Track gauge in Ireland

The track gauge adopted by the mainline railways in Ireland is 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in). This unusually broad track gauge is otherwise found only in Australia (where it was introduced by the Irish railway engineer F. W. Sheilds), in the states of Victoria, southern New South Wales (via some extensions of the Victorian rail network) and South Australia, as well as in Brazil.

The Grand Duchy of Baden State Railway used this gauge between 1840 and 1855, as did the Canterbury Provincial Railways in New Zealand, until conversion to the 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge in the 1860s. The Launceston and Western Railway in Tasmania also used this gauge from 1871, until conversion to 1,067 mm (3 ft 6 in) gauge in 1888.

Different gauges

Irish gauge railway at Kilbricken on the Dublin-Cork railway line

Ireland's first railway, the Dublin and Kingstown, was built to 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) (later known as standard gauge). The Ulster Railway (UR), taking the Irish Railway Commission's advice, used 1,880 mm (6 ft 2 in). The Dublin and Drogheda Railway was proposed to be built to 1,575 mm (5 ft 2 in) gauge^[1] on the grounds of lower costs. The two broader gauges were not used anywhere else. Following complaints from the UR, the Board of Trade investigated the matter, and in 1843 decreed the use of 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in).^[2]

This gauge was given legal status by the Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846,^[3] which specified 4 ft 8.5 in (1.435 m) for Great Britain, 5 ft 3 in for Ireland.

The UR was re-gauged in 1846, at a cost of £19,000 (about £2,324,000 today), and the Dublin and Kingstown Railway in 1857 for £38,000 (about £4,579,000 today).

The Hill of Howth Tramway and the Dublin and Blessington Steam Tramway also adopted the 1,600 mm (5 ft 3 in) gauge. Dublin's Luas tram system, opened in 2004, uses 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 1⁄2 in) standard gauge.

Narrow gauge

Numerous narrow-gauge systems were built, usually as three foot gauge railways (3 ft or 914 mm). Most are now closed, including one of the largest narrow-gauge systems, that of the County Donegal Railways Joint Committee. The Irish narrow gauge today survives as heritage railways in both the Republic and in Northern Ireland. Bord na Móna uses narrow gauge in the Midlands bogs as part of its peat transport network. There is also a private peat railway on the southern shores of Lough Neagh in Northern Ireland, operated by the Sunshine Peat Company.

References

^ Steaming into the Future
^ Friel, Charles P. "Railways in Craigavon". Journal of Craigavon Historical Society. 2 (2). Archived from the original on 12 May 2021.
^ "Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846" (PDF).

[1] Steaming into the Future

[2] Friel, Charles P. "Railways in Craigavon". Journal of Craigavon Historical Society. 2 (2). Archived from the original on 12 May 2021.

[3] "Regulating the Gauge of Railways Act 1846" (PDF).

[1]

[2]

[3]

v t e Track gauge (list)
Minimum-gauge Minimum-gauge railways	15 in (381 mm) 400 mm (15 3⁄4 in) 16 in (406 mm) 18 in (457 mm) 19 in (483 mm) 500 mm (19 3⁄4 in) 20 in (508 mm) 21 in (533 mm) 1 ft 10 in (559 mm)
Narrow gauge	2 foot and 600 mm 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) 750 mm (2 ft 5 1⁄2 in) 760 mm (2 ft 5 15⁄16 in) 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) 800 mm (2 ft 7 1⁄2 in) 891 mm (2 ft 11 3⁄32 in) Swedish three foot 900 mm (2 ft 11 7⁄16 in) 3 ft (914 mm) 950 mm (3 ft 1 3⁄8 in) Italian metre gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3 3⁄8 in) metre gauge 1,050 mm (3 ft 5 11⁄32 in), 1,055 mm (3 ft 5 1⁄2 in), 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) 1,093 mm (3 ft 7 in), 1,100 mm (3 ft 7 5⁄16 in), 1,200 mm (3 ft 11 1⁄4 in) 4 ft (1,219 mm) 4 ft 1 in (1,245 mm), Middleton Railway 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm), Scotch gauge 4 ft 6 1⁄2 in (1,384 mm), Scotch gauge 4 ft 7 3⁄4 in (1,416 mm) 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), almost standard gauge 4 ft 8 1⁄4 in (1,429 mm) 1,432 mm (4 ft 8 3⁄8 in)
Standard gauge	4 ft 8 1⁄2 in / 1,435 mm, Stephenson gauge
Broad gauge	1,440 mm (4 ft 8 11⁄16 in) 1,445 mm (4 ft 8 7⁄8 in) 1,450 mm (4 ft 9 3⁄32 in) 4 ft 9 3⁄8 in (1,457 mm) 1,458 mm (4 ft 9 13⁄32 in) 4 ft 10 7⁄8 in (1,495 mm), Toronto gauge 5 ft / 1,524 mm and 1,520 mm (4 ft 11 27⁄32 in), Russian gauge. 5 ft 2 1⁄4 in / 1,581 mm and 5 ft 2 1⁄2 in / 1,588 mm, Pennsylvania gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), Irish gauge 5 ft 4 1⁄2 in (1,638 mm), Baltimore gauge 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 21⁄32 in), Iberian gauge 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm), Indian gauge 1,945 mm (6 ft 4 9⁄16 in), De Arend 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), Brunel gauge 3,000 mm (9 ft 10 1⁄8 in), Breitspurbahn 8,200 mm (26 ft 10 27⁄32 in), Lärchwandschrägaufzug 9,000 mm (29 ft 6 5⁄16 in), Krasnoyarsk ship lift
List of track gauge articles	List of track gauges List of tram track gauges Miniature railways Minimum-gauge railways Large amusement railways
Gauge differences	Bogie exchange Break of gauge Dual gauge Gauge conversion list Variable gauge
Transport mode	Tram and light rail Rapid transit Miniature Scale model
Categories	by country by imperial units by metric units by name lists of track gauges

Different gauges

Narrow gauge

See also

References