74-405: The Beaudesert Shire Tramway was a narrow gauge tramway which operated from Beaudesert to Lamington and Rathdowney in the Scenic Rim Region , Queensland , Australia, It was one of 15 light railways built and operated by Divisional Boards and Shire Councils in Queensland. The line carried passengers and cargo. It operated from 1903 to 1944. It was initially profitable and seen as
148-698: A 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge, whereas Vietnam, Malaysia and Thailand have metre-gauge railways . Narrow-gauge trams, particularly metre-gauge, are common in Europe. Non-industrial, narrow-gauge mountain railways are (or were) common in the Rocky Mountains of the United States and the Pacific Cordillera of Canada, Mexico, Switzerland, Bulgaria, the former Yugoslavia , Greece, and Costa Rica. A narrow-gauge railway
222-425: A curve with standard-gauge rail ( 1435 mm ) can allow speed up to 145 km/h (90 mph), the same curve with narrow-gauge rail ( 1067mm ) can only allow speed up to 130 km/h (81 mph). In Japan and Queensland, recent permanent-way improvements have allowed trains on 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge tracks to exceed 160 km/h (99 mph). Queensland Rail 's Electric Tilt Train ,
296-455: A design speed of 137 km/h (85 mph). Curve radius is also important for high speeds: narrow-gauge railways allow sharper curves, but these limit a vehicle's safe speed. Many narrow gauges, from 15 in ( 381 mm ) gauge to 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) gauge, are in present or former use. They fall into several broad categories: 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ) track gauge (also known as Scotch gauge)
370-644: A future connection to other lines, and the choice of track gauge was still a pragmatic decision based on local requirements and prejudices, and probably determined by existing local designs of (road) vehicles. Thus, the Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway (1826) in the West of Scotland used 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ); the Dundee and Newtyle Railway (1831) in the north-east of Scotland adopted 4 ft 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,384 mm );
444-759: A great success for the local shire council. The tramway is credited with opening up the agricultural lands of the upper Logan River . The Tabragalba Divisional Board , predecessor of the Beaudesert Shire , proposed the construction of the Tramway in 1899. Approval was granted on 23 October 1901 and the Beaudesert Tramway Committee was formed on 3 March 1902. The Tramway opened from Beaudesert to Innisplain and Lilybank (later renamed Christmas Creek) on 10 October 1903 with Sir Herbert Chermside , Governor of Queensland , officiating at
518-474: A heavy-duty narrow-gauge line is Brazil's EFVM . 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) gauge, it has over-100-pound rail (100 lb/yd or 49.6 kg/m) and a loading gauge almost as large as US non-excess-height lines. The line has a number of 4,000-horsepower (3,000 kW) locomotives and 200-plus-car trains. Narrow gauge's reduced stability means that its trains cannot run at speeds as high as on broader gauges. For example, if
592-518: A huge preponderance of standard gauge . When Bristol promoters planned a line from London, they employed the innovative engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel . He decided on a wider gauge, to give greater stability, and the Great Western Railway adopted a gauge of 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ), later eased to 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ). This became known as broad gauge . The Great Western Railway (GWR)
666-503: A mine in Bohemia with a railway of about 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge. During the 16th century, railways were primarily restricted to hand-pushed, narrow-gauge lines in mines throughout Europe. In the 17th century, mine railways were extended to provide transportation above ground. These lines were industrial , connecting mines with nearby transportation points (usually canals or other waterways). These railways were usually built to
740-503: A new independent line was proposed to open up an unconnected area, the gauge was crucial in determining the allegiance that the line would adopt: if it was broad gauge, it must be friendly to the Great Western railway; if narrow (standard) gauge, it must favour the other companies. The battle to persuade or coerce that choice became very intense, and became referred to as "the gauge wars" . As passenger and freight transport between
814-580: A novelty in the shape of a mixed-gauge goods train was introduced between Truro and Penzance. It was worked by a narrow-gauge engine, and behind the narrow-gauge trucks came a broad-gauge match-truck with wide buffers and sliding shackles, followed by the broad-gauge trucks. Such trains continued to run in West Cornwall until the abolition of the Broad Gauge; they had to stop or come down to walking pace at all stations where fixed points existed and
