As railways developed and expanded one of the key issues to be decided was that of the rail gauge (the distance between the inner sides of the rails) that should be used. The eventual result was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a standard gauge of 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in), allowing inter-connectivity and the inter-operability of trains. Currently 60% of the world's railway lines are built to this gauge. It is also named Stephenson gauge after George Stephenson. Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... Great Western Railway broad gauge steam locomotives awaiting scrapping in 1892 after the conversion to standard gauge. ... Scotch gauge was the name given to a 4 ft 6 in (1371 mm) rail gauge, the distance between the inner sides of the rails, that was adopted by early 19th century railways in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... Sunlight reflects off dual-gauge tracks near Chur, Switzerland Mixed-gauge track and pointwork (1435 mm and 1067 mm) at Odawara in Japan Dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway is a special configuration of railway track, allowing trains of different gauges to use the same alignment. ... With railways, a break-of-gauge is where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. ... Rail tracks. ... Light rail tracks with concrete railroad ties. ... For info The new private railways in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia (Putra, STAR and KLIA express) and Bangkok Thailand (Skytrain, Underground and Airport Express) are built to the Standard gauge // This is the Standard or international gauge Alaska Albania Algeria Argentina Railroad Development Corporation (ALL Mesopotamica) - Former Urquiza Line Australia Austria... Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... A typical North American steam train In rail transport, a train consists of rail vehicles that move along guides to transport freight or passengers from one place to another. ... George Stephenson George Stephenson For the British politician, see George Stevenson. ...

In England the standard gauge was at first 4 ft 8 in (1422 mm), and in Scotland some early lines were 4 ft 6 in (1371 mm). Soon, in both countries, these lines were widened to standard gauge. Parts of the United States rail system, mainly in the northeast, adopted the same gauge because some early trains were purchased from Britain. However, until well into the second half of the 19th century Britain and the USA had several different track gauges. The American gauges slowly converged as the advantages of equipment interchange became more and more apparent; the destruction of much of the South's broad gauge system in the American Civil War hastened this trend. Motto: (French for God and my right) Anthem: God Save the King/Queen Capital London (de facto) Largest city London Official language(s) English (de facto) Unification    - by Athelstan AD 927  Area    - Total 130,395 km² (1st in UK)   50,346 sq mi  Population    - 2006 est. ... Motto: (Latin) No one provokes me with impunity1 Anthem: Multiple unofficial anthems Capital Edinburgh Largest city Glasgow Official language(s) English, Gaelic, Scots2 Government  - Queen Queen Elizabeth II  - UK Prime Minister Tony Blair MP  - First Minister Jack McConnell MSP Unification    - by Kenneth I 843  Area    - Total 78,772 km... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Great Western Railway broad gauge steam locomotives awaiting scrapping in 1892 after the conversion to standard gauge. ... Combatants United States of America (Union) Confederate States of America (Confederacy) Commanders Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant Jefferson Davis, Robert E. Lee Strength 2,200,000 1,064,000 Casualties 110,000 killed in action, 360,000 total dead, 275,200 wounded 93,000 killed in action, 258,000 total...

List

List of standard gauge by country. For info The new private railways in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia (Putra, STAR and KLIA express) and Bangkok Thailand (Skytrain, Underground and Airport Express) are built to the Standard gauge // This is the Standard or international gauge Alaska Albania Algeria Argentina Railroad Development Corporation (ALL Mesopotamica) - Former Urquiza Line Australia Austria...

Origin

The English railway pioneer George Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for the coal mines of County Durham. The Stockton and Darlington Railway (S&DR), the world's first steam-powered railway, was built primarily to transport coal from several mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees. The S&DR's track gauge was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. Stephenson used the same gauge for the Liverpool and Manchester Railway opened five years later. The success of this led to Stephenson (and his son Robert) being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. This influence appears to be the main reason that this particular gauge became the standard, and its usage became more widespread than any other gauge. George Stephenson George Stephenson For the British politician, see George Stevenson. ... County Durham is a county in north-east England. ... Opening of the Stockton and Darlington Railway by John Dobbin, circa 1825. ... Shildon, Cradle Of The Railways, is a town in County Durham, in England. ... Stockton-on-Tees is an industrial town and port on the River Tees in north-eastern England. ... Wagonways are the horses, equipment, and tracks used for hauling wagons which preceded steam powered railways. ... The Liverpool and Manchester Railway (L&MR) was the worlds first intercity passenger railway in which all the trains were timetabled and operated for most of the distance solely by steam locomotives. ... Statue of Robert Stephenson at Euston Station, London Robert Stephenson FRS (October 16, 1803–October 12, 1859) was an English civil engineer. ...

