GAUGES

What is Rail Gauge?

The gauge of the railway track is a clear minimum vertical distance between the
inner sides of two tracks is called railway gauge. That is, the distance between the
two tracks on any railway route is known as railway gauge. Approximately sixty
percent of the world's railway uses standard gauge of 1,435 mm. There are 4 types
of railway gauge used in India. Broad gauge, Metre gauge, Narrow gauge and
Standard gauge (for Delhi Metro). Let's study about them.

Broad Gauge
Broad gauge is also called wide gauge or large line. The distance between the two
tracks in these railway gauges is 1676 mm (5 ft 6 in). It would not be wrong to say
that any gauge, wider than standard gauge or 1,435 mm (4 ft 8½ inches), is
called broad gauge. The first railway line built in India was a broad gauge line
from Bore Bunder (now Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus) to Thane in 1853. Broad
gauge railway is also used on ports for crane etc. This gives better stability and
they are even better than thinner gauges.

Standard Gauge
The distance between the two tracks in this railway gauge is 1435 mm (4 ft
8½ in). In India, standard gauge is used only for urban rail transit systems
like Metro, Monorail and Tram. Till 2010, the only standard gauge line in India
was the Kolkata (Calcutta) tram system. All metro lines coming in urban areas will
be made only in the standard gauge, because it is easy to get rolling stock for the
standard gauge as compared to the Indian gauge. By 2016, the lines that are in
operation are Delhi Metro, Rapid Metro Rail Gurgaon, Bangalore Metro and
Mumbai Metro. All these are operated separately from Indian Railways.

Metre Gauge
The distance between the two tracks is 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3/8 in). The metre gauge
lines were made to reduce the cost. All meter gauge lines except the Nilgiri
Mountain Railway which is a legacy run on a meter gauge in India will be
converted into broad gauge under project Unigauge.

Narrow Gauge
The small gauge is called as Narrow gauge or a small line. The narrow gauge
railway is the railway track, in which distance between two tracks is 2 ft 6 in (762
mm) and 2 ft (610 mm). In 2015, there was a 1,500 km narrow gauge rail route,
which is considered to be about 2% of the total Indian rail network. As the country
is developing, small line services are expected to be completed by 2018. Now the
small lines are being converted into big lines. Trains with small bogies now will no
longer be able to see much. The Darjeeling Mountain Railway has declared
UNESCO World Heritage on 24 July, 2008. Kalka Shimla Railway is also very
popular.

Factors affecting the Railway Gauge

- Traffic conditions: If the traffic intensity is likely to be high on the track, then the
broad gauge will be appropriate instead of the standard gauge.
- Poor areas development: Narrow gauges have been installed in some parts of the
world to develop a poor area and thus helpful in linking the poor area with the
outside world.
- Cost of track: The cost of the railway track is directly proportional to the width of
its gauge. If available funds are not enough to make standard gauge and there is no
railway line in the area, then the metre gauge or narrow gauge is preferred.
- Speed of the train:
The speed of a train is a function of the diameter of the wheel, which in turn is
limited by the gauge.

The wheel's diameter is usually 0.75 times the width of the gauge and thus, the
speed of the train is almost proportional to the gauge.

If higher speeds are to be achieved then the broad gauge track is given the priority
instead of metre gauge or narrow gauge track.

So, now you may have understood about Broad Gauge, Narrow Gauge, Metre
Gauge and Standard Gauge.

Uniformity of Gauge

The use of a uniform gauge has the following advantages:

1. The delay cost and hardship in shifting passengers and goods from the vehicle of
one gauge to the other are avoided.

2. Labor expenses of shifting are saved.

3. Breakage of goods due to shifting is avoided.

4. Possibility of thefts and misplacement during the shifting operation is

eliminated.
5. Large sheds to store goods are not required.

6. Labour strikes etc. do not affect the service and operation of trains.
7. Wagons can be efficiently used on all the tracks if the gauge is uniform.

8. Locomotives can be effectively used on all the tracks if a uniform gauge is

adopted.

9. During military movement, no time is wasted in shifting of personnel and

equipment's if the gauge is uniform.

10. Duplication of equipment such as platforms, sanitary arrangements, etc is

avoided.

Loading Gauge

The loading gauge represents the maximum width and height to which a rolling
stock, namely, a locomotive, coach, or wagon, can be built or loaded. Sometimes, a
loading gauge is also used for testing loaded and empty vehicles as per the
maximum moving dimensions prescribed for the section. In Indian Railways, the
maximum height and width of rolling stock prescribed as per the loading gauge are
given in Table 2.4.
Table 2.4 Maximum dimensions of rolling stock on Indian Railways

In order to ensure that the wagons are not overloaded, a physical barrier is made by
constructing a structure as per the profile of the loading gauge (see Fig. 2.2). This
structure consists of a vertical post with an arm from which a steel arc is suspended
from the top. The function of this structure is to ensure that the topmost and the
widest portion of the load will clear all structures such as bridges and tunnels, etc.
along the route.

Construction Gauge

The construction gauge is decided by adding the necessary clearance to the loading
gauge so that vehicles can move safely at the prescribed speed without any
infringement. The various fixed structures on railway lines such as bridges,
tunnels, and platform sheds are built in accordance with the construction gauge so
that the sides and top remain clear of the loading gauge.