Railways with a track gauge of fall within the category of

broad gauge railway A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge (the distance between the rails) broader than the used by standard-gauge railways. Broad gauge of , commonly known as Russian gauge, is the dominant track gauge in former Soviet Union (CIS ...

s. , they were extant in

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

, Brazil and Ireland.

History

600 BC :The

Diolkos The Diolkos (, from the Greek , "across", and , "portage machine") was a paved trackway near Corinth in Ancient Greece which enabled boats to be moved overland across the Isthmus of Corinth. The shortcut allowed ancient vessels to avoid the ...

(Δίολκος) across the

Isthmus of Corinth The Isthmus of Corinth (Greek: Ισθμός της Κορίνθου) is the narrow land bridge which connects the Peloponnese peninsula with the rest of the mainland of Greece, near the city of Corinth. The word "isthmus" comes from the Ancien ...

in Greece – a grooved paved trackway – was constructed with an average gauge of . 1840 : The Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway was constructed in 1840-1851 to gauge before being

converted Conversion or convert may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * "Conversion" (''Doctor Who'' audio), an episode of the audio drama ''Cyberman'' * "Conversion" (''Stargate Atlantis''), an episode of the television series * "The Conversion" ...

to in 1854–1855. 1843 : The

Board of Trade The Board of Trade is a British government body concerned with commerce and industry, currently within the Department for International Trade. Its full title is The Lords of the Committee of the Privy Council appointed for the consideration of ...

of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, after investigating a dispute caused by diverse gauges, recommended the use of in Ireland. 1846 : The

Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846 The Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846 (9 & 10 Vic. c.57) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom, that was designed to standardise railway tracks. It achieved royal assent on 18 August 1846, during the reign of Queen Victoria of ...

made mandatory throughout all of Ireland. 1847 : The

Swiss Northern Railway The Swiss Northern Railway (German: ''Schweizerische Nordbahn'', SNB), informally known as the ''Spanisch-Brötli-Bahn'', opened the first railway line within Switzerland in 1847, the Zürich–Baden line. This followed the extension of a Fre ...

was opened as a line and converted to in 1854. 1854 : The first Australian railway to operate steam-powered freight and passenger services, Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company, was built as a line. 1858 : The first Brazilian railway was opened: the Companhia de Estrada de Ferro Dom Pedro II. 1863 : The Canterbury Railway in New Zealand was built in . It was converted to in 1876.

Nomenclature

* In the Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom, the gauge is known as Irish gauge. () In Ireland it is also common to hear it referred to as "standard gauge" when distinguishing it from the various 3 ft gauge railways of the island. * In Australia, where the states of Victoria and South Australia have this gauge (as did Tasmania in the 19th century), it is known as broad gauge. * In Brazil, the gauge is mainly known as broad gauge (), but occasionally as Irish gauge ().

Installations

Similar gauges

The Pennsylvania trolley gauges of and are similar to this gauge, but incompatible. There is also a gauge. See: Track gauge in Ireland.

Locomotives

Steam train leaving Great Victoria Street station - 1975 (geograph 3393960)

Before the advent of diesel and electric traction, one of the advantages of the broader Irish gauge compared to was that more space between steam locomotive

frames A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (co ...

allows for a bigger firebox, enabling generation of more steam.

References