Broad gauge railway
A broad-gauge railway is a railway with a gauge that is larger than the 1,435 millimeters of the standard gauge common in Europe , North America and the People's Republic of China .
history
The different track gauges were created in the early days of the railways, when there were only a few connected networks or no agreements on standardization could yet be reached. The trend towards trains running between different networks has resulted in many cases in which the gauges have been adjusted. In some cases, however, geostrategic aspects also play or played a role in order to adhere to deviating gauges: For example, the difficult transition between the railway networks due to different gauges should hinder their use as a means of rapid military invasion . The track gauge and the clearance profile of a railway affect transport performance and cost-effectiveness on the one hand, but also the effort and cost of building the railway line on the other.
advantages and disadvantages
The large vehicle manufacturers can now supply rail vehicles for every required track width, every clearance profile and all country-specific additional requirements. The modular principle is increasingly being used: the vehicles are assembled from relatively freely selectable components.
Traffic relationships across network boundaries are made considerably more difficult if a change in gauge prevents the wagon from passing through. Passenger trains can in specially equipped border stations umgespurt be, this possibility is particularly transport between France and Spain, and between Central Europe and the network of broad gauge in the former Soviet Union used. Freight traffic is usually reloaded in the border stations.
The isolated operation of a network with a different track gauge enables technical changes to be implemented relatively easily without having to coordinate with the operators of other networks. In this way the large clearance profiles of the broad gauge networks in India , the Soviet Union and Finland, which are large compared with the European standard gauge network , were created. From a technical point of view, however, the dependencies between the gauge and the boundaries of the vehicle are relatively small, as can be seen in the standard-gauge vehicles in the USA and, as an extreme case, in the " Eurotunnel Le Shuttle " motor vehicle transport trains .
A larger track width of the vehicles generally offers better running characteristics of the train and more resilient tracks on poor ground. Generally higher speeds can be driven.
The most significant disadvantage of the broad gauge is the difficult or more complex routing in impassable terrain, especially in mountainous areas, since larger arc radii or "flatter" arcs are required to avoid derailing vehicles at higher speeds or on switches . A secondary consequence of this is, in turn, significantly higher costs.
With this balance of advantages and disadvantages, it must also be taken into account that the gauges of the important broad gauge systems still in existence today only differ relatively slightly by 6% to 17% (85 to 240 millimeters difference) from the standard gauge . Usual narrow-gauge lines usually deviate from the standard gauge to a far greater extent. The very widespread meter and cape gauge tracks are around 400 millimeters (and compared to the broad gauge up to over 600 millimeters) narrower. The advantages and disadvantages of the broad gauge must therefore be discussed in relation to the narrow gauge rather than the normal gauge.
distribution
There are broad-gauge railway networks in Europe in Ireland (1600 millimeters), Spain and Portugal (Iberian gauge with 1668 millimeters) and especially in the successor states of the Soviet Union and in Finland (Russian gauge with 1520 to 1524 millimeters).
On the other continents there are extensive broad-gauge networks with a gauge of 1676 millimeters in India (54,000 kilometers of route length), in Argentina (26,500 kilometers) and in Chile (3,400 kilometers). Other broad-gauge railways with a gauge of 1,600 millimeters exist in Brazil (5600 kilometers) and in Australia (3500 kilometers).
In some cases, tram networks have also been laid out with wide gauges, either because the gauge of the railway network was taken over, as in Russia, for example, or to prevent shared use by other companies from the outset. The latter happened several times in North America. For example, a gauge of 1587 millimeters was chosen in New Orleans and one of 1495 millimeters in Toronto .
Broad gauge in Germany
In Germany there is the broad-gauge railway in Oberweißbach ( funicular railway with 1800 millimeters gauge) and since 1986 the gauging system from standard gauge to Russian broad-gauge built in the time of the GDR in the then newly built ferry port Mukran on the Baltic Sea island of Rügen / Prorer Wiek. The gauge change facility is used to load the rail ferries on the ferry line from Mukran to Klaipėda in Lithuania .
Formally "broad gauge", but deviating only slightly from the standard gauge, the Leipzig tram has a track width of 1458 millimeters and the Dresden tram one of 1450 millimeters.
Hitler's three-meter track
In the time of National Socialism , plans were made for a broad-gauge railway with a gauge of 3000 millimeters. In addition to the standard gauge, it was intended to connect Berlin with Munich , Hamburg and Linz , but above all to contribute to the development of the newly conquered "living space in the east" . The route to this should lead to Rostov-on-Don . The project never came to fruition.
