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Track gauge
By transport mode
Tram
Rapid transit
Miniature
Scale model
By size (list)
Minimum
Minimum
Fifteen inch
381 mm
(15 in)
Narrow
600 mm
Two foot
Two foot three inch
600 mm
610 mm
686 mm
(1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
(2 ft)
(2 ft 3 in)
750 mm
Bosnian gauge
Two foot six inch
750 mm
760 mm
762 mm
(2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
(2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)
(2 ft 6 in)
Swedish three foot
900 mm
Three foot
Italian metre
891 mm
900 mm
914 mm
950 mm
(2 ft 11+3⁄32 in)
(2 ft 11+7⁄16 in)
(3 ft)
(3 ft1+13⁄32 in)
Metre
1,000 mm
(3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Three foot six inch
1,067 mm
(3 ft 6 in)
Four foot
1,219 mm
(4 ft)
Four foot six inch
1,372 mm
(4 ft 6 in)
1432 mm
1,432 mm
(4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)
Standard
1,435 mm
(4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)
Broad
Italian broad gauge
Dresden gauge
1,445 mm
1,450 mm
(4 ft 8+7⁄8 in)
(4 ft 9+3⁄32 in)
Leipzig gauge
1,458 mm
(4 ft 9+13⁄32 in)
Toronto gauge
1,495 mm
(4 ft 10+7⁄8 in)
1520 mm
Five foot
1,520 mm
1,524 mm
(4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)
(5 ft)
Pennsylvania gauge
Pennsylvania gauge
Five foot three inch
1,581 mm
1,588 mm
1,600 mm
(5 ft 2+1⁄4 in)
(5 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
(5 ft 3 in)
Baltimore gauge
1,638 mm
(5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Iberian gauge
Five foot six inch
1,668 mm
1,676 mm
(5 ft 5+21⁄32 in)
(5 ft 6 in)
Six foot
1,829 mm
(6 ft)
Brunel
2,140 mm
(7 ft 1⁄4 in)
Change of gauge
Break-of-gauge
Dual gauge
Conversion
list
Bogie exchange
Variable gauge
By location
North America
South America
Europe
Australia
Further information: List of rail gauges
The vast majority of North American railroads are standard gauge (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in / 1,435 mm). Exceptions include some streetcar, subway and rapid transit systems, mining and tunneling operations, and some narrow-gauge lines particularly in the west, e.g. the isolated White Pass and Yukon Route system, and the former Newfoundland Railway.
As well as the usual reasons for having one gauge i.e. being able to operate through trains without transfer arrangements, the North American continent-wide system of freight car interchange with rolling stock having the same standard gauge, couplings, and air brakes meant that individual companies could minimise their rolling stock requirements by borrowing from other companies. Peak demand periods varied over the continent, with seasonal requirements e.g. for grain shipments occurring at different times in different areas so that freight cars could be redistributed to cover peaks as required.
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The vast majority of NorthAmerican railroads are standard gauge (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in / 1,435 mm). Exceptions include some streetcar, subway and rapid transit...
In South America, Argentina and Chile use 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in) trackgauge, as well as 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) or metre gauge. Brazil uses 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)...
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In rail transport, trackgauge is the distance between the two rails of a railway track. All vehicles on a rail network must have wheelsets that are compatible...
in Europe uses standard-gauge (1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)) tracks. Trains portal Rail gaugeinNorthAmerica Rail gaugein South America Rail gaugein Australia...
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variable gauge system allows railway vehicles in a train to travel across a break of gauge between two railway networks with different trackgauges. For through...
in the San Francisco Bay Area. InNorthAmerica, it is called "Indian gauge", Provincial, Portland, or "Texas gauge". In Argentina and Chile, it is known...
railway trackgauge of 5 ft (1,524 mm) first appeared in the United Kingdom and the United States. This gauge became commonly known as "Russian gauge", because...
different gauges meet in marshalling yards or passenger stations. Dual-gaugetracks are by far the most common configuration, but triple-gaugetracks have...
unusual dominant trackgauges which were legally defined depending on the terrain encountered. The gauge of 1,445 mm (4 ft 8+7⁄8 in) was used for the...
The trackgauge adopted by the mainline railways in Ireland is 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in). This unusually broad trackgauge is otherwise found only in Australia...
railway track (British English and UIC terminology) or railroad track (American English), also known as a train track or permanent way (often "perway" in Australia)...
standard gauge in agreement with the country wide dominant usage for trackgauge, e.g. London Underground (1863), Chicago "L" (1892), Vienna Metro (1898)...
rail for curved track. Trackgauge or rail gauge (also known as track gage inNorthAmerica) is the distance between the inner sides (gauge sides) of the...
between different countries, and gauges may vary across a network, even if the trackgauge is uniform. The term loading gauge can also be applied to the maximum...
Gauge conversion is the changing of one railway trackgauge (the distance between the running rails) to another. If tracks are converted to a narrower...
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G scale or G gauge, also called large scale (45 mm or 1+3⁄4 inches), is a trackgauge for model railways which is often used for outdoor garden railways...
Three foot gauge railways have a trackgauge of 3 ft (914 mm) or 1 yard. This gauge is a narrow gauge and is generally found throughout North, Central,...
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with their track length, trackgauge, electrification system. The vast majority of tram systems use 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge. Generally...
European manufacturers. Its track measures 1.75 in (44.45 mm), making it larger than 0 gauge but slightly smaller than wide gauge, which came to be the dominant...
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