How many rail gauges around the world. Are most of them 4' 8". Would the 7' broad gauge have been better

Answer 1

The 4'8'' gauge was chosen because it was the idea gauge for a hoarse drawn train. By the time Brunel constructed the Great Western, the standard gauge was already pretty established, it was preferred by investors because it was cheaper to construct.
Brunel conceived his gauge as the best for steam traction, it was always the best for speed and safety as it had a lower relative centre of gravity, however its full potential was never really utilised, the G.W.R.s Locomotives were all to small and the coaches and waggons weren't as large as they could have been.
Perhaps the 7' gauge was too far ahead of its time.
I doubt the 7' gauge would have spread across the globe as fast as the standard gauge in any circumstances especially as the major locomotive exporters all supported standard gauge,
and of coarse the Banks and investors, also 4'8.5" was a good Tram Gauge fitting in a single road carriageway

Answer 2

7' is not, and would not have been better...

There's a reason 4 8 1/2 is standard...

Answer 3

Several gauges and yes it would have been better but...this guy could WRITE A BOOK WHY DON'T YA

Answer 4

The 7ft would be better as a standard throughout the world.

Answer 5

Sixty percent of the world's railways use a gauge of 1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in), which is known as the standard or international gauge. Rail gauges wider than standard gauge are called broad gauge, and rail gauges smaller than standard are called narrow gauge. Some stretches of track are built to a dual gauge: that is to say that three (or sometimes four) parallel running-rails are laid in place of the usual two, in order to allow trains of two different gauges to share the same route. The term break-of-gauge refers to the situation occurring at a place where different gauges meet.


