The track gauge of 1,435 millimeters, or 4 feet 8.5 inches, the most widely used railway gauge in the world, carrying roughly sixty percent of the worlds railway lines. Its origin traces to early British colliery tramways and George Stephensons own early lines, and it was formalized as the legal gauge for new British railways by an 1846 act of Parliament, after which it spread with British engineering influence and equipment exports. This description is adapted from Wikipedia contributors under CC BY-SA 4.0; changes were made. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/
Facts
Core ConcernA common track width letting rolling stock and infrastructure interoperate across railways and borders. 1 FAQs
Why is 1,435 millimeters the world's most common railway gauge?
It traces to early British colliery tramways and George Stephenson's own lines, then spread worldwide after an 1846 act of Parliament made it Britain's legal gauge.
Standard gauge, 1,435 millimeters or 4 feet 8.5 inches, is the most widely used railway gauge in the world, carrying roughly sixty percent of the world's railway lines. Its origin traces to early British colliery tramways and George Stephenson's own early lines. An 1846 act of Parliament formalized it as the legal gauge for new British railways, after which it spread worldwide with British engineering influence and equipment exports.
Connections
Exemplified By
The L&MR board adopted George Stephenson's 4 ft 8.5 in gauge in 1826, the gauge that was subsequently adopted as standard gauge on most of the world's railways.
Source Wikipedia: Liverpool and Manchester Railway
Pioneered By
Source Wikipedia: Standard-gauge Railway
Sources
1. Wikipedia: Standard-gauge Railway
WikipediaLead section
It is the most widely used track gauge around the world, with about 60% of the lines in the world using it.
- Pioneered By: George Stephenson, Overview
- Part Of: Rail Transport
In Group: Track Gauge Concepts, Lead sentence
A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in).
View the Source Wikipedia: Track Gauge
WikipediaHistory and adoption section, Liverpool and Manchester Railway paragraphQuote, History and adoption section, Liverpool and Manchester Railway paragraph
The Stockton and Darlington line was very successful, and when the Liverpool and Manchester Railway, the first intercity line, was opened in 1830, it used the same gauge.
Wikipedia: Liverpool and Manchester Railway
WikipediaExemplified By: Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Track gauge sectionQuote, Exemplified By: Liverpool and Manchester Railway, Track gauge section
The subsequently widely adopted gauge of 4 ft 8+1/2 in (1,435 mm) was derived from a George Stephenson recommendation that was accepted at an L&MR board meeting in July 1826
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