Russian broad gauge
In the Soviet Union and Mongolia , a broad gauge with a five- foot gauge was used, which corresponds to 1524 millimeters. For reasons of wear and tear, it was slightly reduced to today's nominal size of 1520 millimeters, which is also known as the Russian broad gauge. All of the successor states of the former Soviet Union retained this level. Other (relatively short) such broad-gauge lines are in Poland (400 kilometers, Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa from Wolodymyr-Wolynskyj on the Polish-Ukrainian border to Sławków in the Silesian Voivodeship), in Slovakia (80 kilometers, Uzhhorod – Košice railway line ) and in Romania. In addition, at the Sassnitz ferry port in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, there are wide-gauge systems between the ferry docks, which were built for traffic with Klaipeda, and the gauge and reloading facilities.
Finland as well as the trams and metros in the successor states of the Soviet Union still have a nominal gauge of 1524 millimeters.
history
The first Russian railway between Saint Petersburg and Tsarskoye Selo , which opened in 1837, had a large gauge of six feet (1829 millimeters). This very wide track proved too uneconomical, so they changed on September 12, 1842 which at that time in the southern states of the USA used gauge of five English feet (1524 mm).
In May 1970, the regular size of the Russian broad gauge was reduced to 1520 millimeters by reducing the track clearance by 4 mm to reduce wear. In Finland, this reduction in the standard dimension was not implemented, but the nominal dimensions of the wheelsets and the limit values for the superstructure are identical and new tracks are also being laid with a reduced gauge.
Transition to the standard gauge network
A continuous train service between the broad and the standard gauge network was initially not possible. Despite the track width difference, however, the technical differences between the European standard and the Russian and Iberian broad-gauge vehicles around 1900 were small. Aside from the gauge, the European broad-gauge railway companies also largely followed the rules of the technical unit in railways , in particular with regard to the design and arrangement of the pulling and buffing devices of the vehicles. The continuous, indirectly acting compressed air brake was also introduced according to uniform principles. The clearance profile also did not differ significantly. This meant that there were significantly better conditions for a vehicle transition than for narrow-gauge networks. Initial experience was gained with vehicle deliveries to companies with different track widths. The decisive factor was being able to fit wheel sets of the other gauge. Inner frames must be narrow enough for standard frames and outer frames wide enough for wide-gauge wheelsets. In addition, block brakes must be convertible. In the case of passenger coaches in particular , it has proven to be advantageous to change the entire bogies. The main obstacles to the development of cross-gauge traffic in the twentieth century were political. Due to the isolation of the railway networks that this triggered, they diverged technically. In the Russian broad-gauge network, the clearance profile was enlarged and the automatic central buffer coupling of type SA 3 was introduced.
The lane change is managed with various technical facilities. There are facilities at the junctions where wheel sets or bogies can be changed, as well as rolling stock with variable track gauge, on axle changing umgespurt can be. In this case, the whole process only takes a few minutes while the wheels are shifted to the new position. The passengers can remain seated in the car . Gauge-changing wheel sets in standard-type wagons are rarely used in regular operation (as of 2010).
Both car types shown in the picture ( RIC , long distance cars ) can be changed gauges . The latter type is permitted up to a maximum of Poland to the west. Trains to the east from Warsaw are usually made up of long-distance cars. Until the mid-1990s, these cars drove to Berlin and in military trains for the group of the Soviet armed forces in Germany to Dresden , Erfurt , Magdeburg , Schwerin and Wünsdorf . Only the platform renovation in the state of Brandenburg prevented the onward journey from Frankfurt (Oder) to Berlin for the larger car bodies.
The network with the Russian broad gauge and the networks located to the west with the standard gauge are opposite each other at the following borders:
- Poland - Russia (Kaliningrad Oblast),
- Poland - Lithuania,
- Poland - Belarus,
- Poland - Ukraine (see Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa ),
- Slovakia - Ukraine (a section only 98 kilometers short, broken: see below),
- Hungary - Ukraine (only 105 kilometers of border section),
- Romania - Ukraine,
- Romania - Moldova
See also Moldavian Railway Company , Ukrainian Railway Company , Belarusian Railway / Brest Railway Station .
For the Russian exclave of Kaliningrad Oblast (between Poland and Lithuania) with its important (ice-free) Baltic Sea port, see the Königsberg – Pillau railway line and the category “Transport (Kaliningrad Oblast)” .
The Uzhhorod – Košice railway line was built in 1965/66 to deliver Ukrainian ore to the Slovak steelworks in Košice , 80 kilometers west of Slovakia . Despite the war in Ukraine since 2014 and the economic trade boycott between Russia and the EU, the construction intention pursued at least since 2007 by several countries / railway companies to extend the broad-gauge railway westward to Bratislava and Vienna - by around 400 km - and thus also to the waterway Danube continued to operate. After the Parndorf municipality rejected the planned freight terminal for onward transport by road truck in mid-May 2018, a location is still being sought.
