Information AboutBreak-of-gauge |
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With railways, a break-of-gauge is where a line of one Gauge meets a line of a different gauge. Train s and Rolling Stock cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges, and Freight and Passenger s must otherwise be transloaded. Either way, a break-of-gauge adds delays, cost and inconvenience to traffic that must pass from one gauge to another. INCONVENIENCE (near Vladivostok ) at the Chinese – Russian border.]] Transloading of freight from cars of one gauge to cars of another is very labour and time intensive, and increases the risk of damage to goods. If the capacity of freight cars on each system does not match, additional inefficiencies arise. Technical solutions to avoid transloading include variable gauge axles, replacing the trucks of cars, and the use of Transporter Cars that can carry a car of a different gauge. '' Talgo '' and '' Construcciones Y Auxiliar De Ferrocarriles '' have developed dual gauge axles ( Variable Gauge Axles ) which permit through running. In some cases, breaks-of-gauge are avoided by installing Dual Gauge track, either permanently or as part of a changeover process between gauges. .]] MAJOR BREAKS OF GAUGE Major breaks of gauge between large systems include: Africa
Angola
Democratic Republic of Congo
Asia Bangladesh Bangladesh has decided to resolve most of its break-of-gauge problem by converting most of its broad and narrow gauge tracks to Dual Gauge . China China (standard gauge) on one hand, Mongolia and Russia (1520 mm) on the other. See the Transmanchurian Railway . China (standard gauge), Vietnam (metre gauge) India India has decided that towns on the narrow gauge system get a second class service, and has decided to convert a significant proportion of the narrow gauge system to broad gauge. Iran Iran with its standard gauge has break-of-gauge at the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan , and will soon have a new break-of-gauge with Pakistan . It has a short main line with tracks of Indian broad gauge. Thailand Several countries bordering Thailand use meter gauge track, but there are missing links between Thailand and Vietnam via Cambodia . Vietnam
Australia
Europe
North America
Latin America
MINOR BREAKS OF GAUGE Wherever there are narrow gauge lines that connect with a standard gauge line, there is technically a break-of-gauge. If the amount of traffic transferred between lines is small, this might be a small inconvenience only. In Austria and Switzerland there are numerous breaks-of-gauge between standard-gauge main lines and narrow-gauge Mountain Railway s. The line between Finland and Russia has a minor break-of-gauge. Finnish gauge is 1524 mm and Russian 1520 mm, but this does not stop through-running. The effects of a minor break-of-gauge can be minimized by placing it at the point where a cargo must be removed from cars anyway. An example of this is the '' East Broad Top Railroad '' in the United States of America, which had a Coal Wash And Preparation Plant at its break-of-gauge in Mount Union, Pennsylvania . The coal was unloaded from Narrow Gauge cars of the EBT, and after processing was loaded into Standard Gauge cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad . In addition to its broad-gauge lines, Spain has modern high-speed lines operating at standard gauge, and uses gauge converters. These railways are used for passengers only, and they have to change train, usually in big cities where they would have to change train anyway. SEE ALSO OTHER ISSUES While track gauge is the most important factor preventing through running between adjacent systems, other issues can also be a hindrance, including Loading Gauge , Couplings , Brake s, Electrification , Signalling systems, Rules And Regulations , and Language . EXTERNAL LINKS
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