Decauville

The Decauville manufacturing company was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to steel sleepers; this track was portable and could be disassembled and transported very easily. The first Decauville railway used 400 mm (15 ⁄₄ in) gauge; Decauville later refined his invention and switched to 500 mm (19 ⁄₄ in) and 600 mm (1 ft 11 ⁄₈ in) gauge.