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Standard gauge is 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (1,435 mm) gauge. It is the most widely-used gauge: about 60% of the world's railway mileage is standard gauge. [91] Several railways use gauges very close to standard gauge, including:
Cross-section of 4-rail dual-gauge track (standard and metre gauge/ narrow gauge) (click to enlarge) Cross-section of Australian dual-gauge track – 1600 mm (5 ft 3 in) and 1435 mm (4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) gauges (click to enlarge) Mixed gauge track at Sassari, Sardinia: 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) standard gauge and 950 mm (3 ft 1 + 3 ⁄ 8 in)
Track geometry involves standards, speed limits and other regulations in the areas of track gauge, alignment, elevation, curvature and track surface. [2] [failed verification] Standards are usually separately expressed for horizontal and vertical layouts although track geometry is three-dimensional.
Originally, various track gauges were used in the United States.Some railways, primarily in the northeast, used standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (1,435 mm); others used gauges ranging from 2 ft (610 mm) to 6 ft (1,829 mm).
Three foot gauge railways have a track gauge of 3 ft (914 mm) or 1 yard. This gauge is a narrow gauge and is generally found throughout North , Central , and South America . In Ireland , many secondary and industrial lines were built to 3 ft gauge, and it is the dominant gauge on the Isle of Man , where it is known as the Manx Standard Gauge .
In Australia, this gauge is typically referred to as narrow gauge in comparison to 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge or 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) broad gauge. In some instances, simply 3 foot 6 inch — or in rarer cases medium gauge — is used to distinguish it from other narrow gauges.
The first railroads in Canada in the 1830s were built to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in) and in 1847 the first 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm) gauge line was built. After a Royal Commission, in 1851 the broad gauge, called the Provincial gauge, was adopted by the Province of Canada government as the standard gauge. However, in the 1870s, most Canadian ...
Three-rail dual-gauge track is joined by four-rail triple-gauge. [k] 1600 / 1435 / 1067mm (5 ft 3 / 4 ft 8 1 / 2 in / 3 ft 6 in). Standard-gauge car on 4-rail triple-gauge track. Narrow gauge track is two central rails; broad gauge is far left rail and second from right. [l] 1600 / 1435 / 1067 mm (5 ft 3 / 4 ft 8 1 / 2 / 3 ft 6 in).