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, Switzerland ]] in Japan ]] , The Netherlands ]] Dual-gauge or '''mixed-gauge''' Railway is a special configuration of Railway Track , allowing trains of different gauges to use the same track. Generally dual-gauge railway consists of three rails, rather than the standard two rails. The two outer rails give the wider gauge, while one of the outer rails and the inner rail give a narrower gauge. Thus one of the three rails is common to all traffic. (This configuration is not to be confused with the electric Third-rail .) REASONING The example image shows a site in Switzerland. Due to landscape restrictions (not for reason of costs), many mountain railways had to be built for use with special narrow gear. Reduction of gear width forced to reduce gauge width, because with steam-driven engines the cylinders had to be mounted at the outside of the axles and wheels for best efficiency. Thus resulted gauges of 800 and 1000 mm. Note that, where possible, Swiss mountain railways were built in standard gauge. As mountain railway gear is not suitable for standard lines and vice-versa, there is no need for compatibility. The three-rail lines seen on the example images connect standard railway and mountain railway near a station. They were built this way for interchange comfort. As Swiss mountain railways were immensely expensive, special constructions like three-rail turnouts hardly affected overall costs. CONFIGURATION For dual-gauge track to be achievable using three rails, the difference between the gauges needs to be at least as wide as the foot of the rail, otherwise there is no room for the rail fastening hardware (spikes, clips, and the like). Thus Standard Gauge () and can be dual gauged without problem, while and ( Victorian Broad Gauge ) can also be dual-gauged, albeit with lighter narrow footed rails, as shown in Victoria, Australia (where the majority of the railways use the 1600 mm gauge). On the other hand, and as found in Africa , or and , as found in South America , are too close to be combined into three-rail dual gauge. If three-rail dual gauge is impossible, four-rail dual gauge may be possible. CONFIGURATION FOR AFRICA and gauges found in Africa are too close to allow three-rail dual gauge: four-rail dual gauge is required. With a little care, the Sleepers for this dual gauge configuration can be made to support triple gauge, including standard gauge (), at little extra cost. |
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