Rail transport in Guernsey: Difference between revisions

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There have been two railways within the state territories of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency comprising six inhabited islands.

The Guernsey Railway operated from 1879 to 1934 on the principal island, Guernsey.
The Alderney Railway opened in 1847 and continues to operate on the second largest island of the bailiwick, Alderney.
During World War II, German engineers built, modified and extended rail lines on both Alderney and Guernsey

Guernsey

There are currently no railway services on the island of Guernsey.

Early tramways

The earlier transport system was worked by steam, and was named the Guernsey Steam Tramway. It began service on 6 June 1879 with six locomotives.^[1] The Guernsey Railway, which was virtually an electric tramway, and which began working on 20 February 1892, was abandoned on 9 June 1934.

Second World War

During the German occupation of the Channel Islands in the Second World War, 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in)^[2] light railways were built by German engineers and the Organisation Todt in Guernsey in 1941 and 1942 to help build and supply coastal fortifications, such as Fort Hommet. The line ran from Saint Peter Port to L'Eree via St Sampson and L'Ancresse. This included railway sidings at L'Islet.^[3]

There were spurs of 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in). No attempt was made to take the lines to the higher parishes in the south of the island.^[4]^: 200 All the surface laid tracks were dismantled after the occupation.

Alderney

The Alderney Railway provides a rail link of approximately 2 miles (3.2 km), with a regular timetabled service during the summer months and at seasonal festivals including Easter and Christmas. It is now the only working railway on the Channel Islands to provide a public transport link. It is also one of the oldest railways in the British Isles, dating from 1847, and carried Queen Victoria and Prince Albert as the first 'official' passengers in 1857.^[5]

During World War II, the Germans lifted part of the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge line and replaced it with a 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) line, worked by two Feldbahn 0-4-0 diesel locomotives.

There is also a 7+1⁄4 in (184 mm) gauge miniature railway on Alderney, which operates during the summer months.^[6]

References

^ "Unknown". The Railway Magazine. September 1934.
^ "Unknown". Railway Magazine. October 1963. p. 746.
^ "CIOS Lectures & Rambles". Channel Island Occupation Society (Guernsey). 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.
^ Cruickshank, Charles (30 June 2004). The German Occupation of the Channel Islands (New ed.). The History Press. ISBN 978-0750937498.
^ "Railway". Visit Alderney. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013.
^ "Alderney Miniature Railway". Archived from the original on 1 February 2019.

[1] "Unknown". The Railway Magazine. September 1934.

[2] "Unknown". Railway Magazine. October 1963. p. 746.

[3] "CIOS Lectures & Rambles". Channel Island Occupation Society (Guernsey). 2012. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015.

[CC-4] Cruickshank, Charles (30 June 2004). The German Occupation of the Channel Islands (New ed.). The History Press. ISBN 978-0750937498.

[5] "Railway". Visit Alderney. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013.

[6] "Alderney Miniature Railway". Archived from the original on 1 February 2019.

