Clive LAMMINGUn commentaire sur In English : the 37 railway gauges in the world in 1925.

In English : the 37 railway gauges in the world in 1925.

Differences between railway gauges has been the worst of all catastrophes that happened to railways. At the beginning each country, and even each line between two towns, was decided with no concertation with other towns of countries, people commonly thinking that railways would never develop enough for reaching faraway distances and faraway continents. When, near the end of 19th century, most of the industrialized countries had standardised their railway gauges to the famous 1435 mm (4′ 8″ 1/2) gauge said to be « standard gauge ». But some of these countries, building colonial empires, made the economical choice of narrow gauges, often different for each of the colonies of one continent, this destroying any further international development for the African, South America, or Asiatic growing countries. Today, nothing, or so few, has changed: most of the economic problems of these continents are due to the « gauge breaks » existing here and there in these continents.

The explosive situation in Afghanistan, for it’s future national railway. Due to Clive Lamming, expert for the G8 of 2011 in Paris and devoted to Afghanistan’s développement by transport, the standard gauge has been the right choice for a direct linking to China, Iran, Turkey and Europe.
Explained to the G8 diplomats: what could happen with gauge breaks in Afghanistan. The future afghan railway network should be built with four rail tracks offering three gauges !
Different gauges in Africa: each gauge has it’s coulour on this map, and each colonialist is busy and quiet in each empire….
The impossible dream for Cecil Rhodes: the Cape to Cairo international line. To many gauge-breakes turned the dream into a nightmare.
In Australia, things were not better that in Africa or South America, though the Commonwealth effect.
Even in Europe, the nightmare existed and still existe: Spain, Portugal, Ireland, Russia, Baltic countries and Finland are still far away.
GAUGE (MM)COUNTRYLENGTH OF TRACKS (KM)
1,878Argentine22.760
1,878Ceylan1.000
1,878Chile103
1,878India29.500
1.670Portugal3.900
1,67Spain7.500
1.650Chile1.080
1.644Chile17
1.600Ireland4.500
1.600South Australia1.800
1.600Victoria Australia6.600
1.600Brazil1.650
1.525China6.000
1,525Finland4.100
1.525Latvia1.480
1,525Panama85
1.525Roumania1.103
1,525Russia31.500
1.525Ukrainia10.700
1.448China560
1.448United States of America304
1.448Austria4.460
1.435Algeria2.050
1.435Germany68.500
1.435Argentine3.150
1.435Australia1.690
1.435Belgium4.850
1.435Brazil13
1.435Bulgaria2.225
1.435Canada49.387
1.435Chile689
1.435China3.587
1.435Korea1.860.
1.435Cuba3.675
1.435Danemark3.720
1.435Egypt2.960
1.435Spain93
1.435United States of America396.650
1.435France43.400
1.435United Kingdom32.112
1.435Greece1.250
1.435British Guyana97
1.435Netherlands4.300
1.435Hungaria19.000
1.435Dutch Oriental India200
1.435Italy18.400
1.435Jamaica317
1.435Japan38
1.435Latvia450
1.435Luxembourg317
1.435Maurice208
1.435Mesopotamia295
1.435Norway2.050
1.435New South Wales8.077
1.435Palestine550
1.435Paraguay255
1.435Peru1.630
1.435Poland16.200
1.435Porto Rico21
1.435Roumanie13.750
1.435Siam960
1.435Sweden9.000
1.435Sweden6.400
1.435Czechoslovaquia13.600
1.435Tunisia1.090
1.435Turkey1.300
1.435Uruguay2.500
1.435Yugoslavia2.500
1.372United Kingdom3
1.300Brazil10
1.270Chile127
1.220United Kingdom11
1.190Dutch Oriental India14
1.118Spain22
1.090Sweden82
1.067South Africa14.500
1.067British Central Africa280
1.067British East Africa150
1.067Angola600
1.067Australia1.100
1.067South Australia1.930
1.067West Australia5.550
1.067Bechuanaland & Rhodesia2.450
1.067Belgium490
1.067Cape328
1.067Chile435
1.067Colombia18
1.067Belgian Congo750
