Concepts
Standard Gauge
Also Known As Stephenson Gauge
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The track gauge of 1,435 millimeters, or 4 feet 8.5 inches, the most widely used railway gauge in the world, carrying roughly sixty percent of the worlds railway lines. Its origin traces to early British colliery tramways and George Stephensons own early lines, and it was formalized as the legal gauge for new British railways by an 1846 act of Parliament, after which it spread with British engineering influence and equipment exports.
Facts
Core ConcernA common track width letting rolling stock and infrastructure interoperate across railways and borders. 1 Cross-Tradition Connections
Exemplified By
The L&MR board adopted George Stephenson's 4 ft 8.5 in gauge in 1826, the gauge that was subsequently adopted as standard gauge on most of the world's railways.
Pioneered By
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