Track gauge
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In rail transport, track gauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible with the track gauge. Since many different track gauges exist worldwide, gauge differences often present a barrier to wider operation on railway networks.
The term derives from the metal bar, or gauge, that is used to ensure the distance between the rails is correct.
Railways also deploy two other gauges to ensure compliance with a required standard. A loading gauge is a two-dimensional profile that encompasses a cross-section of the track, a rail vehicle and a maximum-sized load: all rail vehicles and their loads must be contained in the corresponding envelope. A structure gauge specifies the outline into which structures (bridges, platforms, lineside equipment etc.) must not encroach.
Uses of the term
The most common use of the term "track gauge" refers to the transverse distance between the inside surfaces of the two load-bearing rails of a railway track, usually measured at 12.7 millimetres (0.50 inches) to 15.9 millimetres (0.63 inches) below the top of the rail head in order to clear worn corners and allow for rail heads having sloping sides.[1] The term derives from the "gauge", a metal bar with a precisely positioned lug at each end that track crews use to ensure the actual distance between the rails lies within tolerances of a prescribed standard: on curves, for example, the spacing is wider than normal.[2] Deriving from the name of the bar, the distance between these rails is also referred to as the track gauge.[3]
Choice of gauge
Early track gauges
The earliest form of railway was a wooden wagonway, along which single wagons were manhandled, almost always in or from a mine or quarry. Initially the wagons were guided by human muscle power; subsequently by various mechanical methods. Timber rails wore rapidly: later, flat cast-iron plates were provided to limit the wear. In some localities, the plates were made L-shaped, with the vertical part of the L guiding the wheels; this is generally referred to as a "plateway". Flanged wheels eventually became universal, and the spacing between the rails had to be compatible with that of the wagon wheels.[4]
As the guidance of the wagons was improved, short strings of wagons could be connected and pulled by teams of horses, and the track could be extended from the immediate vicinity of the mine or quarry, typically to a navigable waterway. The wagons were built to a consistent pattern and the track would be made to suit the needs of the horses and wagons: the gauge was more critical. The Penydarren Tramroad of 1802 in South Wales, a plateway, spaced these at 4 ft 4 in (1,321 mm) over the outside of the upstands.[5]
The Penydarren Tramroad probably carried the first journey by a locomotive, in 1804, and it was successful for the locomotive, but unsuccessful for the track: the plates were not strong enough to carry its weight. A considerable progressive step was made when cast iron edge rails were first employed; these had the major axis of the rail section configured vertically, giving a much stronger section to resist bending forces, and this was further improved when fish-belly rails were introduced.[6]
Edge rails required a close match between rail spacing and the configuration of the wheelsets, and the importance of the gauge was reinforced. Railways were still seen as local concerns: there was no appreciation of a future connection to other lines, and the choice of track gauge was still a pragmatic decision based on local requirements and prejudices, and probably determined by existing local designs of (road) vehicles.
Thus, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway (1826) in the West of Scotland used 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm);[7] the Dundee and Newtyle Railway (1831) in the north-east of Scotland adopted 4 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1,384 mm);[8] the Redruth and Chasewater Railway (1825) in Cornwall chose 4 ft (1,219 mm).[9]
The Arbroath and Forfar Railway opened in 1838 with a gauge of 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm),[10] and the Ulster Railway of 1839 used 6 ft 2 in (1,880 mm).[10]
"Standard" gauge appears
Locomotives were being developed in the first decades of the 19th century; they took various forms, but George Stephenson developed a successful locomotive on the Killingworth Wagonway, where he worked. His designs were successful, and when the Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened in 1825, it used his locomotives, with the same gauge as the Killingworth line, 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm).[11][12]
The Stockton and Darlington line was very successful, and when the
Gauge differences
The Liverpool and Manchester was quickly followed by other trunk railways, with the
At the same time, other parts of Britain built railways to standard gauge, and British technology was exported to European countries and parts of North America, also using standard gauge. Britain polarised into two areas: those that used
The larger railway companies wished to expand geographically, and large areas were considered to be under their control. When a new independent line was proposed to open up an unconnected area, the gauge was crucial in determining the allegiance that the line would adopt: if it was broad gauge, it must be friendly to the Great Western railway; if narrow (standard) gauge, it must favour the other companies. The battle to persuade or coerce that choice became very intense, and became referred to as
As passenger and freight transport between the two areas became increasingly important, the difficulty of moving from one gauge to the other—the
Gauge selection in other countries
As railways were built in other countries, the gauge selection was pragmatic: the track would have to fit the rolling stock. If locomotives were imported from elsewhere, especially in the early days, the track would be built to fit them. In some cases standard gauge was adopted, but many countries or companies chose a different gauge as their national gauge, either by governmental policy, or as a matter of individual choice.[14]
Terminology
Standard gauge is generally known world-wide as being 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). Terms such as broad gauge and narrow gauge do not have any fixed meaning beyond being materially wider or narrower than standard.
