5 ft 6 in gauge railway
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5 ft 6 in / 1,676 mm is a
.In North America, it is called "Indian gauge", Provincial, Portland, or "Texas gauge". In Argentina and Chile, it is known as "trocha ancha" (Spanish for "broad gauge"). In the Indian subcontinent it is simply known as "broad gauge". It is the widest gauge in regular passenger use anywhere in the world.
Asia
India
In
Bangladesh
Bangladesh Railways uses a mix of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge and
Nepal
In Nepal, all services currently operate on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge only.
Pakistan
In Pakistan, all services currently operate on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge only.
Sri Lanka
In Sri Lanka, all services currently operate on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge only.
Europe
United Kingdom
The 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge was first used in
Spain and Portugal
The Iberian-gauge railways, that service much of Spain and Portugal, have a track gauge of 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in), just 8 mm (5⁄16 in) different from 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in). Used rolling stock from Iberia has been employed on broad-gauge lines in Argentina and Chile.
North America
Canada
Canada became the first British colony, in the 1850s, to use 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge. It was known as the "Provincial gauge" in Canada.
The earliest railways in Canada, including the 1836
The
There is a longstanding rumour that the Provincial gauge was selected specifically to create a
United States
The Bay Area Rapid Transit system is the only operating railroad in the United States to use 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge, with 120 miles (190 km) of double tracked routes. The original engineers chose the wide gauge for its "great stability and smoother riding qualities"[4] and intended to make a state-of-the-art system for other municipalities to emulate. The use of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge rails was one of many unconventional design elements included in its design which, in addition to its unusual gauge, also used flat-edge rail, rather than typical rail that angles slightly inward[5] (although the shape of BART wheels and rail has been modified since then[6]). This has complicated maintenance of the system, as it requires custom wheelsets, brake systems, and track maintenance vehicles.[5]
The
- Frost heaves (swelling of wet soil upon freezing) produce an uneven running surface causing an irregular rocking motion as trains moved past. A wider wheelbase offered a steadier ride with less wear on the machinery and roadbed.
- Wider cars offered more room for passengers and cargo. Train length would be reduced for cars carrying the same amount of cargo. Shorter trains would lessen the effects of side winds, and permit more efficient application of power.
- Wide gauge locomotives offered more room to place reciprocating machinery inside, rather than outside the driving wheels. Reciprocating machinery was a source of vibration before dynamics; and keeping such vibration close to the center of mass reduced the angular momentumcausing rocking.
- Wider fireboxes and boilers allowed more powerful locomotives. The alternative of longer boilers held the disadvantage of poor firebox draft through the increased frictional resistance of longer boiler tubes.
- More powerful locomotives carrying fewer, larger cars would have reduced manpower requirement for engine crews and shop personnel.
- For locomotives of equal power, fuel consumption increased as gauge decreased, especially in colder outside temperatures.
- More powerful wide gauge locomotives would be more capable for plowing snow; and thereby provide more reliable winter service.
- Several gauges were in widespread use, and none had yet come into clear dominance.
- Freight transfer was preferable to exchange of cars between railways because unowned cars were abused on foreign railways.
- The Grand Trunk Railway system feeding the seaport of Portland, Maine offered little need for gauge transfer prior to loading on export shipping.
- Potential advantages of freight transfer to the standard gauge railroad from Portland to Boston seemed insignificant as long as competitive rates were available for transport on steamships between the two ports.
- The majority of Canadian freight anticipated to be carried over rail lines to Portland was heavy and bulky in comparison to its value, and must be transported cheaply in large quantities to maintain profitability for producers and transporters.
South America
Argentina
The national railway network is predominantly on 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge.
Chile
Most links of 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) broad gauge railways are in the center-south of the country. Only a few lines of the Ferrocarril del Sur (Southern Railroad Network) were 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Similar gauges and compatibility
The
Operational railways
Country/territory | Railway | Route length | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Argentina | San Martín Railway
|
operating | |
Argentina | Sarmiento Railway
|
operating | |
Argentina | Mitre Railway
|
except standard gauge ; operating
| |
Argentina | Roca Railway
|
except Ramal Ferro Industrial Río Turbio750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in) gauge ; operating
in | |
Bangladesh
|
Bangladesh Railway | 1,575 km (979 mi) | operating |
Chile
|
Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado - EFE Sur | operating | |
Chile
|
Empresa de los Ferrocarriles del Estado - EFE Central | Except Ramal Talca-Constitución; operating | |
Chile
|
Metro de Valparaíso
|
operating | |
Chile
|
Biotrén
|
operating | |
India | Indian Railways | 126,366 km (78,520 mi) |
operating |
India | Delhi Metro | 65 km (40 mi) | operating |
India | Kolkata Metro | 45.48 km (28.26 mi) | operating |
Iran | Zahedan railway station to border with Pakistan | operating | |
Nepal
|
Nepal Railways
|
59 km (37 mi) | operating |
Pakistan
|
Pakistan Railways | 7,791 km (4,841 mi) | operating |
Sri Lanka
|
Sri Lanka Railways | 1,508 km (937 mi) | operating |
United States | Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) San Francisco Bay Area | 109 mi (175 km) | operating |
Closed railways
Country/territory | Railway | Length | Notes |
---|---|---|---|
Canada | Grand Trunk Railway | standard gauge in 1873
| |
Canada | St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad | Converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge in 1873
| |
Canada | Grand Trunk Railway of Canada
|
Converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge
| |
Canada | Intercolonial Railway of Canada
|
Converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge in 1875
| |
Paraguay | Paraguayan railway | From Asunción to Encarnación was originally laid in this gauge in the hope that the connecting line from Posadas to Buenos Aires would be built to the same gauge; that line was laid to standard gauge, and when the FCPCAL reached Encarnación in 1912 the whole line had to be re-gauged to standard gauge to allow through-working. | |
United Kingdom | Arbroath and Forfar Railway | see Scotch gauge, converted to standard gauge
| |
United Kingdom | Dundee and Arbroath Railway | 16+3⁄4 mi (27.0 km) | see Scotch gauge, converted to standard gauge
|
United States | Maine Central Railroad | converted to standard gauge in 1871 |
See also
References
- ^ "Railroads Asia - Up And Down India".
- ^ Indian Railways: Some Fascinating Facts, “Train Atlas”, Train Atlas, Indian Railways, 2003
- ^ a b Omer Lavallee, "The Rise and Fall of the Provincial Gauge", Canadian Rail, February 1963, pp. 22-37
- ^ "Why Does BART Use Wider Non-Standard Gauge Rails". BayRail Alliance.
- ^ a b Gafni, Matthias (March 25, 2016). "Has BART's cutting-edge 1972 technology design come back to haunt it?". San Jose Mercury News. Retrieved March 28, 2016.
- ^ Tuzik, Bob (February 26, 2019). "Refining Approaches to Corrective and Preventive Rail Grinding". ON Track Maintenance.
- ISBN 0-919130-43-7.