1.067Costa Rica520
1.067Gold Coast580
1.067Egypt220
1.067British Guyana30
1.067Dutch Oriental India5.000
1.067Equator460
1.067United Kingdom + Jersey + Man24
1.067Hungaria540
1.067Japan11.600
1.067Machuanaland1.150
1.067Mozambique832
1.067Nicaragua270
1.067Nigeria1.580
1.067New-Zealand4.820
1.067Norway1.050
1.067New South Wales58
1.067Peru26
1.067Philippines1.480
1.067Queensland9.500
1.067Russia47
1.067Soudan2.400
1.067Sweden530
1.067Tasmania1.300
1.067Newfoundland1.460
1.067Venezuela320
1.050Palestine510
1,05Algeria1.320
1,05Syra147
1.000Abyssinisa375
1.000British East Africa150
1.000Algeria1.320
1.000Germany1.800
1.000Angola360
1.000Annam2.150
1.000Argentine11.800
1.000Austria215
1.000Belgium3.400
1.000Bolivia560
1.000Bornéo200
1.000Brazil30.100
1.000Cameroun655
1.000Chile2.400
1.000China240
1.000Colombia550
1.000Danemark410
1.000Spain5.830
1.000France6.900
1.000Greece1.030
1.000Dutch Guyana175
1.000Hungaria48
1.000Inde25.150
1.000Italy342
1.000Luxembourg500
1.000Madagascar1.000
1.000Malaysia1.950
1.000Mesopotamia1.000
1.000Mexico26
1.000Norway26
1.000New South Wales29
1.000Ouganda1.100
1.000Peru120
1.000Porto Rico510
1.000Portugal400
1.000Réunion128
1.000Roumania317
1.000Russia590
1.000Senegal800
1.000Siam1.320
1.000French Soudan1.920
1.000Sweden970
1.000Tanganyika1.745
1.000Togo330
1.000Tunisia2.600
1.000Vénézuela77
950Italy 
914Colombia923
914Cuba82
914United States of America2.056
914United Kingdom16
914Guatemala1.539
914Ireland872
914Mexico2.893
914Man104
914Peru490
914Salvador160
914Venezuela37
900Germany14
900Austria13
900Portugal64
891Sweden?
826Angleterre?
800United Kingdom8
800Sweden56
800Sweden51
785Germany86
785Finland6
762Barbades38
762Brazil726
762British East Africa173
762Cape172
762Ceylan187
762Chile1.254
762Chypre122
762United Kingdom29
762Inde5.400
762Japan343
762Mesopotamia93
762Mexico53
762Nigeria229
762San Domingue99
762Sierra Leone550
762South Africa896
762Victoria195
760Austria635
760Bulgaria51
760Poland70
760Roumanie744
760Yugoslavia46
750Algeria245
750Germany1.371
750Argentine163
750Belgicain Congo400
750Dutch East Indies510
750Estonie338
750Egypt1.464
750Spain104
750Finland115
750Hungaria14
750Latvia280
750Norway83
750Poland925
750Roumania301
750Sweden14
750Tanganyika14
724United Kingdom14
711United Kingdom5
700Luxembourg264
700Poland400
686United Kingdom?
610Inde974
610Japan42
610Mexico34
610Tasmania66
610South Africa898
610Venezuela218
603Germany93
603Brazil1.843
603Chile61
603Finland10
603Peru80
603Sweden133
600Algeria54
600Bulgaria317
600Cameroun54
600Dutch Oriental India120
600France224
600United Kingdom99
600Poland400
600Roumania301
600Tanganyika93
457United Kingdom8
381United Kingdom11
Gauge break problems for this Chinese locomotive meeting russian tracks at the border. All the axles on the train have to be changed for allowing the train to keep it’s way going on.
Superb gauge cocktail in South-America: the most effective ecomony killer to be.

1 thought on “In English : the 37 railway gauges in the world in 1925.”

  1. Olivier Cazier 17 août 2020 — 16 h 15 min

    Donné a 1435 dans Le Chattelier, Chemins de fer d’Allemagne, 1845

    Olivier Cazier

    + 33 (0)6 78 62 07 97

    De : Olivier Cazier Envoyé le :lundi 17 août 2020 16:45 À : Train Consultant Clive Lamming Objet :RE : [Nouvel article] In English : the 37 railway gauges in the world in 1925.

    Bonjour Clive.

    J’espère que vous allez bien.

    Je suis un peu surpris de trouver 1448 en Autriche… Il me semble qu’elles sont à 1435 depuis très longtemps.

    De même en France, il y a eu des écartements de 1445 sur certains réseaux avant la SNCF ( Je ne sais plus lesquels, mais j’ai une note quelque part !), mais ils ont disparu ( avant 1950)

    Olivier Cazier

    + 33 (0)6 78 62 07 97

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