There is also a lane change system in the German ferry port Sassnitz on the Baltic Sea .
Finland
Before 1862 in the Russian Empire belonging Grand Duchy of Finland , the first railway line was opened, the decision was made to use the Russian broad gauge to the gauge of 1524 mm. After the nominal gauge had been reduced to 1520 millimeters in the Soviet Union, the Finnish State Railways (VR) considered reducing the gauge as early as 1959, but this was never carried out. The nominal value of the track gauge in Finland is still 1524 millimeters, but the limit values correspond to those in the other Russian broad-gauge networks.
Due to the operational effort due to the technical differences, especially with couplings and train brakes, Finnish wagons rarely run in the Russian network (whereas many Finnish locomotives are now equipped with Russian SA 3 central buffer couplings ). Freight traffic between the two countries is carried out with Russian wagons, which are available in significantly larger quantities. In Finland they are subject to a speed limit because of the single brake. For cross-border traffic between Finland and Central Europe and Sweden are freight wagons with interchangeable wheelsets or bogies used, but the scope has become very low due to the competition of the politically preferred road freight transport. Rail ferry operations between Finland and the European standard gauge network no longer exist since 2007.
Iberian broad gauge
The Iberian broad gauge of 1668 millimeters was created by averaging the Spanish (1672 millimeters) and Portuguese (1665 millimeters) broad gauge in order to facilitate the interchange between cars.
Lane change in Spain
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(before the opening of the junction to Zamora)
red point: lane-changing system
blue line: standard gauge
brown line: broad gauge
In Spain, four new high-speed lines have been built in the European standard gauge (1435 millimeters) since 1992:
| Standard - gauge high-speed line |
Part of the route | length | opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Madrid – Seville | 472 km | 1992 | |
| Branch to Toledo | 21 km | 2005 | |
| Branch to Antequera | 97 km | 2006 | |
|
Madrid – Barcelona – French border |
Madrid – Zaragoza | 307 km | 2002 |
| Junction Saragossa – Huesca | 79 km | 2003 | |
| Zaragoza – Lleida | 135 km | 2006 | |
| Lleida – Tarragona | 81 km | 2006 | |
| Tarragona – Barcelona | 100 km | 2008 | |
| Barcelona-Figueres | 131 km | 2013 | |
| Figueres – French border | 20 km | 2010 | |
| Madrid – Valladolid | 180 km | 2007 | |
| Branch to Zamora | 99 km | 2015 | |
| Madrid – Levante | Madrid – Valencia | 391 km | 2010 |
| Branch to Albacete | 80 km | 2013 |
Gauging devices for the CAF and Talgo systems were installed at transition stations .
The Spanish government had commissioned an expert opinion to determine the costs and benefits of a nationwide gauge change from the current 1668 millimeters to the European standard gauge (1435 millimeters). The El País newspaper estimated in 2007 that the conversion of the entire 12,000 kilometer Spanish rail network would have taken around 2020. This was not done for financial reasons. However, in the case of track renovations in the broad-gauge network, re-gauging and three-rail sleepers have generally been installed for a number of years, preparing a long-term conversion.
Lane change in Portugal
Two further high-speed lines planned in Spain and Portugal were also planned in the European standard gauge, but Portugal decided in 2012 not to pursue them any further for both projects:
Indian broad gauge
The "Indian broad gauge" or "colonial gauge" called gauge of 1676 millimeters is mainly used on the Indian subcontinent as well as in Argentina and Chile .
Brunel broad gauge
The broad gauge of 7 feet ¼ inches (2140 millimeters) introduced by Isambard Kingdom Brunel in 1838 was used on the Great Western Railway in Great Britain , also created by Brunel . According to Brunel's design, it was laid out in a material-saving "building block" construction on wooden long sleepers with crossbars as track holders at larger intervals.
Former broad gauge railways
United States
With the beginning of the railway construction in the first half of the 19th century, a coherent network with the gauge of five English feet was created in the southern states of the USA, in the northern states on the other hand the standard gauge was used on the one hand and one gauge on the other for the Erie Railroad and affiliated railway companies of six English feet (1829 millimeters). After the Civil War at the latest , however, it became clear that a railway network with a uniform gauge was indispensable for the country's development. This uniform dimension was to become the standard gauge, but due to the objection of the Pennsylvania Railroad (at that time the largest railway company in the world), which used a slightly larger gauge, the broad gauge network was traced to what was later called the "switching gauge" on May 31, 1886 after longer preparation Measure of the Pennsylvania Railroad at 1448 millimeters ( 4 3 ⁄ 4 English feet). A vehicle transition was possible between this and the standard gauge network with adapted wheelsets, albeit with restrictions in terms of wear behavior, especially in switches and crossings, smooth running and driving comfort. In the 1920s, the facilities were finally brought to the standard gauge.