In British practice, the space between the rails of a track is colloquially referred to as the "four-foot", and the space between two tracks the "six-foot", descriptions relating to the respective dimensions.
Standard gauge
In modern usage the term "standard gauge" refers to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in). Standard gauge is dominant in a majority of countries, including those in North America, most of western Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and China.
Broad gauge
In modern usage, the term "broad gauge" generally refers to track spaced significantly wider than 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in).
Broad gauge is the dominant gauge in countries in Indian subcontinent, the former Soviet Union (CIS states, Baltic states, Georgia and Ukraine), Mongolia, Finland, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chile and Ireland. It is also used for the suburban railway systems in South Australia, and Victoria, Australia.
Medium gauge
The term "medium gauge" had different meanings throughout history, depending on the local dominant gauge in use.
In 1840s, the
Narrow gauge
In modern usage, the term "narrow gauge" generally refers to track spaced significantly narrower than 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in).
Narrow gauge is the dominant or second dominant gauge in countries of Southern, Central Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Central America and South America,
During the period known as "
Minimum gauge
Break of gauge
Through operation between railway networks with different gauges was originally impossible; goods had to be transshipped and passengers had to change trains. This was obviously a major obstacle to convenient transport, and in Great Britain, led to political intervention.
On narrow gauge lines, rollbocks or transporter wagons are used: standard gauge wagons are carried on narrow gauge lines on these special vehicles, generally with rails of the wider gauge to enable those vehicles to roll on and off at transfer points.
On the
Other examples include crossings into or out of the former Soviet Union: Ukraine/Slovakia border on the Bratislava–Lviv train, and the Romania/Moldova border on the Chișinău–Bucharest train.[17]
A system developed by Talgo and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain uses variable gauge wheelsets; at the border between France and Spain, through passenger trains are drawn slowly through an apparatus that alters the gauge of the wheels, which slide laterally on the axles.[18]
A similar system is used between China and Central Asia, and between Poland and Ukraine, using the
Dual gauge
When individual railway companies have chosen different gauges and have needed to share a route where space on the ground is limited, mixed gauge (or dual gauge) track, in which three (sometimes four) rails are supported in the same track structure, can be necessary. The most frequent need for such track was at the approaches to city terminals or at break-of-gauge stations.
Tracks of multiple gauges involve considerable costs in construction (including signalling work) and complexities in track maintenance, and may require some speed restrictions. They are therefore built only when absolutely necessary. If the difference between the two gauges is large enough – for example between 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
On the GWR, there was an extended period between political intervention in 1846 that prevented major expansion of its
In some cases, mixed gauge trains were operated with wagons of both gauges. For example, MacDermot[20] wrote:
In November 1871 a novelty in the shape of a mixed-gauge goods train was introduced between Truro and Penzance. It was worked by a narrow-gauge engine, and behind the narrow-gauge trucks came a broad-gauge match-truck with wide buffers and sliding shackles, followed by the broad-gauge trucks. Such trains continued to run in West Cornwall until the abolition of the Broad Gauge; they had to stop or come down to walking pace at all stations where fixed points existed and the narrow portion side-stepped to right or left.
Triple gauge
In rare situations, three different gauges may converge on to a rail yard and triple-gauge track is needed to meet the operational needs of the break-of-gauge station – most commonly where there is insufficient space to do otherwise. Construction and operation of triple-gauge track and its signalling, however, involves immense cost and disruption, and is undertaken when no other alternative is available.[21]
Nominal track gauge
The nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a certain distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head (the gauge faces) are not necessarily vertical. Some amount of tolerance is necessarily allowed from the nominal gauge to allow for wear, etc.; this tolerance is typically greater for track limited to slower speeds, and tighter for track where higher speeds are expected (as an example, in the US the gauge is allowed to vary between 4 ft 8 in (1,420 mm) to 4 ft 10 in (1,470 mm) for track limited to 10 mph (16 km/h), while 70 mph (110 km/h) track is allowed only 4 ft 8 in (1,420 mm) to 4 ft 9+1⁄2 in (1,460 mm). Given the allowed tolerance, it is a common practice to widen the gauge slightly in curves, particularly those of shorter radius (which are inherently slower speed curves).
