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Broad-gauge railway
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in), more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries (CIS states, Baltic states, Georgia, Ukraine) and Mongolia. Broad gauge of 1,524 mm (5 ft), commonly known as five foot gauge, is mainly used in Finland. Broad gauge of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), commonly known as Irish gauge, is the dominant track gauge in Ireland, the Australian state of Victoria and Adelaide in South Australia and passenger trains of Brazil.
Broad gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in), commonly known as Iberian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in Spain and Portugal.
Broad gauge of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in), commonly known as Indian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Chile, and on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the widest gauge in common use anywhere in the world. It is possible for trains on both Iberian gauge and Indian gauge to travel on each other's tracks with no modifications in the vast majority of cases.[citation needed]
In Great Britain, broad gauge was first used in Scotland for the Dundee and Arbroath Railway (1836–1847) and the Arbroath and Forfar Railway (1838–1848). Both short and isolated lines, they were built in 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm). The lines were subsequently converted to standard gauge and connected to the emerging Scottish rail network.
The Great Western Railway was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1838 with a gauge of 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), and retained this gauge until 1892. Some harbours also used railways of this gauge for construction and maintenance. These included Portland Harbour and Holyhead Breakwater, which used a locomotive for working sidings. As it was not connected to the national network, this broad-gauge operation continued until the locomotive wore out in 1913. The gauge initially proposed by Brunel was 7 ft (2,134 mm) exactly but this was soon increased by 1⁄4 in (6 mm) to 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) to accommodate clearance problems identified during early testing. George Stephenson was to add an extra half inch to his original 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge for the same reason.[citation needed]
While the parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was initially prepared to authorise lines built to the broad gauge of 7 ft (2,134 mm), it was eventually rejected by the Gauge Commission in favour of all new railways in England, Wales and Scotland being built to standard gauge of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), this being the gauge with the greatest mileage. Railways which had already received their enabling Act would continue at the 7 ft gauge. Ireland, using the same criteria, was allocated a different standard gauge, the Irish gauge, of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) which is also used in the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria. Broad-gauge lines in Britain were gradually converted to dual gauge or standard gauge from 1864 and finally the last of Brunel's broad gauge was converted over a weekend in 1892.
In 1839, the Netherlands started its railway system with two broad-gauge railways. The chosen gauge of 1,945 mm (6 ft 4+9⁄16 in) was applied between 1839 and 1866 by the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM) for its Amsterdam–The Hague–Rotterdam line and between 1842 and 1855, firstly by the Dutch state, but soon by the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NRS), for its Amsterdam–Utrecht–Arnhem line. But the neighbouring countries Prussia and Belgium already used standard gauge, so the two companies had to regauge their first lines. In 1855, NRS regauged its line and shortly afterwards connected to the Prussian railways. The HSM followed in 1866. There are replicas of one broad-gauge 2-2-2 locomotive (De Arend) and three carriages in the Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum (Dutch Railway Museum) in Utrecht. These replicas were built for the 100th anniversary of the Dutch Railways in 1938–39.
Broad-gauge railway
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) used by standard-gauge railways.
Broad gauge of 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in), more known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union countries (CIS states, Baltic states, Georgia, Ukraine) and Mongolia. Broad gauge of 1,524 mm (5 ft), commonly known as five foot gauge, is mainly used in Finland. Broad gauge of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in), commonly known as Irish gauge, is the dominant track gauge in Ireland, the Australian state of Victoria and Adelaide in South Australia and passenger trains of Brazil.
Broad gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in), commonly known as Iberian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in Spain and Portugal.
Broad gauge of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in), commonly known as Indian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Argentina, Chile, and on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in the San Francisco Bay Area. This is the widest gauge in common use anywhere in the world. It is possible for trains on both Iberian gauge and Indian gauge to travel on each other's tracks with no modifications in the vast majority of cases.[citation needed]
In Great Britain, broad gauge was first used in Scotland for the Dundee and Arbroath Railway (1836–1847) and the Arbroath and Forfar Railway (1838–1848). Both short and isolated lines, they were built in 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm). The lines were subsequently converted to standard gauge and connected to the emerging Scottish rail network.
The Great Western Railway was designed by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1838 with a gauge of 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), and retained this gauge until 1892. Some harbours also used railways of this gauge for construction and maintenance. These included Portland Harbour and Holyhead Breakwater, which used a locomotive for working sidings. As it was not connected to the national network, this broad-gauge operation continued until the locomotive wore out in 1913. The gauge initially proposed by Brunel was 7 ft (2,134 mm) exactly but this was soon increased by 1⁄4 in (6 mm) to 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm) to accommodate clearance problems identified during early testing. George Stephenson was to add an extra half inch to his original 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm) gauge for the same reason.[citation needed]
While the parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland was initially prepared to authorise lines built to the broad gauge of 7 ft (2,134 mm), it was eventually rejected by the Gauge Commission in favour of all new railways in England, Wales and Scotland being built to standard gauge of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm), this being the gauge with the greatest mileage. Railways which had already received their enabling Act would continue at the 7 ft gauge. Ireland, using the same criteria, was allocated a different standard gauge, the Irish gauge, of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) which is also used in the Australian states of South Australia and Victoria. Broad-gauge lines in Britain were gradually converted to dual gauge or standard gauge from 1864 and finally the last of Brunel's broad gauge was converted over a weekend in 1892.
In 1839, the Netherlands started its railway system with two broad-gauge railways. The chosen gauge of 1,945 mm (6 ft 4+9⁄16 in) was applied between 1839 and 1866 by the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij (HSM) for its Amsterdam–The Hague–Rotterdam line and between 1842 and 1855, firstly by the Dutch state, but soon by the Nederlandsche Rhijnspoorweg-Maatschappij (NRS), for its Amsterdam–Utrecht–Arnhem line. But the neighbouring countries Prussia and Belgium already used standard gauge, so the two companies had to regauge their first lines. In 1855, NRS regauged its line and shortly afterwards connected to the Prussian railways. The HSM followed in 1866. There are replicas of one broad-gauge 2-2-2 locomotive (De Arend) and three carriages in the Nederlands Spoorwegmuseum (Dutch Railway Museum) in Utrecht. These replicas were built for the 100th anniversary of the Dutch Railways in 1938–39.
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