That's the way it was in Belgium right after WW2. Some small towns couldn't afford a real railroad so the Belgian gouvernment invented "vicinal railways" They used to link 2 towns that had real railroad stations.
Biased Turkey, Welcome to the Train Board, we are glad to have you aboard....! That is interesting, and commendable that the Belgian Government would support communities with railroads instead of auto roads. By the way, what is the meaning of the word "vicinal"?
Vicinal means close to the neighbourhood. Burt I was wrong, the vicinal railway started in 1885 and not after WW2. I remember doing frequent hiking and backpacking during the 1970 years around my hometown ( Esneux ) in the Ourthe valley and seeing all those old tracks but no one was ever able to explain why they were used for. here is a link ( In French ) http://members.tripod.com/~Pdussart/asvimainfrenchvicinal2.htm
Could any of those tracks have been used for military purposes, during the wars? Welcome aboard! Boxcab E50
First, thanks nice people to make me feel welcome aboard. I doubt the vicinal tracks were used by the Whermacht because there must have been some gauge problem. and the blitzkrieg was based on tanks and airplanes.
Vicinal railways? In Holland we had 'lokaalspoorwegen': local railways. Light right-of-way, low speeds, small engines, coaches and cars, and dark territory. For the rural area's that couldn't pay for 'real' railroads. They connected the small villages with larger towns where large railroads had their stations. Station Hengelo, 1930:
Standard gauge. The large wheels were used for passenger engines. Freight engines had smaller wheels. But on these lines I think they used every available engine. There were only a few passenger trains a day, and some freight to/from the villages. In the east (where this picture is taken) these lines were mainly built and used by textile industries for importing coal. When these industries disappeared after WW II because of cheaper products from elsewhere, these railroads also disappeared. Only a few of them have left and are now used for commuter trains to the cities. We do not have narrow gauge, except for some tramways and industrial lines.