Numerous trams and intercity trams ( Interurban ) in the United States were built in various wide gauges. In Pittsburgh , numerous other cities in Pennsylvania and in Cincinnati , a gauge of 1588 mm was used, which is why it became known as the Pennsylvania Trolley Gauge and is still used by the Pittsburgh light rail today. In Philadelphia , however, a track width of 1581 mm was partially chosen, which is still in use by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA). In Baltimore , a gauge of 1638 mm was used, in Louisville 1524 mm.
The Bay Area Rapid Transit routes in the San Francisco Bay Area were built from the 1960s onwards with the 1676 mm gauge, which is otherwise no longer used in the United States. In the 19th century there were still several lines running in this gauge ( Indian broad gauge ), but they were all gradually converted to standard gauge.
Baden State Railways
In the Grand Duchy of Baden , the Baden State Railways operated a broad gauge network with a gauge of 1,600 millimeters in the Upper Rhine Valley from Mannheim via Heidelberg and Offenburg to Basel from 1840, which was converted to standard gauge in 1855 because of its individual position in Germany .
Netherlands
The first railway lines in the Netherlands ( railway line Amsterdam – Rotterdam and Amsterdam – Utrecht – Arnhem ) were laid out between 1839 and 1847 with a gauge of 1945 millimeters and later (until 1866) converted to standard gauge.
Broad gauge on Ilha do Faial
On the Azores island of Ilha do Faial there are still remnants of a broad-gauge railway with a gauge of 2134 millimeters (seven English feet) and two steam locomotives of this gauge. A short touristic operation is occasionally discussed.
See also
literature
- Richard Heinersdorff: On an iron track, a foray over the railway tracks of all gauges in 5 continents . Sanssouci, Zurich 1977, ISBN 3-7254-0299-X , p. 150 ff.
- Hans-Ulrich Thamer : Seduction and Violence: Germany 1933–1945 . Siedler, Berlin 1986, ISBN 3-88680-053-9 (= The Germans and their Nation , Volume 5, Settler History ), p. 663 ff.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Broad gauge railways. In: Viktor von Röll (ed.): Encyclopedia of the Railway System . 2nd Edition. Volume 3: Braunschweigische Eisenbahnen – Eilgut . Urban & Schwarzenberg, Berlin / Vienna 1912, p. 7 .
- ↑ Transsib to Vienna? In: wien.orf.at. Retrieved May 22, 2016 .
- ↑ ÖBB are looking for a location for a huge freight terminal orf.at, May 17, 2018, called May 17, 2018.
-
^ The statement on page 18 of the German-language edition by Mikko Alameri: Railways in Finland . Vienna, 1979, that Finland had committed itself to a new nominal track width of 1520 millimeters in 1959, was never implemented. The nominal value of the track gauge in Finland is still 1524 millimeters, but the limit values correspond to those in the other Russian broad-gauge networks. (according to Rataverkon kuvaus , Finnish: Description of the rail infrastructure, p. 69 [PDF, p. 71]).
See also: Article Broad gauge in the English language Wikipedia and data sheets from Stadler Rail to Finland ( JKOY series Sm5 : data sheet ( Memento from July 26, 2016 in the Internet Archive )) and Russia ( KISS Eurasia : data sheet ( Memento from July 26 2016 in the Internet Archive )) multiple units delivered. - ↑ Test drive on the LAV Olmedo - Zamora. In: lok-report.de. Retrieved October 23, 2015 .
- ↑ Spain plans to strengthen the European freight line. In: Verkehrsrundschau. April 30, 2007, accessed June 21, 2016 .
- ^ Spain: Rail on standard gauge until 2020. In: Travel Inside Archive. January 11, 2008, accessed June 21, 2016 .
- ^ Bernhard Rieger: Isambard Kingdom Brunel. In: Breitspurbahn.de. Retrieved May 22, 2016 .
- ^ Isambard Kingdon Brunel's Broad Gauge Railway. In: railalbum.co.uk. Retrieved May 22, 2016 .
- ^ H. Roger Grant: Erie Lackawanna: The Death of an American Railroad, 1938-1992 . Stanford University Press, 1996, ISBN 978-0-8047-2798-3 , pp. 2; 6 (English).
- ↑ George Woodman Hilton, John Fitzgerald Due: The Electric Interurban Railways in America . Stanford University Press, 2000, ISBN 978-0-8047-4014-2 , pp. 51-53 (English).
- ^ Horta Hafenbahn 1876–1901