2150 mm (7ft 0¼" in)
United Kingdom (Brunel's Great Western Railway until re-gauged by May 1892, see Great Western Railway The "gauge war" )
[edit]
1945 mm (6ft 4 5/8")
Netherlands (1839 - 1864 Railroad Gauge Width)
[edit]
1980 mm (6ft 2")
Ulster, until (?) Dual gauge examples
[edit]
1750 mm (5ft 8 7/8")
France
[edit]
1676 mm (5ft 6in)
Argentina
Bangladesh
Canada (Grand Trunk Railway, St. Lawrence and Atlantic Railroad and the Champlain and St. Lawrence Railroad until 1873, see Broad gauge, Specific names, Provincial gauge The Grand Trunk Railway of Canada. See also Canada.)
Chile
India
Pakistan
Sri Lanka
USA (BART - Bay Area Rapid Transit - San Francisco Bay Area)
[edit]
1668 mm (5ft 5½in)
Portugal
Spain
[edit]
1600 mm (5ft 3in)
Republic of Ireland
Northern Ireland
Brazil
South Australia (State of)
Victoria, Australia (State of)
New South Wales, Australia (State of) (A few routes entering from Neighbouring Victoria only)
Tasmania, Australia (State of) (All routes gauge converted to 3'6" in 19th century)
New Zealand - Canterbury Provincial Railway (All routes gauge converted to 3'6" in the 19th century)
[edit]
5ft 2½in (1588 mm)
Pennsylvania Trolley gauge (?) See Broad gauge and Railroad Gauge Width
[edit]
5ft 2¼in (1581 mm)
Pennsylvania Trolley gauge (?) See Broad gauge and Railroad Gauge Width
[edit]
1575 mm (5ft 2in)
Ireland until ? Dual gauge examples
[edit]
1524 mm (5ft)
Finland
Panama
USA The South - prior to and after the Civil War
Panama Canal - prior to conversion to standard gauge in 2000 to suit off-the-shelf supply.
Kaliningrad, Russia (ports) and several connected ports - as documented by Swedish Development Advisers (See page 1 of document in this link: www.swedevelop.com/publications/pdf_files/Geopolitics%20and%20Baltic%20Ports.pdf )
[edit]
1520 mm (4ft 11 27/32in)
Armenia
Azerbaijan
Belarus
Estonia
Georgia
Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan
Latvia
Lithuania
Moldova
Mongolia
Poland (almost exclusively on one line, see Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa)
Russia
Tajikistan
Turkmenistan
Ukraine
Uzbekistan
[edit]
1495 mm (4ft 10 7/8in)
Toronto Transit Commission (subway, light rail and streetcars) See Broad gauge, Toronto subway track gauge as well as Toronto streetcar track gauge.
[edit]
4ft 10in (1470 mm)
USA The Midwest - until after the Civil War
[edit]
List of countries using standard gauge
[edit]
1435 mm (4 ft 8½ in)
Alaska
Albania
Algeria
Argentina (ALL Mesopotamica) [2])
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Bulgaria
China
Denmark
Egypt
France
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Canada
Croatia
Czech Republic
Germany
Greece
Hong Kong (including 1432 mm)
Hungary
Iran
Iraq
Israel
Italy
Japan (Shinkansen)
Korea
Lebanon
Macedonia
Montenegro
Morocco
Mexico [3]
Serbia
Netherlands
Norway
Poland
Peru [4]
PRC (mainland China)
Romania
Republic of China (Taiwan) , (Taipei Rapid Transit System)
Macedonia
Serbia and Montenegro
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Africa (proposed for the Gautrain)
Sweden
Switzerland
Syria
Tunisia
Turkey
United Kingdom
Uruguay
USA
Vietnam (north of Hanoi)
[edit]
List of narrow rail gauges by gauge
[edit]
1100 mm (3ft 7 1/3in)
Brazil
[edit]
1067 mm (3ft 6in)
Angola
Australia (Queensland - first 1067 gauge railway, Western Australia, South Australia, Tasmania)
Botswana
Canada (New Brunswick until 1880s, Newfoundland until September 1988 and Prince Edward Island until 1930, standard gauge until abandonment, see Canada)
Congo
Costa Rica
Ecuador
Ghana
Honduras
Indonesia
Japan (except Shinkansen)
Mozambique
Namibia
New Zealand
Nicaragua (now lifted)
Nigeria
Russia at Sahalin iceland (old Japan infrastructure).
Sakhalin Island (in Russia)
South Africa
Sudan
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Tanzania (TAZARA only)
Malawi
[edit]
1050 mm
Jordan (Hejaz railway)
[edit]
1000 mm (3ft 3 3/8in)
Argentina
Bangladesh
Brazil
Bolivia
Burma
Cambodia
Chile
China
India
Kenya
Laos
Malaysia
Myanmar
Poland
Portugal
Spain
Switzerland (for some suburban railways, mountain railways) and trams
Tanzania (except for TAZARA)
Thailand
Uganda
Vietnam
[edit]
950 mm
Italy (some regional railways)
Eritrea
[edit]
914 mm (3ft)
Canada, White Pass and Yukon Railroad, Narrow gauge Canada
Colombia
El Salvador
Guatemala Ferrovías Guatemala
Peru Huancayo - Huancavelica, RUTA CUSCO - MACHU PICCHU
USA (in the state of Colorado) Cumbres and Toltec Scenic Railroad
Isle of Man - Manx Electric Railway and Isle of Man Railway
[edit]
900 mm (2ft 11 7/16in)
Poland
[edit]
891 mm (3 swedish feet)
Sweden (Roslagsbanan in Stockholm)
[edit]
785 mm
Poland
[edit]
2ft 6in (762 mm)
Australia (Victoria)
India
[edit]
760 mm
Brazil (Perus-Pirapora Railroad; abandoned)
Austria (Lijst van spoorwijdten)
[edit]
750 mm
Poland
Russia
Switzerland
[edit]
610 mm (2ft 0in)
Australia (Queensland) - for sugar cane tramways
England
India
Scotland
USA
Wales
South Africa - Port Elizabeth to Avontuur (284km) and Port Shepstone to Harding (122km)
[edit]
600 mm (1ft 11 5/8in)
Poland
UK Ffestiniog Railway Railroad Gauge Width