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#1732787433789888-825: A number of large 3 ft ( 914 mm ) railroad systems in North America; notable examples include the Denver & Rio Grande and Rio Grande Southern in Colorado; the Texas and St. Louis Railway in Texas, Arkansas and Missouri; and, the South Pacific Coast , White Pass and Yukon Route and West Side Lumber Co of California. 3 ft was also a common track gauge in South America, Ireland and on
962-421: A plateway, spaced these at 4 ft 4 in ( 1,321 mm ) over the outside of the upstands. The Penydarren Tramroad probably carried the first journey by a locomotive, in 1804, and it was successful for the locomotive, but unsuccessful for the track: the plates were not strong enough to carry its weight. A considerable progressive step was made when cast iron edge rails were first employed; these had
1036-589: A range of industrial railways running on 500 mm ( 19 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ) and 400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ) tracks, most commonly in restricted environments such as underground mine railways, parks and farms, in France. Several 18 in ( 457 mm ) gauge railways were built in Britain to serve ammunition depots and other military facilities, particularly during World War I . Track gauge In rail transport , track gauge
1110-429: A required standard. A loading gauge is a two-dimensional profile that encompasses a cross-section of the track, a rail vehicle and a maximum-sized load: all rail vehicles and their loads must be contained in the corresponding envelope. A structure gauge specifies the outline into which structures (bridges, platforms, lineside equipment etc.) must not encroach. The most common use of the term "track gauge" refers to
1184-657: A slight variation from the nominal gauge for pragmatic reasons. The gauge is defined in imperial units , metric units or SI units. Imperial units were established in the United Kingdom by the Weights and Measures Act 1824 . The United States customary units for length did not agree with the imperial system until 1959, when one international yard was defined as 0.9144 meters and, as derived units, 1 foot (= 1 ⁄ 3 yd) as 0.3048 meter and 1 inch (= 1 ⁄ 36 yd) as 25.4 mm. The list shows
1258-663: A successful locomotive on the Killingworth Wagonway , where he worked. His designs were successful, and when the Stockton and Darlington Railway was opened in 1825, it used his locomotives, with the same gauge as the Killingworth line , 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ). The Stockton and Darlington line was very successful, and when the Liverpool and Manchester Railway , the first intercity line,
1332-491: Is a track gauge of 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ). It has about 95,000 km (59,000 mi) of track. According to Italian law, track gauges in Italy were defined from the centre of each rail rather than the inside edges of the rails. This gauge, measured 950 mm ( 3 ft 1 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) between the edges of the rails, is known as Italian metre gauge . There were
1406-484: Is also used for the suburban railway systems in South Australia , and Victoria , Australia . The term "medium gauge" had different meanings throughout history, depending on the local dominant gauge in use. In 1840s, the 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) Irish gauge was considered a medium gauge compared to Brunel's 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) broad gauge and
1480-488: Is one where the distance between the inside edges of the rails is less than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). Historically, the term was sometimes used to refer to what are now standard-gauge railways , to distinguish them from broad-gauge railways , but this use no longer applies. The earliest recorded railway appears in Georgius Agricola 's 1556 De re metallica , which shows
1554-468: 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. The term derives from the metal bar, or gauge, that is used to ensure the distance between the rails is correct. Railways also deploy two other gauges to ensure compliance with
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#17327874337891628-506: Is typically greater for track limited to slower speeds, and tighter for track where higher speeds are expected (as an example, in the US the gauge is allowed to vary between 4 ft 8 in (1,420 mm) to 4 ft 10 in (1,470 mm) for track limited to 10 mph (16 km/h), while 70 mph (110 km/h) track is allowed only 4 ft 8 in (1,420 mm) to 4 ft 9 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (1,460 mm). Given
