Why are some railroads narrow gauge?
Why are some railroads narrow gauge? While standard gauge rails placed 4 feet, 8.5 inches apart provided stability and allowed very large trains to run fast, narrow gauge rails could be laid more quickly, could let the train go around tighter curves, and could more easily handle rough or mountainous landscapes.
What gauge are Swiss railways?
The rail network of Switzerland is one of the densest and spectacular in the world. It covers a total length of 5063 km of lines with 3652 km on international gauge 1435 mm, 1312 km on metre gauge and 68.5 km of 800 mm or 750 mm gauge.
What are the disadvantages of narrow gauge railway?
A narrow gauge has, in addition to cost advantages, a capability for sharper curvature; among its disadvantages are reduced lateral stability and consequent loss of operating speed.
Why is Irish railway gauge that size?
It was at this point that Major-General Pasley discovered that the exact average between all three gauges was 5ft 3in, and so made his recommendation that this should be the standard gauge throughout Ireland, which was readily accepted by the Board of Trade. A brilliant example of a political compromise!
What is the fastest narrow gauge train in the world?
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 a design speed of 137 km/h (85 mph).
What gauge are German railways?
Germany has rail links with the following countries. All are to countries of the same gauge (1435 mm), although electrification (15 kV AC 16.7 Hz) and other systems such as signalling may differ.
Why are Japanese trains narrow gauge?
Japan's topographical features permitted more gradual curves than in Norway, perhaps explaining why the 3'6 gauge was chosen over other even narrower gauges. Edmund Morel (1841–71), a British engineer hired by the Japanese government, conferred with Inoue and it is likely that these two men agreed on 3'6.
Why is Spanish rail gauge different?
In fact, it is known as the “Iberian gauge”. This can be traced back to 1844, when a group of technicians stated that, due to the Spanish and Portuguese orography, the width of the inner sides of the tracks had to be increased.
What gauge are Ukrainian railways?
Ukraine's railway network is in 1,520 mm gauge, which is prevalent in all post-Soviet countries, as well as in Russia.
Why are British trains narrow?
Essentially it has to do with history. Rail tunnels in the uk vary in sizes due to different builders and standards throughout history. This means that their loading gauge (how high off the tracks) needs to fit these tunnels. To maintain space in the coaches they adopted a pear like shape.
Why are American trains so big?
American railways were also built on a wider gauge (the distance between the rails), which allows for larger and heavier trains. As a result, American freight railways are much more efficient than their European counterparts, carrying almost three times as much cargo per mile of track.