horse tramway
> 4. Port Arthur convict-powered line
> 5. An underground mine coal-skip line
> 6. The Glenelg tramway
> 7. Sugar cane tramways
> 8. The Sydney Monorail
> 9. The Katoomba "Scenic Railway"
> 10. The Adelaide O-Bahn
> 11. The rubber-tyred Metro lines in Paris and Montreal
> 12. The former "Plateways" of Europe
> 13. A roller-coaster at Luna Park etc
> 14. The Balley-hooley tourist tramway
> 15. A rail-based ship slipway
> 16. A roll-a-door on a garage
> 17. A conveyor-belt
> 19. Electric trolley-buses
> 
> According to the above ARHS publication, only numbers 1 and 9 are
> considered railways - although numbers 2 and 6 are considered closed
> railways.