1702-410: Is undertaken when no other alternative is available. The nominal track gauge is the distance between the inner faces of the rails. In current practice, it is specified at a certain distance below the rail head as the inner faces of the rail head (the gauge faces ) are not necessarily vertical. Some amount of tolerance is necessarily allowed from the nominal gauge to allow for wear, etc.; this tolerance
1776-550: Is used between China and Central Asia, and between Poland and Ukraine, using the SUW 2000 and INTERGAUGE variable axle systems. China and Poland use standard gauge, while Central Asia and Ukraine use 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 + 27 ⁄ 32 in ). When individual railway companies have chosen different gauges and have needed to share a route where space on the ground is limited, mixed gauge (or dual gauge) track, in which three (sometimes four) rails are supported in
1850-494: The 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) narrow gauge, which became the modern standard gauge . In modern usage, the term "narrow gauge" generally refers to track spaced significantly narrower than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). Narrow gauge is the dominant or second dominant gauge in countries of Southern, Central Africa, East Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Central America and South America, During
1924-599: The Bratislava – Lviv train, and the Romania/Moldova border on the Chișinău – Bucharest train. A system developed by Talgo and Construcciones y Auxiliar de Ferrocarriles (CAF) of Spain uses variable gauge wheelsets ; at the border between France and Spain, through passenger trains are drawn slowly through an apparatus that alters the gauge of the wheels, which slide laterally on the axles. A similar system
1998-1021: The Isle of Man . 900 mm was a common gauge in Europe. Swedish three-foot-gauge railways ( 891 mm or 2 ft 11 + 3 ⁄ 32 in ) are unique to that country and were once common all over the country. Today the only 891 mm line that remains apart from heritage railways is Roslagsbanan , a commuter line that connects Stockholm to its northeastern suburbs. A few railways and tramways were built to 2 ft 9 in ( 838 mm ) gauge, including Nankai Main Line (later converted to 3 ft 6 in or 1,067 mm ), Ocean Pier Railway at Atlantic City , Seaton Tramway ( converted from 2 ft ) and Waiorongomai Tramway . 800 mm ( 2 ft 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge railways are commonly used for rack railways . Imperial 2 ft 6 in ( 762 mm ) gauge railways were generally constructed in
2072-506: The Mount Lindesay Highway . The Tramway station at Rathdowney still exists. Tramway Road at Christmas Creek is built on the former tramway reservation. [REDACTED] Media related to Beaudesert Shire Tramway at Wikimedia Commons 28°10′28″S 152°54′13″E / 28.17444°S 152.90361°E / -28.17444; 152.90361 Narrow gauge A narrow-gauge railway ( narrow-gauge railroad in
2146-601: The Redruth and Chasewater Railway (1825) in Cornwall chose 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ). The Arbroath and Forfar Railway opened in 1838 with a gauge of 5 ft 6 in ( 1,676 mm ), and the Ulster Railway of 1839 used 6 ft 2 in ( 1,880 mm ). Locomotives were being developed in the first decades of the 19th century; they took various forms, but George Stephenson developed
2220-496: The Transmongolian Railway , Russia and Mongolia use 1,520 mm ( 4 ft 11 + 27 ⁄ 32 in ) while China uses the standard gauge of 1,435 mm. At the border, each carriage is lifted and its bogies are changed . The operation can take several hours for a whole train of many carriages. Other examples include crossings into or out of the former Soviet Union: Ukraine/Slovakia border on
2294-401: The 1905-1906 financial year the Tramway carried 6,712 passengers, 75,375 imperial gallons (90,522 US gal; 342,660 L) of cream, 2,854 pigs, 743 long tons (755 t; 832 short tons) of general merchandise, 260 long tons (264 t; 291 short tons) of other agricultural produce and 9,669 long tons (9,824 t; 10,829 short tons) of timber . During the 1920s the movement of timber
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2368-587: The 500mm gauge tracks of their mine railway ; these locomotives were made by the Deutz Gas Engine Company ( Gasmotorenfabrik Deutz ), now Deutz AG . Another early use of internal combustion was to power a narrow-gauge locomotive was in 1902. F. C. Blake built a 7 hp petrol locomotive for the Richmond Main Sewerage Board sewage plant at Mortlake . This 2 ft 9 in ( 838 mm ) gauge locomotive
