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A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in). The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson), international gauge, UIC gauge, uniform gauge, normal gauge and European gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the most widely used track gauge around the world, with ...
Apr 16, 2001 · The standard U.S. railroad gauge is similar in width to the wheel spacing of Roman chariots. What's False That similarity is based much more on coincidence and inherent physical limitations...
References. External links. List of track gauges. Map of the world's railways showing the different major gauges in use. 3 ft gauge (914 mm) Meter gauge (1,000 mm) Cape gauge (1,067 mm) Standard gauge (1,435 mm) Russian gauge (1,520 mm) Five foot gauge (1,524 mm) Irish gauge (1,600 mm) Iberian gauge (1,668 mm) Indian gauge (1,676 mm)
While most railways in Europe use 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) standard gauge —in some other countries, like on the Iberian Peninsula, or countries which territories used to be a part of Russian Empire and Soviet Union: widespread broad gauge exists.
Pretty much the whole of Europe's rail network was completed in the 19th century. Every country has had the challenge of updating Victorian infrastructure. It's interesting that in1892 Brunel converted 170 miles of the Great Western from broad gauge to standard gauge in just 1 weekend.
Sep 25, 2023 · Standard gauge is 4 feet, 8-1/2 inches. This is the gauge used when steam railroading began. It became the common gauge of Britain, North America, and Western Europe — except for Spain, Portugal, and Ireland.
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The term “standard gauge” refers to the width of the tracks themselves. Standard gauge tracks have a distance of 4 feet, 8.5 inches (1,435 millimeters) between the inside edges of the rails. This may seem like an oddly specific measurement, but it’s actually based on a historical standard that was established in the early days of rail travel.