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@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
-{{Short description|Overview and history of railways in the Bailiwick of Guernsey}}
+{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is a legitimate description when the title is already adequate; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
 {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2017}}
 {{Use British English|date=October 2017}}
@@ Line 13: / Line 13: @@
 ===Early tramways===
-The earlier transport system was worked by steam, and was named the Guernsey Steam Tramway. It began service on 6 June 1879 with six locomotives.<ref>Notes on the Railway taken from ''The Railway Magazine'', September 1934 edition</ref> The [[Guernsey Railway]], which was virtually an electric tramway, and which began working on 20 February 1892, was abandoned on 9 June 1934.
+The earlier transport system was worked by steam, and was named the Guernsey Steam Tramway. It began service on 6 June 1879 with six locomotives.<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=The Railway Magazine| date=September 1934 | title=Unknown}}</ref> The [[Guernsey Railway]], which was virtually an electric tramway, and which began working on 20 February 1892, was abandoned on 9 June 1934.
 ===Second World War===
-During the [[German occupation of the Channel Islands]] in the Second World War, {{Track gauge|900mm|lk=on}}<ref>Railway Magazine October 1963 p. 746</ref> light railways were built by German engineers and the [[Organisation Todt]] in Guernsey in 1941 and 1942 to help build and supply coastal fortifications, such as [[Fort Hommet]]. The line ran from [[Saint Peter Port]] to L'Eree via [[Saint Sampson, Guernsey|St Sampson]] and L'Ancresse. This included railway sidings at L'Islet.<ref>http://www.occupied.guernsey.net/rambles.html</ref>
+During the [[German occupation of the Channel Islands]] in the Second World War, {{Track gauge|900mm|lk=on}}<ref>{{cite magazine| magazine=Railway Magazine| date=October 1963| page=746| title=Unknown}}</ref> light railways were built by German engineers and the [[Organisation Todt]] in Guernsey in 1941 and 1942 to help build and supply coastal fortifications, such as [[Fort Hommet]]. The line ran from [[Saint Peter Port]] to L'Eree via [[Saint Sampson, Guernsey|St Sampson]] and L'Ancresse. This included railway sidings at L'Islet.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.occupied.guernsey.net/rambles.html| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222164709/http://www.occupied.guernsey.net/rambles.html| archive-date=22 December 2015| title=CIOS Lectures & Rambles| website=Channel Island Occupation Society (Guernsey)| date=2012}}</ref>
-There were spurs of {{Track gauge|600mm|lk=on}}. No attempt was made to take the lines to the higher parishes in the south of the island.<ref name="CC">{{cite book |first=Charles |last=Cruickshank |title=The German Occupation of the Channel Islands |year=2004 |publisher=The History Press; New edition (30 Jun. 2004) |isbn=978-0750937498}}</ref>{{rp|200}} All the surface laid tracks were dismantled after the occupation.
+There were spurs of {{Track gauge|600mm|lk=on}}. No attempt was made to take the lines to the higher parishes in the south of the island.<ref name="CC">{{cite book |first=Charles |last=Cruickshank |title=The German Occupation of the Channel Islands | publisher=The History Press| edition=New| date=30 June 2004 |isbn=978-0750937498}}</ref>{{rp|200}} All the surface laid tracks were dismantled after the occupation.
 ==Alderney==
 {{Main|Alderney Railway}}
-The Alderney Railway provides a rail link of approximately {{convert|2|mi}}, with a regular timetabled service during the summer months and at seasonal festivals including Easter and Christmas. It is now the only working railway on the Channel Islands to provide a public transport link. It is also one of the oldest railways in the British Isles, dating from 1847, and carried [[Queen Victoria]] and Prince Albert as the first 'official' passengers in 1857.<ref>See references at the Island [http://www.visitalderney.com/attractions/railway/ tourist website.]</ref>
+The Alderney Railway provides a rail link of approximately {{convert|2|mi}}, with a regular timetabled service during the summer months and at seasonal festivals including Easter and Christmas. It is now the only working railway on the Channel Islands to provide a public transport link. It is also one of the oldest railways in the British Isles, dating from 1847, and carried [[Queen Victoria]] and Prince Albert as the first 'official' passengers in 1857.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.visitalderney.com/attractions/railway/| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130507102112/http://www.visitalderney.com/attractions/railway/| archive-date=7 May 2013| website=Visit Alderney| title=Railway}}</ref>
 During World War II, the Germans lifted part of the {{Track gauge|1435mm|allk=on}} line and replaced it with a {{Track gauge|900mm|lk=on}} line, worked by two [[Feldbahn]] 0-4-0 [[diesel locomotive]]s.
-There is also a {{RailGauge|7.25in|lk=on}} gauge miniature railway on Alderney, which operates during the summer months.<ref>See miniature railway webpage [http://www.alderneyrailway.com/miniature.htm here].</ref>
+There is also a {{RailGauge|7.25in|lk=on}} gauge miniature railway on Alderney, which operates during the summer months.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.alderneyrailway.com/miniature.htm| url-status=dead| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201013409/http://www.alderneyrailway.com/miniature.htm| archive-date=1 February 2019| title=Alderney Miniature Railway}}</ref>
 ==See also==

v t e Rail transport in Europe
Sovereign states	Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands North Macedonia Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City
States with limited recognition	Abkhazia Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria
Dependencies and other entities	Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard
Other entities	European Union