Subsequently, engineers have shown that a narrow gauge is less than ideal: despite usually offering cheaper construction, a smaller gauge restricts speeds due to a reduced load stability. Broader gauges are theoretically more stable at speed and allow larger, wider, heavier loads. According to Isambard Kingdom Brunel's studies the optimum gauge for a rail system (and the one he originally used on his Great Western Railway) is 7 ft 0¼ in (2140 mm). Brunel before the launching of the Great Eastern. ... The original Bristol Temple Meads station, first terminus of the GWR, is the building to the left of this picture The Great Western Railway (GWR) was a British railway company, linking South West England, the West Country and South Wales with London. ...

In the UK, a Royal Commission in 1845 reported in favour of standard gauge on the grounds that its network was eight times larger than that of the rival 7 ft ¼ in (2140 mm) gauge adopted principally by the Great Western Railway. The subsequent Gauge Act of 1846 ruled that new railways in Great Britain should be built to standard gauge, but allowed the broad gauge companies to continue expanding their networks. After an intervening period of mixed-gauge operation (tracks were laid with three running-rails), the Great Western finally converted its entire network to standard gauge in 1892. 1845 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Sunlight reflects off dual-gauge tracks near Chur, Switzerland Mixed-gauge track and pointwork (1435 mm and 1067 mm) at Odawara in Japan Dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway is a special configuration of railway track, allowing trains of different gauges to use the same alignment. ... 1892 (MDCCCXCII) was a leap year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

A popular legend traces the origin of the 4 ft 8½ in (1435 mm) gauge even further back than the coalfields of northern England, pointing to the evidence of rutted roads marked by chariot wheels dating from the Roman Empire. This legend may have some truth, as there is a historical tendency to place the wheels of horse-drawn vehicles approximately 5 ft (1500 mm) apart, which probably derives simply from the width needed to fit two horses side-by-side in between the shafts. Hittite chariot (drawing of an Egyptian relief) Approximate historical map of the spread of the chariot, 2000 –500 BC. A chariot is a two-wheeled, horse-drawn vehicle. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

See also: Rail gauge, Broad gauge, Scotch gauge, Narrow gauge, Dual gauge.

Rail gauge is the distance between the inner sides of the two parallel rails that make up a railway track. ... Great Western Railway broad gauge steam locomotives awaiting scrapping in 1892 after the conversion to standard gauge. ... Scotch gauge was the name given to a 4 ft 6 in (1371 mm) rail gauge, the distance between the inner sides of the rails, that was adopted by early 19th century railways in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... Sunlight reflects off dual-gauge tracks near Chur, Switzerland Mixed-gauge track and pointwork (1435 mm and 1067 mm) at Odawara in Japan Dual-gauge or mixed-gauge railway is a special configuration of railway track, allowing trains of different gauges to use the same alignment. ...

Ideal gauge

There has been much controversy about what constitutes the "ideal gauge". From a design point of view, a train can travel faster around a given radius of track if the gauge is wider, as the centre of gravity of the train is therefore further displaced from the wheels, which in turn lowers the angle between the wheel's lower contact surface to the centre of gravity, and horizontal. Given that one can tailor either the track radius for train speed, or the train speed for track radius, gauge in some cases may not be as important as interoperability. In physics, the center of gravity (CoG) of an object is the average location of its weight. ...

There are many examples of high speed and high mass applications on narrow gauges throughout the world, suggesting that gauge is less important than the original supporters of either broad gauge or narrower gauges held it to be: Great Western Railway broad gauge steam locomotives awaiting scrapping in 1892 after the conversion to standard gauge. ...

• The heaviest trains in the world run on standard gauge track in Australia, North America and Mauritania. Gauge is not the limiting factor in running heavier trains.
• The fastest trains in the world also run on standard gauge in Japan and Europe, where speeds over 300 km/h are attained.
• Very heavy trains run on the narrow gauge of 3 ft 6 in (1067 mm) in Queensland (Australia) and South Africa, on track as strong as heavy standard gauge track. A narrow gauge does not seem to materially affect the weight of trains that can be run.
• Fairly fast trains can run on narrow gauge track, as can be seen in Queensland.
• It is possible to build a light standard gauge line about as cheaply as a narrow gauge line.
• It is possible to build a narrow gauge line to as heavy-duty a standard as a standard gauge line.
• Loading gauge, structure gauge, axle load, compatibility of couplings, continuous brakes, electrification system, railway signal systems, radio systems and rules and regulations are also important.

With the benefit of hindsight, little was gained by building railway systems too narrow (down to about 3 ft (900 mm)) or too broad (up to about 7 ft (2100 mm)) gauges, and this was at the cost of nil interoperability. World map showing North America A satellite composite image of North America. ... Capital Brisbane Government Const. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... A loading gauge is the envelope or contoured shape within which all railway vehicles, engines, coaches, and trucks must fit. ... The Structure gauge, also called the minimum clearance outline, is the minimum size of tunnels and bridges as well as the minimum size of the doors that allow a rail siding access into a warehouse. ... On railways, the axle load is the maximum weight of a train per pair of wheels allowable for a given section of track. ... Knuckle (AAR Type E) couplers in use. ... A brake is a device for slowing or stopping the motion of a machine or vehicle, and to keep it from starting to move again. ... This a list of the voltages, etc. ... A signal is a mechanical or electrical device that indicates to train drivers information about the state of the line ahead, and therefore whether he or she must stop or may start, or instructions on what speed the train may go. ...

