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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.
Each railroad was free to choose its own gauge, although the availability of British-built locomotives encouraged some railroads to be built to standard gauge. When American railroad tracks extended to the point that they began to interconnect, it became clear that a single nationwide gauge would be beneficial.
The vast majority of North American railroads are standard gauge ( 4 ft in / 1,435 mm ). Exceptions include some streetcar, subway and rapid transit systems, mining and tunneling operations, and some narrow-gauge lines particularly in the west, e.g. the isolated White Pass and Yukon Route system, and the former Newfoundland Railway .
Aug 1, 2020 · Railway track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the head of two rails. You might be wondering what different types of gauges are currently found around the world? About 60% of the world’s railroad tracks use the standard 1435mm (4 ft 8 1 ⁄ 2 in) gauge today.
Railway Track GaugeCountries2134mm ( 7ft )UK1829mmMoscow-St. Petersburg Line, U.S. Erie ...1674mm (5ft 5in)Spain1665mm (5ft 5in)PortugalSep 25, 2023 · History of track gauge: The gauge of a railroad is the distance between the inside vertical surfaces of the head of the rail. 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. But how did
Definition and History. A standard gauge train is a railway system that features a track gauge of 4 feet 8.5 inches or 1,435 millimeters. This gauge is considered the standard for rail transportation and is widely used around the world.
About three-fifths of the rail trackage in the world is the so-called standard gauge of 4 feet 8.5 inches (1.4 m), which originated with George Stephenson’s pioneer Liverpool & Manchester line in 1829. It was exported from Britain to Europe and the United States with the export of British locomotives built to it.