Why Do Railway Gauges Differ Around the World?
A railway gauge is the distance between the two rails. The standard, or Stephenson, gauge is 1435 mm, but many countries chose wider or narrower tracks for reasons of stability, cost and history. Where two gauges meet, trains change their wheels or passengers change trains.
What is the standard gauge?
The standard gauge of 1435 mm is named after George Stephenson, chief engineer of the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, laid down in 1830. In Britain, an 1846 act of parliament made it the standard. Before that there was competition: Isambard Kingdom Brunel built the Great Western with a broad gauge, believing it gave greater stability.
Key facts
- The standard (Stephenson) gauge is 1435 mm.
- The Russian gauge is 1520 mm; the Cape gauge is 1067 mm; the metre gauge is 1000 mm.
- In 1886, 18,500 km of track in the American South was converted in 36 hours.
Why is the Russian gauge wider?
When the St Petersburg–Moscow railway was built, the gauge chosen was 1524 mm, promoted by the American engineer George Washington Whistler, and approved in 1843. His main argument was stability: the wider the track, the higher the speed a train can reach without risking derailment, all else being equal. A wider gauge can also carry more cargo or passengers. The track width in the countries of the former Soviet Union today is 1520 mm.
Where can I read the full story?
This is a short version of “Rails Apart” from OYLA 12+, Vol. 8, Issue 8. The full article in OYLA 12+ includes a world map of gauges and the story of Japan’s abandoned Gauge Change Train.
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