Only in gauges of less than 3 ft (900 mm) can a railway be built significantly more cheaply than is possible with standard gauge, and only then in mountainous terrain, or where a low capacity line is required, or with industrial railways where through running is not required.

It can be argued therefore, that the original uniform gauge adopted by Stephenson in 1830 can serve most of the tasks performed by gauges from 3 to 7 ft (900 to 2100 mm), albeit with a mini gauge of about 2 ft (600 mm) for cane tramways, underground mine, mountain, construction, temporary and military railways, plus children's railways. Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

For interoperability, if possible, the mini-gauge trams should be able to piggyback on top of standard gauge flat wagons, to reach workshops and other narrow gauge lines to which they are not otherwise connected. Piggyback operation by the trainload occurred as a temporary measure between Port Augusta and Marree during gauge conversion works in the 1950s. A multiple piggyback. ... Port Augusta (32°29′ S 137°46′ E, population 15,250) is a town in South Australia. ... Marree ( 29°38′ S 138°03′ E) is a small town located in the north of South Australia. ... // Recovering from World War II and its aftermath, the economic miracle emerged in West Germany and Italy. ...

Break of gauge

Main article: Break-of-gauge

When a railway line of one gauge meets another railway line of a different gauge, there is a break of gauge. A break of gauge adds cost and inconvenience to traffic that must pass from one system to another. With railways, a break-of-gauge is where a line of one gauge meets a line of a different gauge. ...

An example of this is on the Transmanchurian Railway, where Russia and Mongolia use broad gauge while China uses the standard gauge. At the border, each carriage has to be lifted in turn to have its bogies changed. The whole operation, combined with passport and customs control, can take several hours. Trans-Siberian line in red; Baikal Amur Mainline in green. ... Great Western Railway broad gauge steam locomotives awaiting scrapping in 1892 after the conversion to standard gauge. ... A bogie is a wheeled wagon or trolley. ... For other Types of Travel Document, see Travel Document. ... Customs duty is a tariff or tax on the import or export of goods. ...

Break of gauge has also been used deliberately for military purposes - for example, the Soviet Union had a different gauge than the European system to slow down invaders seeking to use its rail lines to move troops.

Standard gauge in Model railways

Main article: Rail transport modelling

In American model railroading, standard gauge was originally an effort by Lionel Corporation to corner the U.S. market in the early years of the 20th century. Lionel standardized its offerings on three-rail track with a gauge of 2 1/8 in (54 mm) between the outer rails, making it incompatible with Gauge 1 offerings from European manufacturers. Lionel then registered a trademark on Standard Gauge. Other American companies followed Lionel's lead, standardizing on Lionel's new standard but calling it Wide gauge in order to avoid infringing on Lionel's trademark. A US HO scale model railroad. ... Lionel Corporation was an American toy manufacturer, specializing in toy trains and model railroads. ... The use of a Third rail in model railroading is a technique that is sometimes applied in order to facilitate easier wiring. ... 1 gauge is a toy train and model railroading standard, popular in the early 20th century, particularly with European manufacturers. ... Wide Gauge was an early model railway and toy train standard, introduced in the United States in 1906 by Lionel Corporation. ...

Standard gauge fell out of favour in the 1930s because of its high cost, and Lionel discontinued its Standard gauge offerings in 1940. The 1930s (years from 1930–1939) were described as an abrupt shift to more radical and conservative lifestyles, as countries were struggling to find a solution to the Great Depression, also known in Europe as the World Depression. ... Year 1940 (MCMXL) was a leap year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1940 calendar). ...

Although scale modeling was not of primary concern, standard gauge's scale is generally accepted at 1:26.59, making it somewhat smaller than G scale. G scale is a scale for model railways, and the most popular scale for garden railways - indeed this explains the name. ...

More recently, standard gauge has come to mean scale modelling in which the track is accurately scaled to real-world standard gauge. This is opposed to narrow gauge modeling, which models real-world narrow gauge, or off-scale modeling, where track is not true to scale, such as in O gauge. Narrow-gauge railways are railroads (railways) with track spaced at less than the standard gauge of 4 ft 8 in (1. ... O scale (or O gauge) is a scale commonly used for toy trains and model railroading. ...

References

• Pomeranz, Kenneth and Steven Topik (1999). The World That Trade Created: Society, Culture, and World Economy, 1400 to the Present. M.E. Sharpe, Inc., Armonk, NY. ISBN 0-7656-0250-4. 

External links

• Snopes History of standard gauge dating from Roman times (Snopes labels this as false).
• Jane's World Railways (hard copy)