The railways of Sodor include
standard and
narrow gauge railways, a
rack railway and a
15-inch gauge railway. The first several stories concerned standard-gauge engines. Stories set around the narrow gauge railways soon followed. The standard-gauge railway system, known as the
North Western Railway, consists of a mainline and several branch lines. They are linked to and
interoperable with each other and with the mainland system, so that the standard-gauge engines can visit locations in Britain under their own power. In
Gordon Goes Foreign, several of the engines recount working in London when they were younger, and later in the same story,
Gordon pulls the Wild Nor’ Wester to London. In the story ''The Fat Controller's Engines'', eight of the famous engines visit London. There are three narrow-gauge railways: the Skarloey Railway, the rack-and-pinion Culdee Fell Mountain Railway, and the 15-inch gauge Arlesdale Railway. On the west side of the island, the gauge Arlesdale Railway runs from Arlesdale West along the trackbed of the abandoned Mid-Sodor Railway. In the center of the island, the Culdee Fell Mountain Railway runs west from Kirk Machan to the summit of Culdee Fell. On the eastern side of the island, the Skarloey Railway runs northwest from Crovan's Gate up the valley to its namesake, Skarloey Lake. Rolling stock is moved to and from the narrow-gauge railways on flatbed wagons on the standard-gauge system; for example,
Rheneas is sent away for repairs in
Skarloey Remembers and returns in
Gallant Old Engine. Each of the narrow-gauge railways links to the standard-gauge system at an
interchange station: • the Skarloey Railway at Crovan's Gate • the Culdee Fell Railway at Kirk Machan • the Arlesdale Railway at Arlesburgh West
Description of lines • The
North Western Railway is the main railway company featured in the books. It controls the main line and many of the branch lines on Sodor and is often referred to as "the
Fat Controller's Railway". • The
Main Line runs from
Barrow-in-Furness on the mainland, joining the island at Vicarstown and transversing the island to Tidmouth. Its main traffic is the Wild Nor' Wester, an express train from Tidmouth to London, a stopping passenger service dubbed "The Local", and freight traffic. •
The Ffarquhar Branch Line runs from Knapford to Ffarquhar. It is operated by Thomas'
push-pull train and Daisy the
diesel railcar. 8 trains a day are provided each way. •
The Brendam Branch Line goes all the way to Brendam from Wellsworth. It links the
china-clay works at Brendam to the main line. It is run by Edward, who manages passenger traffic and possibly more engines. At
peak hours, there is an extended commuter service, during which trains run back to Tidmouth. •
The Little Western runs along the
coast from Tidmouth to Arlesburgh. It has an hourly service operated by Duck and Oliver with their
GWR-style
auto-coach. • The
Peel Godred Branch runs from Killdane to Peel Godred and connects with the Culdee Fell Railway. There are 8 trains both ways hauled by electric locomotives, being the only line on Sodor that is electrified. 4 of these trains, presumably the ones in peak hours, continue to Cronk. The line also serves the Aluminium Works at Peel Godred, and has to handle heavy freight traffic of bauxite and aluminium products. The line is technically a
light railway, which means trains on it are limited to 25 mph. • Two other
North Western Railway branch lines detailed on the maps of Sodor have not featured in
The Railway Series. They run from: • Vicarstown to Norramby, via Ballahoo. This line has hourly trains as well as a half-hourly suburban service at peak hours. The suburban trains are operated as a joint service between the NWR and The Other Railway (which was originally the
London, Midland and Scottish Railway, later
British Rail and currently
Northern Trains). • Kellsthorpe Road to Kirk Ronan. • The
Arlesdale Railway (also known as
Small Railway), a
15 inch gauge railway, takes waste from the mines in the hills to Arlesburgh where it could be distributed to the rest of the island. It also carries tourists. • The
Culdee Fell Railway, a narrow-gauge rack-and-pinion mountain railway, runs from the summit of Culdee Fell down to Kirk Machan where it links to the standard-gauge line from Kildane to Peel Godred. • The
Mid Sodor Railway, a narrow-gauge railway, closed in 1947. It ran from Arlesburgh to King 'Orry's Bridge in Peel Godred. Part of its route is now on the 15-inch gauge Arlesdale Railway. • The
Skarloey Railway, a narrow-gauge railway, runs from Crovan's Gate (where it links to the North Western Railway) up to Skarloey, with a loop line from Rheneas to Skarloey. ==Notes==