Rolling stock on the network must have running gear (wheelsets) that are compatible with the gauge, and therefore the gauge is a key parameter in determining interoperability, but there are many others – see below. In some cases in the earliest days of railways, the railway company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only, and independent hauliers provided wagons suited to the gauge. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as "four-foot gauge wagons", say, if the track had a gauge of four feet. This nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for.
An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at a slight variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons.
Units
The gauge is defined in
Imperial units were established in the United Kingdom by the
The list shows the imperial and other units that have been used for track gauge definitions:
Unit | SI equivalent | Track gauge example |
---|---|---|
Imperial foot
|
304.8 mm | |
Castilian foot[citation needed ]
|
278.6 mm |
|
Portuguese foot
|
332.8 mm | 5 Portuguese feet = 1,664 mm (5 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
|
Swedish foot | 296.904 mm |
|
Prussian foot (Rheinfuß)
|
313.85 mm | 2+1⁄2 Prussian feet = 785 mm (2 ft 6+29⁄32 in) |
Austrian fathom[citation needed ]
|
1520 mm | 1⁄2 Austrian fathom = 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)
|
Temporary way – permanent way
A temporary way is the temporary track often used for construction, to be replaced by the
In restricted spaces such as tunnels, the temporary way might be double track even though the tunnel will ultimately be single track. The Airport Rail Link in Sydney had construction trains of 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) gauge, which were replaced by permanent tracks of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) gauge.
During World War I, trench warfare led to a relatively static disposition of infantry, requiring considerable logistics to bring them support staff and supplies (food, ammunition, earthworks materials, etc.). Dense light railway networks using temporary narrow gauge track sections were established by both sides for this purpose.[22]
In 1939 it was proposed to construct the western section of the
Maintenance standards
Infrastructure owners specify permitted variances from the nominal gauge, and the required interventions when non-compliant gauge is detected. For example, the Federal Railroad Administration in the US specifies that the actual gauge of a 1,435 mm track that is rated for a maximum of 60 mph (96.6 km/h) must be between 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) and 4 ft 9.5 in (1,460 mm).[24]
Advantages and disadvantages of different track gauges
This section needs additional citations for verification. (May 2020) |
Speed, capacity, and economy are generally objectives of rail transport, but there is often an inverse relationship between these priorities. There is a common misconception that a narrower gauge permits a tighter turning radius, but for practical purposes, there is no meaningful relationship between gauge and curvature.[25][26]
Construction cost
Narrower gauge railways usually cost less to build because they are usually lighter in construction, using smaller
For temporary railways which will be removed after short-term use, such as those used in logging, mining or large-scale construction projects, especially in confined spaces, such as when constructing the Channel Tunnel, a narrow-gauge railway is substantially cheaper and easier to install and remove. Such railways have almost vanished due to the capabilities of modern trucks. In many countries, narrow-gauge railways were built as branch lines to feed traffic to standard-gauge lines due to lower construction costs. The choice was often not between a narrow- and standard-gauge railway, but between a narrow-gauge railway and none at all.
Broader gauge railways are generally more expensive to build, because they are usually heavier in construction, use larger
Interchangeability
The value or utility a user derives from a good or service depends on the number of users of compatible products – the "network effect" in economics. Network effects are typically positive, resulting in a given user deriving more value from a product as other users join the same network.[28] At national levels, the network effect has resulted in commerce extending beyond regional and national boundaries. Increasingly, many governments and companies have made their railways' engineering and operational standards compatible in order to achieve interchangeability – hence faster, longer-distance train operation. A major barrier to achieving interchangeability, however, is path dependence[29] – in this context the persistence of an already adopted standard to which equipment, infrastructure and training has become aligned.
Since adopting a new standard is difficult and expensive, continuing with an existing standard can remain attractive, unless longer-term benefits are given appropriate weight. An example of the consequences of path dependence is the persistence in the United Kingdom – the earliest nation to develop and adopt railway technologies – of structure gauges that are too small to allow the larger rolling stock of continental Europe to operate in the UK. The reduced cost, greater efficiency, and greater economic opportunity offered by the use of a common standard has resulted in the historical multitude of track gauges dwindling to a small number that predominate worldwide.
When interchangeability has not been achieved, freight and passengers must be transferred through time-consuming procedures requiring manual labour and substantial capital expenditure.[30] Some bulk commodities, such as coal, ore, and gravel, can be mechanically transshipped, but even this is time-consuming, and the equipment required for the transfer is often complex to maintain. If rail lines of different gauges coexist in a network and a break of gauge exists, it is difficult in times of peak demand to move rolling stock to where it is needed.