2442-410: The Beaudesert Tramway Committee was abolished on 31 December 1945. See map: Beaudesert Tramway 1935 The Tramway owned locomotives, passenger carriages capable of carrying 70 people and goods vans, with timber wagons and other rolling stock hired from Queensland Railways . Much of the Tramway reservation is now on private property, although substantial portions are visible from public roads such as
2516-454: The GWR, there was an extended period between political intervention in 1846 that prevented major expansion of its 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) broad gauge and the final gauge conversion to standard gauge in 1892. During this period, many locations practicality required mixed gauge operation, and in station areas the track configuration was extremely complex. This
2590-579: The Middle East, and China. In modern usage, the term "broad gauge" generally refers to track spaced significantly wider than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). Broad gauge is the dominant gauge in countries in Indian subcontinent, the former Soviet Union ( CIS states, Baltic states, Georgia and Ukraine), Mongolia, Finland (which still uses the original Soviet Gauge of 1524mm), Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Chile and Ireland. It
2664-952: The Philippines demonstrate that if track is built to a heavy-duty standard, performance almost as good as a standard-gauge line is possible. Two-hundred-car trains operate on the Sishen–Saldanha railway line in South Africa, and high-speed Tilt Trains run in Queensland. In South Africa and New Zealand, the loading gauge is similar to the restricted British loading gauge; in New Zealand, some British Rail Mark 2 carriages have been rebuilt with new bogies for use by Tranz Scenic (Wellington-Palmerston North service), Tranz Metro (Wellington-Masterton service), and Auckland One Rail (Auckland suburban services). Another example of
2738-847: The US) is a railway with a track gauge narrower than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) standard gauge . Most narrow-gauge railways are between 600 mm ( 1 ft 11 + 5 ⁄ 8 in ) and 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Since narrow-gauge railways are usually built with tighter curves , smaller structure gauges , and lighter rails ; they can be less costly to build, equip, and operate than standard- or broad-gauge railways (particularly in mountainous or difficult terrain). Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often used in mountainous terrain, where engineering savings can be substantial. Lower-cost narrow-gauge railways are often built to serve industries as well as sparsely populated communities where
2812-404: The actual distance between the rails lies within tolerances of a prescribed standard: on curves, for example, the spacing is wider than normal. Deriving from the name of the bar, the distance between these rails is also referred to as the track gauge. The earliest form of railway was a wooden wagonway, along which single wagons were manhandled, almost always in or from a mine or quarry. Initially
2886-402: The allowed tolerance, it is a common practice to widen the gauge slightly in curves, particularly those of shorter radius (which are inherently slower speed curves). Rolling stock on the network must have running gear ( wheelsets ) that are compatible with the gauge, and therefore the gauge is a key parameter in determining interoperability, but there are many others – see below. In some cases in
2960-920: The coal industry. Some sugar cane lines in Cuba were 2 ft 3 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 699 mm ). 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railways were generally constructed in the former British colonies. The U.S. had a number of railways of that gauge , including several in the state of Maine such as the Wiscasset, Waterville and Farmington Railway . 1 ft 11 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ( 603 mm ), 600 mm ( 1 ft 11 + 5 ⁄ 8 in ) and 1 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 597 mm ) were used in Europe. Gauges below 1 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 597 mm ) were rare. Arthur Percival Heywood developed 15 in ( 381 mm ) gauge estate railways in Britain and Decauville produced
3034-561: The convenience in laying it and changing its location over unimproved ground. In restricted spaces such as tunnels, the temporary way might be double track even though the tunnel will ultimately be single track. The Airport Rail Link in Sydney had construction trains of 900 mm ( 2 ft 11 + 7 ⁄ 16 in ) gauge, which were replaced by permanent tracks of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge. During World War I, trench warfare led to
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3108-448: The earliest days of railways, the railway company saw itself as an infrastructure provider only, and independent hauliers provided wagons suited to the gauge. Colloquially the wagons might be referred to as "four-foot gauge wagons", say, if the track had a gauge of four feet. This nominal value does not equate to the flange spacing, as some freedom is allowed for. An infrastructure manager might specify new or replacement track components at
3182-544: The fastest train in Australia and the fastest 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge train in the world, set a record of 210 km/h (130 mph). The speed record for 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge rail is 245 km/h (152 mph), set in South Africa in 1978. A special 2 ft ( 610 mm ) gauge railcar was built for the Otavi Mining and Railway Company with
3256-575: The former British colonies . 760 mm Bosnian gauge and 750 mm railways are predominantly found in Russia and Eastern Europe. Gauges such as 2 ft 3 in ( 686 mm ), 2 ft 4 in ( 711 mm ) and 2 ft 4 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 724 mm ) were used in parts of the UK, particularly for railways in Wales and the borders, with some industrial use in
3330-423: The imperial and other units that have been used for track gauge definitions: A temporary way is the temporary track often used for construction, to be replaced by the permanent way (the structure consisting of the rails, fasteners, sleepers/ties and ballast (or slab track), plus the underlying subgrade) when construction nears completion. In many cases narrow-gauge track is used for a temporary way because of
3404-569: The line experienced significant decreases starting from this time. Following the "encroachment" of the standard gauge line and increasing competition from road transport, the Shire approached the Government of Queensland to take over the Tramway but the Minister for Railways declined. With declining traffic, the Tramway ceased operations on 30 Sep 1944. The rails and rolling stock were sold, and
3478-402: The major axis of the rail section configured vertically, giving a much stronger section to resist bending forces, and this was further improved when fish-belly rails were introduced. Edge rails required a close match between rail spacing and the configuration of the wheelsets, and the importance of the gauge was reinforced. Railways were still seen as local concerns: there was no appreciation of
3552-404: The narrow portion side-stepped to right or left. In rare situations, three different gauges may converge on to a rail yard and triple-gauge track is needed to meet the operational needs of the break-of-gauge station – most commonly where there is insufficient space to do otherwise. Construction and operation of triple-gauge track and its signalling, however, involves immense cost and disruption, and
3626-582: The opening ceremony at Tabooba Junction. In August 1907, it was decided to extend the line to Rathdowney from Innisplain . At the same shire meeting an extension from Christmas Creek was also agreed upon. In 1910, a loan for the extensions was granted. The Christmas Creek to Lamington extension opened in October 1910 and the Innisplain to Rathdowney extension in March 1911. The total cost of construction
3700-491: The period known as " the Battle of the gauges ", Stephenson's standard gauge was commonly known as "narrow gauge", while Brunel's railway's 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) gauge was termed " broad gauge ". Many narrow gauge railways were built in mountainous regions such as Wales , the Rocky Mountains of North America, Central Europe and South America. Industrial railways and mine railways across
3774-550: The same narrow gauge as the mine railways from which they developed. The world's first steam locomotive , built in 1802 by Richard Trevithick for the Coalbrookdale Company, ran on a 3 ft ( 914 mm ) plateway . The first commercially successful steam locomotive was Matthew Murray 's Salamanca built in 1812 for the 4 ft 1 in ( 1,245 mm ) Middleton Railway in Leeds . Salamanca
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#17327874337893848-416: The same track structure, can be necessary. The most frequent need for such track was at the approaches to city terminals or at break-of-gauge stations. Tracks of multiple gauges involve considerable costs in construction (including signalling work) and complexities in track maintenance, and may require some speed restrictions. They are therefore built only when absolutely necessary. If the difference between
3922-434: The space between the rails of a track is colloquially referred to as the "four-foot", and the space between two tracks the "six-foot", descriptions relating to the respective dimensions. In modern usage the term "standard gauge" refers to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). Standard gauge is dominant in a majority of countries, including those in North America, most of western Europe, North Africa,
3996-475: The traffic potential would not justify the cost of a standard- or broad-gauge line. Narrow-gauge railways have specialised use in mines and other environments where a small structure gauge necessitates a small loading gauge . In some countries, narrow gauge is the standard: Japan, Indonesia, Taiwan, New Zealand, South Africa, and the Australian states of Queensland , Western Australia and Tasmania have
4070-420: The transverse distance between the inside surfaces of the two load-bearing rails of a railway track , usually measured at 12.7 millimetres (0.50 inches) to 15.9 millimetres (0.63 inches) below the top of the rail head in order to clear worn corners and allow for rail heads having sloping sides. The term derives from the "gauge", a metal bar with a precisely positioned lug at each end that track crews use to ensure
4144-553: The two areas became increasingly important, the difficulty of moving from one gauge to the other—the break of gauge —became more prominent and more objectionable. In 1845 a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges was created to look into the growing problem, and this led to the Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846 , which forbade the construction of broad gauge lines unconnected with the broad gauge network. The broad gauge network
4218-617: 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 rails must be used. Dual-gauge rail lines occur (or have occurred) in Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Japan, North Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Tunisia and Vietnam. On
4292-513: The wagon wheels. As the guidance of the wagons was improved, short strings of wagons could be connected and pulled by teams of horses, and the track could be extended from the immediate vicinity of the mine or quarry, typically to a navigable waterway. The wagons were built to a consistent pattern and the track would be made to suit the needs of the horses and wagons: the gauge was more critical. The Penydarren Tramroad of 1802 in South Wales,
4366-441: The wagons were guided by human muscle power; subsequently by various mechanical methods. Timber rails wore rapidly: later, flat cast-iron plates were provided to limit the wear. In some localities, the plates were made L-shaped, with the vertical part of the L guiding the wheels; this is generally referred to as a "plateway". Flanged wheels eventually became universal, and the spacing between the rails had to be compatible with that of
4440-826: The world are often narrow gauge. Sugar cane and banana plantations are mostly served by narrow gauges. Very narrow gauges of under 2 feet (610 mm) were used for some industrial railways in space-restricted environments such as mines or farms. The French company Decauville developed 500 mm ( 19 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ) and 400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ) tracks, mainly for mines; Heywood developed 15 in ( 381 mm ) gauge for estate railways . The most common minimum gauges were 15 in ( 381 mm ), 400 mm ( 15 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ), 16 in ( 406 mm ), 18 in ( 457 mm ), 500 mm ( 19 + 3 ⁄ 4 in ) or 20 in ( 508 mm ). Through operation between railway networks with different gauges
4514-565: The world; 19th-century mountain logging operations often used narrow-gauge railways to transport logs from mill to market. Significant sugarcane railways still operate in Cuba, Fiji, Java, the Philippines, and Queensland, and narrow-gauge railway equipment remains in common use for building tunnels. In 1897, a manganese mine in the Lahn valley in Germany was using two benzine -fueled locomotives with single cylinder internal combustion engines on
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#17327874337894588-499: Was £ 92,770. In 1918, residents of Urbenville in northern New South Wales unsuccessfully agitated for an extension from Rathdowney to the west of Mount Lindesay . Services ran between Beaudesert and Rathdowney three times per week. The main traffic was timber, dairy produce and livestock which were trans-shipped to the Queensland Railways Beaudesert line . Early traffic was promising. For example, in
4662-525: Was adopted by early 19th-century railways, primarily in the Lanarkshire area of Scotland. 4 ft 6 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,384 mm ) lines were also constructed, and both were eventually converted to standard gauge. 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) between the inside of the rail heads, its name and classification vary worldwide and it has about 112,000 kilometres (70,000 mi) of track. As its name implies, metre gauge
4736-443: Was adopted, but many countries or companies chose a different gauge as their national gauge, either by governmental policy, or as a matter of individual choice. Standard gauge is generally known world-wide as being 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). Terms such as broad gauge and narrow gauge do not have any fixed meaning beyond being materially wider or narrower than standard. In British practice,
4810-499: Was also the first rack-and-pinion locomotive. During the 1820s and 1830s, a number of industrial narrow-gauge railways in the United Kingdom used steam locomotives. In 1842, the first narrow-gauge steam locomotive outside the UK was built for the 1,100 mm ( 3 ft 7 + 5 ⁄ 16 in )-gauge Antwerp-Ghent Railway in Belgium. The first use of steam locomotives on a public, passenger-carrying narrow-gauge railway
4884-441: Was compounded by the common rail having to be at the platform side in stations; therefore, in many cases, standard-gauge trains needed to be switched from one side of the track to the other at the approach. A special fixed point arrangement was devised for the purpose, where the track layout was simple enough. In some cases, mixed gauge trains were operated with wagons of both gauges. For example, MacDermot wrote: In November 1871
4958-519: Was eventually converted—a progressive process completed in 1892, called gauge conversion . The same Act mandated the gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) for use in Ireland. As railways were built in other countries, the gauge selection was pragmatic: the track would have to fit the rolling stock. If locomotives were imported from elsewhere, especially in the early days, the track would be built to fit them. In some cases standard gauge
5032-611: Was gradually decreasing. The tramway was used to transport postal mail to Rathdowney. Extension of the New South Wales North Coast railway line from Kyogle to Brisbane commenced in 1926 and generated additional traffic on the tramway carrying construction materials. This led to considerable delays with services unable to run to the timetable. Rathdowney and nearby towns were served by the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) standard gauge interstate line from 1930. Traffic volume on
5106-560: Was in 1865, when the Ffestiniog Railway introduced passenger service after receiving its first locomotives two years earlier. Many narrow-gauge railways were part of industrial enterprises and served primarily as industrial railways , rather than general carriers. Common uses for these industrial narrow-gauge railways included mining, logging, construction, tunnelling, quarrying, and conveying agricultural products. Extensive narrow-gauge networks were constructed in many parts of
5180-533: Was opened in 1830, it used the same gauge. It too was very successful, and the gauge, widened to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in or 1,435 mm and named " standard gauge ", was well on its way to becoming the established norm. The Liverpool and Manchester was quickly followed by other trunk railways, with the Grand Junction Railway and the London and Birmingham Railway forming
5254-532: Was originally impossible; goods had to be transshipped and passengers had to change trains. This was obviously a major obstacle to convenient transport, and in Great Britain, led to political intervention. On narrow gauge lines, rollbocks or transporter wagons are used: standard gauge wagons are carried on narrow gauge lines on these special vehicles, generally with rails of the wider gauge to enable those vehicles to roll on and off at transfer points. On
5328-592: Was probably the third petrol-engined locomotive built. Extensive narrow-gauge rail systems served the front-line trenches of both sides in World War I . They were a short-lived military application, and after the war the surplus equipment created a small boom in European narrow-gauge railway building. The heavy-duty 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge railways in Australia (Queensland), New Zealand, South Africa, Japan, Taiwan, Indonesia and
5402-497: Was referred to as "narrow gauge" to indicate the contrast. Some smaller concerns selected other non-standard gauges: the Eastern Counties Railway adopted 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ). Most of them converted to standard gauge at an early date, but the GWR's broad gauge continued to grow. The larger railway companies wished to expand geographically, and large areas were considered to be under their control. When
5476-449: Was successful and was greatly expanded, directly and through friendly associated companies, widening the scope of broad gauge. At the same time, other parts of Britain built railways to standard gauge, and British technology was exported to European countries and parts of North America, also using standard gauge. Britain polarised into two areas: those that used broad gauge and those that used standard gauge. In this context, standard gauge
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