Track gauge conversion

Track gauges

General concepts
Track gauge · Break-of-gauge · Dual gauge · Conversion (list) · Bogie exchange · Variable gauge
By transport mode
Tram · Rapid transit · High-speed rail Miniature · Scale model
By size (list)
Broad   Breitspurbahn 3,000 mm (9 ft 10 1⁄8 in)   Brunel 2,140 mm (7 ft 1⁄4 in)   Indian 1,676 mm (5 ft 6 in)   Iberian 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 21⁄32 in)   Irish 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in)   Pennsylvania 1,588 mm 1,581 mm (5 ft 2 1⁄2 in) (5 ft 2 1⁄4 in)   Russian 1,524 mm 1,520 mm (5 ft) (4 ft 11 27⁄32)   Standard 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) Narrow   Scotch 1,372 mm (4 ft 6 in)   Cape 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in)   Metre 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in)   Three foot, 900mm and Swedish three foot 914 mm 900 mm 891 mm (3 ft) (2 ft 11 7⁄16) (2 ft11 3⁄32) in   2 ft 6 in, Bosnian and 750 mm 762 mm 760 mm 750 mm (2 ft 6 in) (2 ft 5 15⁄16 in) (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in)   2 ft and 600mm 610 mm 600 mm 597 mm (2 ft) (1 ft 11 5⁄8 in) (1 ft 11 1⁄2 in) Minimum   Fifteen-inch 381 mm (15 in)
By location
North America · South America · Europe
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In rail transport, gauge conversion is the process of converting a railway from one rail gauge to another, through the alteration of the railway tracks. An alternative to gauge conversion is dual gauge track, or gauge conversion of the rail vehicles themselves.

Ideally railways should all be built to the same gauge, since a wide range of gauges from narrow to broad are of similar value in carrying heavy loads at low cost, while small differences of gauge create tremendous break-of-gauge costs and inconvenience.

Permanent way

Rails

Rails may be too light for the loads imposed by broader-gauge railcars and need to be replaced with a heavier rail profile.

Sleeper types

If the gauge is to be reduced, then the sleepers can continue to protrude from the side of the rails. If the gauge is to be increased, then the sleepers used for narrow gauge may be too short, and some at least of these 'short' sleepers will have to be replaced with longer ones.

Often gauge convertible sleepers are installed before the conversion of the rails themselves. Sleepers have to be long enough to take the wider of the gauges, and secondly, the sleepers must be able to take the fittings of both gauges. Gauge convertibility can also be a stepping stone to dual gauge. In cases where the differences between the gauges are small, such as 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 ³⁄₈ in)/1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) and 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in)/1,524 mm (5 ft), dual gauge with a third rail is not practicable, in these cases four rail dual gauge is necessary.

• Timber sleepers, provided that they are long enough, are always gauge convertible, since additional holes for the dogspikes can always be drilled later. If the new gauge is wider than the old, a shorter than normal sleeper can be tolerated to a degree.

• Concrete sleepers cannot be converted as an afterthought, but must have the future fittings cast in place when manufactured.

• Steel sleepers should have the extra fitting incorporated when manufactured, though it might be possible to drill or weld the fitted sleeper after installation with some difficulty.

During the conversion of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway in Australia from 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) to 4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in (1,435 mm), dual gauge with heavy rails was not possible as the rail footings were too wide. A special gauge-convertible sleeper with a reversible chair for the Pandrol clip allowed a two-week conversion process.

In the Adelaide metropolitan area, broad-gauge timber sleepers are being replaced with gauge-convertible concrete sleepers. On June 5, 2008, the South Australian Government announced that the Metropolitan Network would be converted to standard gauge (1435 mm) in 2012.^[1]

Loading gauge

Narrow gauge railways often have a significantly smaller loading gauge in both height and width. Conversion to a wider track gauge will often require enlargement of the loading gauge, by raising bridges and enlarging tunnels, if any.

The embankment could need widening too.

The minimum radius curve of a narrow gauge railway is often less than a wider gauge, which may require deviations to ease such curves.

Track centres at stations with multiple tracks will also have to be widened. This would be less of a problem on the usually single track main lines of the narrow gauge railway.

Gauge orphan

During gauge conversion work such as between Seymour and Albury, branch lines such as Benalla to Oaklands and stations such as Violet Town become gauge orphans as they cannot easily be served by trains until extra costly work is done.

In this instance, the loading gauge of the broad gauge and standard gauge lines are essentially the same.

Conversion rate

• 20 km/day for a battalion of 500-1500 men.^[2]

Rolling stock

Where vehicles cross a change of gauge, they must either be equipped for a change of bogie or have adjustable gauge axles. For example passenger trains crossing between the 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) system in France and the 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 21⁄32 in) in Spain pass through a special installation which adjusts their variable gauge axles. This temporary alteration to allow through working is generally referred to as "gauge change".

Locomotives

Steam

Steam locomotives are difficult to convert unless this is already allowed for in the design, such as in some East African Railways Garratts, and in steam locomotives built for Victoria after the 1930s. In the event, few have been so converted, but one such is Victorian Railways R class R766.

Because boilers and fireboxes are in the way (unless allowed for) locomotives can be converted only to a wider gauge.

About 1860, the Bristol and Exeter Railway converted five 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) gauge locomotives to 2,140 mm (7 ft ¹⁄₄ in) gauge, and later converted them back again.

In the 19th century, in the US, some broad 1,524 mm (5 ft) gauge locomotives were designed for easy conversion to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) gauge.

In the 20th century, in Victoria, some broad 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) gauge locomotive classes were designed for easy conversion to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) gauge.

Between 1922 and 1949, five South Australian Railways T class narrow 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge locomotives were converted to Tx-class broad 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) gauge, and later back again.

In 1941, there were plans to regauge 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) gauge steam locomotives to the 1,524 mm (5 ft) gauge.^[3]

Diesel & Electric

Most diesel and electric which rest on bogies can be converted by replacing those bogies. Engines with fixed wheelbases are problematic.

Waggons and Carriages

Gauge conversion of coaches and wagons involves the replacement of the wheelsets or entire bogies, such as happened when the 7 ft ¹⁄₄ in (2,140 mm) gauge of the Great Western Railway was abandoned in May 1892.

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Manual gauge changing.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Automated gauge changing.

• Break-of-gauge
• Gauge conversion in the US
• List of gauge conversions
• Project Unigauge, an ongoing project on Indian Railways to convert almost all railways in India to 5 ft 6 in Indian gauge
• Variable gauge

References