Sufficient rolling stock must be available to meet a narrow-gauge railway's peak demand, which might be greater in comparison to a broader-gauge network, and the surplus equipment generates no cash flow during periods of low demand. In regions where narrow-gauge lines form a small part of the rail network (as was the case on Russia's Sakhalin Railway), extra cost is involved in designing, manufacturing or importing narrow-gauge equipment.
Solutions to interchangeability problems include
Dominant railway gauges
More than half of the world's railways are built to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
System | Installation | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Gauge | Name | in km | in miles | % world | by location |
1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) | Metre gauge
|
95,000 | 59,000 | 7.2% | |
1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) | Three foot six inch gauge
|
112,000 | 70,000 | 8.5% | Southern and Central Africa; Nigeria (most); Indonesia (Java and Sumatera) ; Japan; Taiwan; Philippines; New Zealand; and the Australian states of Queensland, Western Australia, Tasmania and South Australia. |
1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) | Standard gauge
|
720,000 | 450,000 | 54.9% | . |
1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) | Five foot and Russian gauge | 220,000 | 140,000 | 16.8% | Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan . (all contiguous – redefined from 1,524 mm (5 ft)) |
1,524 mm (5 ft) | 7,065 | 4,390 | 0.5% | Estonia,[32] Finland (contiguous, and generally compatible, except high speed trains, with 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in) | |
1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) | Five foot three inch gauge
|
9,800 | 6,100 | 0.7% | Brazil (4,057 km or 2,521 mi)[when? ]
|
1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in) | Iberian gauge
|
15,394 | 9,565 | 1.2% | Portugal, Spain. Sometimes referred to as Iberian gauge. In Spain the Administrador de Infraestructuras Ferroviarias (ADIF) managed 11,683 km (7,259 mi) of this gauge and 22 km (14 mi) of mixed gauge at end of 2010.[33] The Portuguese Rede Ferroviária Nacional (REFER) managed 2,650 km (1,650 mi) of this gauge of this track at the same date.[33] |
1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) | Five foot six inch gauge
|
134,008 | 83,269 | 10.2% | Chile, BART in the United States San Francisco Bay Area
|
Prevalence
Total for each group of gauges in 2020:[citation needed]
Gauge | Installation (km) | Installation (mi) | Percentage (2020) | Percentage (2014) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Narrow gauge(s) | 233,391 | 145,022 | 17.5% | 15.8% |
Standard gauge | 807,616 | 501,829 | 60.6% | 54.9% |
Broad gauge(s) | 290,705 | 180,636 | 21.8% | 29.3% |
Totals | 1,331,712 | 827,487 | 100% | 100% |
Future
Further convergence of rail gauge use seems likely, as countries seek to build inter-operable networks, and international organisations seek to build macro-regional and continental networks. Almost all new high-speed rail lines are built to standard gauge, except in Uzbekistan and Russia.
Europe
The
Trans-Asian Railway
The United Nations
The Americas
This section needs to be updated.(May 2023) |
- 2008: Proposed link between ]
- 2008: Venezuela via Brazil to Argentina – standard gauge[35][needs update]
- 2008: A proposed Chile on the Pacific.[needs update]
Africa
The
Lines for iron ore to
Nigeria's railways are mostly 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) Cape gauge. The Lagos–Kano Standard Gauge Railway is a gauge conversion project by the Nigerian Government to create a north–south standard gauge rail link. The first converted segment, between Abuja and Kaduna, was completed in July 2016.
The African Union has a 50-year plan to connect the capital cities and major centres by high-speed railways.
Timeline
Gauge | Date | Chosen by |
---|---|---|
4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) | 1825 | George Stephenson |
5 ft (1,524 mm) | 1827 | Horatio Allen for the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company |
1 ft 11+1⁄2 in (597 mm) | 1836 | Festiniog Railway to easily navigate mountainous terrain (Britain's first steam-hauled narrow gauge passenger service in 1865) (originally horse-drawn) |
7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) | 1838 | I. K. Brunel
|
5 ft (1,524 mm) | 1842 | Moscow – Saint Petersburg Railway based on Southern US practice
|
5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) | 1846 | Chosen in Ireland as a compromise |
5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) | 1853 | |
3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | 1862 | Carl Pihl for the Røros Line in Norway to reduce costs
|
3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) | 1865 | Queensland Railways to reduce costs
|
3 ft (914 mm) | 1870 | Festiniog Railway )
|
2 ft (610 mm) | 1877 | Festiniog Railway )
|
2 ft 6 in (762 mm) | 1887 | Everard Calthrop to reduce costs; had designs for a matching fleet of rolling stock |
See also
Notes
- ^ The Act of Parliament did not prohibit expansion of the existing broad gauge system, but it had the indirect and delayed effect of forcing conformity with the "standard" gauge eventually.
