Track gauge
Videos
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 differe
Fish-belly cast-iron rails from the Cromford and High Peak Railway
An early Stephenson locomotive
Triple gauge, from left: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in), 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in), and 600 mm (1 ft 11+5⁄8 in), on display at the China Railway Museum in Beijing
A cartoon depicting the horrors of goods transfer at the break of gauge at Gloucester in 1843
3 ft 6 in gauge railways
Videos
Railways with a track gauge of 3 feet 6 inches were first constructed as horse-drawn wagonways. The first intercity passenger railway to use the 3 ft 6 in gauge was constructed in Norway by Carl Abrah
Track gauge
…built only when necessary. If the difference between the two gauges is large enough – for example between 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge and 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) – three-rail dual-gauge is possible, but if not – for example between 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) and 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge – four…
JA1271 with excursion consist climbing the Opapa incline in New Zealand
Cape gauge X'Trapolis Mega and Class 5M2 in Cape Town, South Africa
Tram descending the Great Orme Tramway
Dual gauge track in Perth Australia with both 3ft 6in and standard gauge