Railroad Tracks

**NavyDiver** · 12th April 2020, 02:10 PM

Originally Posted by bob10

As always happens on the net, some one comes along to spoil the party. Yes, and No says The Straight Dope. [ with a name like that, they fight to be taken seriously. but they make sense]

Was standard railroad gauge (4’81/2”) determined by Roman chariot ruts? – The Straight Dope

Loved the yarn but it hit me Australia did not have a standard gauge railway

Rail gauges in Australia display significant variations, which has presented an extremely difficult problem for rail transport on the Australian continent for over 150 years. As of 2014, there is 11,801 kilometres (7,333 mi) of narrow-gauge railways, 17,381 kilometres (10,800 mi) of standard gauge railways and 3,221 kilometres (2,001 mi) of broad gauge railways.

I didn't start it

I was also thinking of the size of a horses ass. Standard breeding practices even 2000+ years ago gave some significant variations.

Through the crusades, Barb and Arabian horse bloodlines were added to Friesian and Andalusian bloodstock. “Spanish” horses, whatever the breeding were the most expensive. Many modern draft breeds such as the Percheron, Belgian, and Suffolk Punch are all likely descendants from this era- Link

Happy Easter all

**p38arover** · 12th April 2020, 02:15 PM

Originally Posted by JDNSW

In contrast, even the first public railway, the Liverpool and Manchester Railway of 1830 (Stephenson, UK), was dual track, involved tunnels, cuttings and a number of bridges, both on the railway and across it, as well as extending into the built-up areas of two major cities.

The cost of building those magnificent UK railway viaducts would have increased considerably with a larger loading gauge.

uk railway viaducts - Google Search and scroll down.

17138692599_8f796fd628_z.jpg

**PhilipA** · 12th April 2020, 02:16 PM

AFAIR the us railway companies were granted land either side of the railway tracks which they then sold.

They imported Chinese labourers to reduce costs.
Regards PhilipA

**bob10** · 12th April 2020, 02:25 PM

Originally Posted by PhilipA

AFAIR the us railway companies were granted land either side of the railway tracks which they then sold.

They imported Chinese labourers to reduce costs.
Regards PhilipA

And Irish as well.

**p38arover** · 12th April 2020, 03:23 PM

I watched something recently (may have been QI) which discussed how the term "Navvy" came about. The term came from those labourers who dug canals in Britain. They were call "navigators" which was shortened to "Navvy". The term was later applied to the labourers who built Britain's railways and roads.

**V8Ian** · 12th April 2020, 03:28 PM

I heard a similar story, Ron. Navvy eventually applied to, particularly, Irish civil engineering labourers.

**87County** · 12th April 2020, 06:52 PM

Originally Posted by PhilipA

No I didn’t check , not that anal.
But Snopes seems to think that it’s indirectly true .
Of course there are lots of railway gauges such as metre or 3 foot 6 inches in Qld and 6 foot 3 in Victoria.
From what Understand the qld gauge was to save money on what is claimed to be the longest network in the World, while Victoria had plenty of money and Scotsmen initially designed the Railways.
I think most colonies were metre gauge, certainly Malaya and Sri Lanka.
regards PhilipA

I think you'll find the local Vic gauge, although broad, is not quite as broad as you have stated

I hope that's not too anal for you PhilipA

Prior to the extension of standard gauge into VIC, the variation caused lots of work at Albury, but the solution in the change to a narrower gauge on the NSW Main North Line at Wallengarra (no longer used as a changeover location) was a little simpler, the NSW standard gauge entered the station on one side and the QLD narrow gauge departed from the other side.

That now disused NSW section of the Main North has some wonderful brick bridges and culverts that are true works of the art of the tradesmen who built them and worth a look if you ever travel the New England Hwy north of Armidale.

**JDNSW** · 12th April 2020, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by 87County

I think you'll find the local Vic gauge, although broad, is not quite as broad as you have stated

I hope that's not too anal for you PhilipA

....

The Victorian gauge is 5'3", also known as Irish gauge. How this came about is a story in itself!

**p38arover** · 12th April 2020, 09:59 PM

I seem to remember (but can’t be sure) as a child in Albury, seeing wagons being lifted off standard gauge bogies and transferred to 5’3” Victorian bogies but, thinking about it, it does seem unlikely.

**V8Ian** · 12th April 2020, 10:37 PM

Originally Posted by p38arover

I seem to remember (but can’t be sure) as a child in Albury, seeing wagons being lifted off standard gauge bogies and transferred to 5’3” Victorian bogies but, thinking about it, it does seem unlikely.

I recall a similar story from my school days , but don't recall where. I thought I must have gotten the wrong end of the stick.
At Clapham, trains came in with produce, from North Queensland, on the narrow gauge. Said produce was transhiped, manually across the platform into NSW rolling stock on the standard gauge.
It was hard to get an initial start, but once one had one's foot in the door a great way for a destitute young apprentice to increase his nett income by 50%, on a long, hard Saturday night.

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