- ISBN 0853615896, gives an illustration and description on page 66.
References
- ^ Tratman, E.E. Russell (1908). Railway track and track work (3rd ed.). New York: The Engineering News Publishing Co. p. 383.
- ISBN 9780646842844.
- ^ "Section 12.2". Track Maintenance Guide. Adelaide: Australian National [Railways Commission]. 1988.
- ^ M. J. T. Lewis (1970), Early Wooden Railways, Routledge Keegan Paul, London
- ISBN 0 7277 2576 9
- ISBN 978 0 74780 811 4
- ISBN 0 904966 41 0
- ISBN 0-85361-476-8.
- ^ D. B. Barton (1966), The Redruth and Chasewater Railway, 1824–1915, D. Bradford Barton Ltd, Truro, 2nd edition
- ^ ISBN 0-7153-4786-1
- ^ a b W W Tomlinson, The North Eastern Railway, its Rise and Development, Andrew Reid & Co, Newcastle upon Tyne, 1915
- ^ Nicholas Wood, A Practical Treatise on Rail-Roads, Longman, Orme, Brown, Green and Longmans, London, Third edition, 1838
- ^ "An Act for regulating the Gauge of Railways" (PDF). 18 October 1846. Retrieved 26 April 2010.
- ^ The Russian Railways and Imperial Intersections in the Russian Empire, Karl E. M. Starns, Thesis, University of Washington 2012, p. 33
- ^ "The beginning of the Great Southern and Western Railway".
- ISBN 0-902844-26-1.
- ^ "Beyond Thunderdome: Iron Curtain 2k6". Archived from the original on 8 July 2011. Retrieved 10 October 2007.
- ^ Alberto García Álvarez, "Automatic Gauge Changeover for Trains in Spain" (PDF), Fundación de los Ferrocarrilos Españoles, 2010.
- ^ "Experience and results of operation the SUW 2000 system in traffic corridors" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 March 2009. Retrieved 7 December 2008.
- ^ E. T. MacDermot (1931), History of the Great Western Railway, vol. II: 1863–1921, London: Great Western Railway, p. 316
- ISBN 0864172702.
- ISBN 978-1848871724
- ^ "TOY RAILWAY". The Northern Standard. Darwin, NT: National Library of Australia. 8 December 1939. p. 15. Retrieved 5 December 2011.
- ^ "Track Safety Standards Compliance Manual Chapter 5 Track Safety Standards Classes 1 through 5" (PDF). Federal Railroad Administration. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 26 February 2010.
- ^ Wellington, Arthur (1910). The Economic Theory of the Location of Railways. New York: John Wiley & Sons. pp. 751–754.
- JSTOR 213081.
- ^ Spooner, Charles Easton (1879). Narrow Gauge Railways. p. 71.
- OCLC 39210116.
- ISBN 978-1-85898-984-6.
- ^ Irish Railways including Light Railways (Vice-Regal Commission. Vol. XLVII. London): House of Commons. 1908. p. 200.
- ^ "Indian Railways: Battle of the Gauges". 22 April 2021.
- ^ Estonian railways today Archived March 3, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, p. 32
- ^ ISBN 978-3-7771-0413-3
- ^ "Colombia and Venezuela to build railroad". Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 27 May 2011.
- ^ "Venezuela, Argentina begin construction of railway linking their capitals". China Daily. Xinhua. 21 August 2008. Archived from the original on 4 March 2009. Retrieved 21 August 2008.
- ^ Sambu, Zeddy (29 April 2008). "East Africa: Countries Move to Upgrade Railway Network". Business Daily (South Africa). Archived from the original on 14 May 2014. Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- New Times (Rwanda). Retrieved 13 May 2014.
- ISBN 9780198083535.
- ^ Debroy, Bibek (20 April 2018). "Broad and Standard". business-standard.com. Business Standard. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
External links
- track gauge (P1064) (see uses)
- OpenRailwayMap. A global track gauge map
- A history of track gauge Archived 4 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine by George W. Hilton
- "Railroad Gauge Width". Archived from the original on 17 July 2012. – A list of railway gauges used or being used worldwide, including gauges that are obsolete.
- European Railway Agency: 1520 mm systems[permanent dead link] (issues with the participation of 1520/1524 mm gauge countries in the EU rail network)
- The Days they Changed the Gauge in the U.S. South
- Juan Manuel Grijalvo – The Myth of the "Standard" Gauge