Key:usage
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Describes the the primary usage of this railway
Railway
Used combinations in
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For describing the primary usage of a railway track. This is in principle independant of the kind of railway. Anyway it most often is used with railway=rail and railway=narrow_gauge.
In general distinction between main line and branch line should be straightforward. With a few very long branch lines one might argue, that they actualy work like a mainline. You always have to consider the circumstances.
Distinction between the other usage types should be obvious.
Values
- See below for table
| Key | Value | Element | Comment | Rendering | Photo |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| usage | main | 
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Main line, presumably heavy traffic, often double tracked, high speed. Example: Rail lines left and right of the Rhine river |
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| usage | branch |
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Less trafic than main line, lower speed, often single tracked, often lower quality standard. May connect a place to a mainline, typically a few dozen miles in length. | ||
| usage | industrial |
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Tracks in private use, industial areas, also for connection to the public network Examples: Large surface mining areas, large industrial complex like iron or chemical industry. |
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| usage | military |
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Tracks for military use, mainly on military ground | ||
| usage | tourism |
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Tracks for touristic use, often used on weekends and holydays, most preserved railways Examples: Mount Washington Cog Railway, Cass Scenic Railroad, Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad |
