Misplaced Pages

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70-629: The Trans-Australian (originally known as the Trans-Australian Express ) was an Australian passenger train operated by the Commonwealth Railways initially between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie on the Trans-Australian Railway line, and later extended west to Perth , and east to Port Pirie and Adelaide . The train commenced operating between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie in 1917 following

140-738: A cargo must be removed from cars anyway. An example of this is the East Broad Top Railroad in the US, which had a coal wash and preparation plant at its break of gauge in Mount Union, Pennsylvania . The coal was unloaded from narrow-gauge cars of the EBTR, and after processing was loaded into standard-gauge cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad . The line between Finland and Russia has a nominal break of gauge; Finnish gauge

210-627: A line north from Oodnadatta to Pine Creek on the land grant system, however negotiations were unsuccessful and Oodnadatta remained the railhead. Like the North Australia Railway , this railway passed to Commonwealth ownership on 1 January 1911, but continued to be operated by the South Australian Railways until the Commonwealth Railways took over operations on 1 January 1926. An extension of

280-427: A narrow-gauge line, completing the long-delayed project to connect Perth to Sydney with one standard gauge. The Trans-Australian Railway remained fundamentally a single-track main line, the only branch line being a short section from Pimba to Woomera (officially known as a stores siding, though a passenger service operated when Woomera was the base of a large rocket testing range ). There are two junctions: one on

350-586: A problem as Taiwan High Speed Rail generally uses separate rolling stock and its own separate railway, and at most locations runs on routes kilometres away from the conventional Taiwan Railways Administration railway network. In 1845, the South Australian newspaper mentioned the convening of a Royal Commission in Britain "inquiring whether, in future private acts of parliament for the construction of railways, provision ought to be made for securing

420-507: A standard-gauge line, there is technically a break of gauge. If the amount of traffic transferred between lines is small, this might be a small inconvenience only. In Austria and Switzerland there are numerous breaks-of-gauge between standard-gauge main lines and narrow-gauge railways. Many internal Swiss railways that operate in the more mountainous regions are 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge , and most are equipped with rack assistance to deal with

490-553: A transporter train by trainload concept called " Train on Train " to carry narrow-gauge freight trains at faster speeds on standard-gauge flatcars. The Seikan Tunnel has been converted by JR Hokkaido to dual gauge to accommodate the Hokkaido Shinkansen . An experimental program for a variable gauge " Gauge Change Train " started in 1998 as a means to allow through services from high-speed standard-gauge Shinkansen lines to narrow-gauge regional lines. Its first deployment

560-408: A uniform gauge, and whether ... to bring the railways already constructed, or in progress ... into uniformity". It continued, "Since the colonists are now moving the question of railroads, we direct their special attention to the following. A uniform gauge will be of the utmost importance to the internal traffic of the province; and the time to determine the proper and most convenient width of the rail,

630-506: Is 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ) whereas Russian gauge is 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ); the present Russian gauge is actually a redefinition of the older 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ). This does not usually prevent through-running - service running across both gauges exists in the form of the Allegro high-speed service between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. The nominal 4 mm (0.16 in) difference

700-551: Is at the commencement". South Australia and New South Wales then agreed to adopt the 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge: South Australia in 1847 and New South Wales in 1848. However, in 1850, New South Wales decided to change to 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ), or Irish gauge . The change was approved by the British government, and South Australia agreed to follow suit. However, in 1853, New South Wales unilaterally reverted to

770-485: Is done with vehicles having a gauge within certain tolerances. Indian gauge , 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ), is also compatible with Iberian gauge, although there are no actual railway connections between the two. Despite this, old Spanish and Portuguese rolling stock have been reused in Argentina and Chile, both of which use Indian gauge. A nominal break of gauge with standard gauge exists as well: on

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840-598: Is expected to be replaced by 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) rolling stock by 2020, thus eliminating the break of gauge between Sakhalin and the Russian mainland. Like Japan, rail transport in Taiwan uses the 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge for the majority of its railway network, but 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge for its high-speed rail; however, gauge differences are less of

910-520: Is generally within operating tolerances and does not cause problems or delays. The Iberian gauge is actually three slightly different gauges: 1,672 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 13 ⁄ 16  in ) in Spain, 1,664 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) in Portugal, and the newer, redefined 1,668 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 21 ⁄ 32  in ). Through-running

980-504: Is on other railway's territory) and language. The structure gauge, loading gauge and axleload problems are solved by simply using the smaller options for through running. The general solution is often to custom-build vehicles to fit all the standards to be encountered. Trains can be built to accept four voltages, to have dual signaling systems equipment, etc. All of these solutions, however, usually result in either more expensive trains or less comfort for passengers (e.g. through less room inside

1050-652: Is used in some places. Private railways often use other gauges. While most of the Japanese urban rail/metro lines use 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) rail gauge, a considerable number of lines (including all lines of the Osaka Metro ) are still using their own different gauges including 762 mm ( 2 ft 6 in ), 1,372 mm ( 4 ft 6 in ), and 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ). In 2010, Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) started working on

1120-415: The 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge. South Australia and Victoria , the latter now separated from New South Wales, protested about the broken agreement, to no avail. Because they had already invested in broad-gauge track, locomotives and rolling stock, they continued construction. There followed years of nationally uncoordinated railway construction designed not to serve

1190-464: The 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) broad gauge South Australian Railways line to Adelaide . The Trans-Australian Railway remained an isolated stretch of standard-gauge track between two narrow-gauge railways until 1968, when the Kalgoorlie to Perth standard-gauge line replaced the line at the western end, and 1970 when a standard-gauge line from Port Pirie to Broken Hill replaced

1260-633: The Altynkol railway station near the border at Khorgos , two trains (the Chinese 1,435 mm or 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in standard gauge one and the Kazakh 1,520 mm or 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in one) are placed side by side at parallel tracks, while gantry cranes move the containers from one train to the other in as short a time as 47 minutes. Wherever there are narrow-gauge lines that connect with

1330-891: The Amberley Museum Railway . More rarely, standard-gauge vehicles are carried over narrow-gauge tracks using adaptor vehicles; examples include the Rollbocke transporter wagon arrangements in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and the milk transporter wagons of the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway in England. As of 2010 , Japan is developing the Train on Train piggyback concept. The internationally widespread use of standard intermodal containers since

1400-635: The Central Australia Railway ( Port Augusta via Quorn and Marree to Alice Springs ); and the North Australia Railway . The Commonwealth Railways owned and operated 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard-gauge lines on the Trans-Australian Railway ; the Central Australia Railway (both Tarcoola to Alice Springs and Port Augusta via Leigh Creek to Marree); and Whyalla to Port Augusta. The Ghan train commenced operation for

1470-748: The Government of Australia with the Commonwealth Railways Act to administer the Trans-Australia and Port Augusta to Darwin railways. In 1975, all assets were acquired by the Australian National Railways Commission , branded as Australian National Railways and subsequently Australian National, trademarked as AN. Construction of the standard-gauge Trans-Australian Railway between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie commenced in 1912. Despite

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1540-777: The Great Western Railway acquired one of the narrow-gauge lines in Blaenau Ffestiniog , it deployed a similar type of transporter wagon to allow continued use of the quarries' existing slate wagons. Transporter wagons are most commonly used to transport narrow-gauge stock along standard-gauge lines. At the Guinness brewery in Dublin there used to be 1 ft 10 in ( 559 mm ) internal narrow gauge and 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) gauge (standard gauge for Ireland), and to avoid

1610-483: The Korea-Russia Friendship Bridge is dual gauged for standard gauge and Russian gauge. Originally the dual gauge may have reached as far as Khasan , but as of 2021 the standard gauge track has been taken up on the Russian side of the bridge. In the 20th century, railroads on the entire Sakhalin used the same 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge as Japan, as part of it

1680-842: The Trans-Australian reduced to three times weekly. After the Port Pirie to Adelaide line was converted to standard gauge in 1982, the Trans Australian was extended to Keswick Terminal in Adelaide. In the wake of a recession and cheaper air fares, the service was reduced from two services per week to one in February 1991 with this too cancelled from June 1991. [REDACTED] Media related to Trans-Australian at Wikimedia Commons Commonwealth Railways The Commonwealth Railways were established in 1917 by

1750-584: The Trans-Australian was extended to Perth on 15 June 1969 replacing The Westland . For a time from December 1973 the service ran daily with the Trans-Australian combined with the Indian Pacific at Port Pirie on the days the latter ran. At this stage the service was operating five times per week, with the Indian Pacific operating on the other days to provide a daily service. This had ceased by May 1977 with each operating individually and

1820-791: The Trans-Manchurian Railway (gauge changing at Zabaikalsk on the Russian side of the border), the Trans-Mongolian Railway and the Lanxin railway . The Yunnan–Vietnam Railway is narrow gauge, and is connected to standard-gauge tracks both in Kunming and in Hekou . The Nanning - Hanoi line is dual gauge in Vietnam as far as Hanoi. There is currently a break of gauge at Dostyk on the Kazakh border. Kazakhstan

1890-477: The examples section below for a range of international examples of different types, including a break of gauge in Gloucester , which was the earliest significant break of gauge between the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) and 7 ft  1 ⁄ 4  in ( 2,140 mm ) systems, and the first break of gauge between Russian and standard gauge built in 1861 between

1960-579: The main Perth station , standard-gauge passenger trains terminate three stations short at East Perth . Three Russian broad-gauge lines reach out from Ukraine, one (the Uzhhorod–Košice line ) into Slovakia to carry minerals; another (the Metallurgy Line ) into Poland to carry heavy iron ore and steel products without the need for transshipment as would be the case if there were a break of gauge at

2030-457: The 1960s has made break of gauge less of a problem, since containers can be efficiently transferred from one mode or train to another by specialized cranes . Greater efficiency is achieved when the lengths of the wagons on each gauge are the same, so that the containers can be transferred from one train to the other with no longitudinal movement. The speed of the transfer depends, among other factors, on how many cranes can operate simultaneously at

2100-558: The 19th century, but is now almost entirely 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge. Narrow-gauge operations are generally confined to isolated rail systems, with a few notable exceptions. China has a standard-gauge network; neighbouring countries Mongolia , Russia and Kazakhstan use 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) gauge, and Vietnam mostly uses 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) ( metre gauge ), so there are some breaks of gauge. See

2170-512: The Commonwealth Railways Department was initially formed. It was a matter of misfortune that its two termini were break-of-gauge stations connecting with narrow-gauge lines that formed part of the transcontinental link. In 1937, the eastern end was extended south to Port Pirie , enabling one less break of gauge in the trip across Australia, but at the same time establishing a three-gauge junction at Port Pirie with

Trans-Australian - Misplaced Pages Continue

2240-486: The Commonwealth Railways when they took over the narrow-gauge Central Australia Railway from the South Australian Railways in 1926. It ran between Port Augusta and Oodnadatta initially, being extended to Alice Springs in 1929. When the new standard gauge to Marree line opened in 1957 the journey was broken into two. A standard-gauge run from Port Pirie Junction to Marree, with the rest of

2310-507: The Hong Kong MTR network, lines owned by MTR Corporation used 1,432 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) before 2014. Newer lines and extensions use 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) with nominal gauge break at Sheung Wan station and Yau Ma Tei station . 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) is also employed on those owned by KCR Corporation , despite

2380-757: The Palmerston & Pine Creek Railway, it opened in 1889. When the administration of the Northern Territory passed from South Australia to the Commonwealth Government on 1 January 1911, the railway was transferred to Commonwealth ownership. The railway was initially placed under the control of the Administrator of the Northern Territory. At this time, it was known as the Northern Territory Railway, but

2450-413: The Russian mainland 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) broad gauge. In 2003, the Russian government started to convert the entire network to dual gauge with 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) and 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ). Work is 70% done as of 2016, and is expected to be complete by 2018. The entire island's rolling stock

2520-494: The South Australian Railways in 1911. In 1936, the company owned 105 locomotives, 2 railcars, 67 coaches, 14 brake vans and over 1000 freight wagons. Australian National Railways was established by the Whitlam Federal Government following a commitment made in the 1972 election to invite the states to hand over their railway systems to the federal government. In July 1975, Australian National Railways

2590-595: The apparent mysteriousness of this lack of implementation, but a likely explanation is that the combatants at the time were likely primarily interested in winning the Gauge War and setting a standard that benefited their commercial interests. The lack of a standardized gauge was a significant problem in transportation in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War . See

2660-520: The border into otherwise standard-gauge New South Wales. Similarly, the standard-gauge line from Albury to Melbourne in 1962 which eliminated most transshipment at Albury, especially the need for passengers to change trains in the middle of the night. The standard-gauge outreach from Kalgoorlie to Perth partly replaced the original 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge line, and partly rebuilt that line with better curves and gradients as double-track dual gauge. Because of lack of space at

2730-406: The border stations of Eydtkuhnen (then East Prussia, now Russia) and Kybartai (then Russia, now Lithuania). Where trains encounter a different gauge, such as at the borders between Spain and France or between Russia and China, the traditional solution has been transloading ( often called transshipment in discussions of break of gauge ), that is, the transfer of passengers and freight to cars on

2800-706: The border. There were plans to extend the Slovak line to Vienna but these have been effectively killed by the Austrian government in 2021. The third one, from Polish-Ukrainian border to Przemyśl, is used for passenger connections to Lviv and Kiyv. In 1994, the Rail Baltica proposal emerged to build a 728 km (452 mi) north–south standard-gauge line to link European railways from Poland via Kaunas , Lithuania, and Riga , Latvia, to Tallinn , Estonia. The first stage, connecting Lithuanian-Polish border to Kaunas,

2870-406: The border. This takes a few minutes per car, but is quicker than transshipment of goods. A more modern and sophisticated method is to have multigauge bogies with wheelsets whose wheels can be moved inwards and outwards . Normally they are locked in place, but special equipment at the border unloads and unlocks the wheels and pushes them inward or outward to the new gauge, relocking and reloading

Trans-Australian - Misplaced Pages Continue

2940-402: The completion of the Trans-Australian Railway . It was extended to Port Pirie in 1937 following the conversion of this line to standard gauge. Initially the train was hauled by G class locomotives and from 1938 by C class locomotives. In 1951 it began to be hauled by GM class diesel locomotives. Originally it only conveyed sleeping accommodation but aside from a period in the 1960s, it

3010-548: The early era of railways in Britain (including rollbocks , transporter wagons , dual gauge , and even containerization or variable gauge axles), but they were not implemented at the height of the Gauge War in the 1840s, which resulted in a regular need for transloading. L. T. C. Rolt 's biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (key proponent of the broad gauge for the Great Western Railway ) remarks on

3080-593: The inhospitable nature of the terrain and wartime supply problems, satisfactory progress was made, and the two tracklaying machines, one working from each end, met near Ooldea on 17 October 1917. The promise to construct the Trans-Australian Railway had been one of the principal inducements to Western Australia to join the Commonwealth of Australia during federation , and it was for the purpose of surveying and constructing this railway that

3150-573: The journey remaining on narrow gauge. The Indian Pacific commenced operating in February 1970 between Sydney and Perth following completion of the standard gauge line. Commonwealth Railways were responsible for the train from Port Pirie to Kalgoorlie . The Tea & Sugar was a train that serviced isolated Australian towns between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie. The train provided all the supplies for remote towns in South and Western Australia that were mainly inhabited by railway workers who maintained

3220-479: The lack of physical connections between the two networks. A large railway may have main lines with heavy tracks, and branch lines with light track. Light locomotives and rolling stock can operate on all lines, but heavy locomotives and rolling stock can only operate on heavy track. Heavy rolling stock might be able to operate on lighter track at reduced speed. Light track can be upgraded to heavy track by installing heavy rails, etc., and this can be done without changing

3290-618: The latter being rebranded AN Tasrail . Break-of-gauge Break of gauge was a common issue in the early days of railways, as standards had not yet been set and different organizations each used their own favored gauge on the lines they controlled—sometimes for mechanical and engineering reasons (optimizing for geography or particular types of load and rolling stock), and sometimes for commercial and competitive reasons (interoperability and non-interoperability within and between companies and alliances were often key strategic moves). Various solutions other than transloading were conceived even in

3360-653: The line were operated by the New South Wales Government Railways . The Central Australia Railway extended from Port Augusta to Alice Springs . Work on the first section of this railway was commenced by the South Australian Railways in 1878. Under South Australian ownership, the railway, known as the Great Northern Railway, was extended in stages and reached Oodnadatta in 1891. The South Australian Government subsequently made offers to several syndicates to construct

3430-579: The line. The Trans-Australian Passenger train ran between Port Augusta and Kalgoorlie that commenced in 1917 and was still being operated by Australian National when it ceased in 1991. For its standard gauge operations, Commonwealth Railways purchased G , K , KA , C , CA , CN and L class steam locomotives. From 1951, it purchased Clyde Engineering built GM and CL class diesel locomotives. It also purchased three CB railcars . For its narrow gauge operations, NC , NSU , NT and NJ diesels were purchased to replace steam locomotives inherited from

3500-688: The mine closed, other traffic was not enough to justify keeping the railway open and it closed in 1976. In March 1913, work began on an 8.5 kilometre standard-gauge line from Canberra to Queanbeyan on the Bombala line . The line was constructed by the New South Wales Public Works Department on behalf of the Federal Government. Canberra station along with the line to Queanbeyan was owned and staffed by Commonwealth Railways even though all services on

3570-516: The need for steam locomotives of both gauges the narrow-gauge engines were provided with standard-gauge converter wagons (named "haulage trucks"). The narrow-gauge steam locomotive was lowered into the haulage truck using a gantry, and its wheels rested on rollers, which in turn drove the haulage wagon wheels via a 3:1 reduction gear. Several of these locomotives survived into preservation, including locomotive No23 complete with haulage wagon and lifting gantry preserved at Brockham museum in 1966, and now at

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3640-416: The other system. When transloading from one gauge to another, often the quantities of rolling stock are unbalanced between the two systems, leading to more idle rolling stock on one system than the other. One common method to avoid transshipment is to build cars to the smaller of the two systems' loading gauges with bogies that are easily removed and replaced with other bogies at an interchange location on

3710-410: The outskirts of Port Augusta is the line to Whyalla , which opened for traffic in 1972; and one at Tarcoola is the Central Australia Railway , which opened in 1980. The North Australia Railway was the name given to the Northern Territory narrow-gauge railway that extended south from Darwin to Birdum . Construction of this line was commenced by the Government of South Australia , being known then as

3780-427: The railway to Alice Springs was completed in 1929. In the years following World War II , large tonnages of coal were railed from Leigh Creek and heavy demands were placed on the railway. In many ways, the original line was inadequate; sharp curves and heavy gradients limited train loads, whilst light track and bridges restricted speeds and axle loads. Consequently, a new standard-gauge Stirling North to Marree line

3850-414: The relatively steep gradients encountered. Through running of standard-gauge trains on rack sections would not be possible, but dual-gauge track exists in many places where the gradient is relatively flat to carry standard- and metre-gauge stock. There are also some 800-mm-gauge railways which are entirely rack operated. The effects of a minor break of gauge can be minimized by placing it at the point where

3920-669: The same gauge to which they are not otherwise connected. Piggyback operation by the trainload occurred as a temporary measure between Port Augusta and Marree during gauge conversion work in the 1950s to bypass steep gradients and washaways in the Flinders Ranges . Narrow-gauge railways were favoured in the underground slate quarries of North Wales , as tunnels could be smaller. The Padarn Railway operated transporter wagons on their 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ) gauge railway, each carrying four 1 ft  10 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 578 mm ) slate trams. When

3990-505: The track gauge. When a main line is converted to a different gauge, branch lines can be cut off and made relatively useless, at least for freight trains, until they too are converted to the new gauge. These severed branches can be called gauge orphans . The opposite of a gauge orphan is a line of one gauge which reaches into the territory composed mainly of another gauge. Examples include five 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) broad-gauge lines from Victoria, Australia, which crossed

4060-484: The train if it has a smaller loading gauge) or – in the case of freight railways – less room for cargo, making double stacking impossible or other negative effects. The earliest working example of the axle-changing system at the French-Spain border in 1948 had the axles being changed at the rate of 8 wagons or 32 axles per hour. The United States of America had broad-, narrow-, and standard-gauge tracks in

4130-418: The transfer location. Container cranes are relatively portable, so that if the break of gauge transshipment hub changes from time to time, the cranes can be moved around as required. Fork lift trucks can also be used. For example, when containers are shipped by a "direct train" from China to Europe, it is only containers, and not the railcars, which move from China's railway network to that of Kazakhstan. At

4200-507: The wheels when done. This is done as the train moves slowly over the special equipment. In some cases, breaks of gauge are avoided by installing dual-gauge track, either permanently or as part of a changeover process to a single gauge. One method of achieving interoperability between rolling stock of different gauges is to piggyback stock of one gauge on special transporter wagons or even ordinary flat wagons fitted with rails. This enables rolling stock to reach workshops and other lines of

4270-503: Was built outside the city, as the existing station was hemmed in by built-up areas. All high-speed " Shinkansen " routes in Japan have been built as standard-gauge lines. A few routes, known as " Super Tokkyū ", have been planned as narrow-gauge 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ), and the conventional (non-high-speed) is mostly narrow-gauge 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ), so there are some breaks of gauge and dual gauge

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4340-471: Was closed, but between Stirling North and Hawker it was retained and used to a limited extent for some years. The line between Stirling North and Hawker was closed in 1972 and the section between Stirling North and Quorn handed over to the operations of the Pichi Richi Railway . The Commonwealth Railways owned and operated 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge lines on

4410-673: Was completed in 2015. A standard-gauge line, extending from Belarusian-Polish border to Hrodna, is used for passenger connections to Białystok, Warsaw and Kraków. A standard-gauge line from Polish-Ukrainian border to Lviv is planned. While track gauge is the most important factor preventing through running between adjacent systems, other issues can also be a hindrance, including structure gauge , loading gauge , axleloads , couplings , brakes , electrification systems , signalling systems, multiple unit controls, rules and regulations , driver certification, righthand or lefthand running, repairs (how to make and pay for repairs while rolling stock

4480-472: Was constructed and extended from Stirling North , via Telford to Marree . During the construction stages, and after washaways on the old line, but with the new standard-gauge line available to that point, complete trains of narrow-gauge wagons were carried ( Piggyback style) to Brachina, 140 kilometres from Stirling North. Completed in 1957, the new line enabled much larger quantities of coal to be carried. The old narrow-gauge line between Marree and Hawker

4550-780: Was expected to be the Kyushu Shinkansen Nagasaki route. However, the program was cancelled in 2008. The North Korean rail system has some breaks of gauge. Several parts of the Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line on the stretch between Wiyŏn and Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn are dual gauged to allow connections to the Paektusan Rimch'ŏl Line and the Samjiyŏn Line . Also, the line connecting to the Trans-Siberian Railway from Rason to Tumangang and

4620-520: Was formed taking over the operations of Commonwealth Railways. During the next two years, discussions between the state governments of South Australia and Tasmania and the federal government resulted in all South Australian Railways services (except the Adelaide metropolitan passenger network) and all Tasmanian Government Railways services transferring to Australian National Railway in March 1978,

4690-408: Was not until 1981 that seated accommodation was provided. In 1964 Commonwealth Railways purchased 24 carbon steel carriages from Commonwealth Engineering , Granville . These were later augmented by stainless steel carriages . It also operated with other rolling stock, de-motored Bluebird railcars being used by the late 1980s. Following the conversion of the line from Kalgoorlie to standard gauge

4760-427: Was planning to build an additional line using standard gauge, between Dostyk and Aktogay but the scheme was abandoned. Iran , with its standard-gauge rail system, has a break of gauge with 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) gauge at the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan , and also with Pakistan's 5 ft 6 in gauge railway at Zahedan . The break-of-gauge station at Zahedan

4830-747: Was transferred to the control of the Commonwealth Railways Commissioner in 1918. It was renamed the North Australia Railway in 1926. Extensions to Birdum were completed in 1929, but during and following World War II , the effective railhead was Larrimah , a few miles north. The railway gained increased importance in the 1960s and early 1970s through the mining of iron ore from the Frances Creek deposits, about 230 kilometres south of Darwin. Ore traffic exceeded one million tons per annum, but after

4900-447: Was under Japan's control when railway construction began. One stretch of rail that used 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) narrow gauge was converted to match the 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge after Russia took control of it. Starting from the 1970s, a train ferry service was provided to connect Sakhalin and the Russia mainland, requiring bogie exchange on wagons to allow operation on

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