46-600: The Eden Valley Railway (EVR) is a standard gauge heritage railway in Cumbria , England. It runs over a 2.2 miles (3.5 km) section of the original Eden Valley Railway in a north-westerly direction from the line's base at Warcop station . The line is run by the Eden Valley Railway Trust , formerly the Eden Valley Railway Society . The railway operates passenger trains from March to September on
92-455: A carthorse in between the shafts. Research, however, has been undertaken to support the hypothesis that "the origin of the standard gauge of the railway might result from an interval of wheel ruts of prehistoric ancient carriages". In addition, while road-travelling vehicles are typically measured from the outermost portions of the wheel rims, it became apparent that for vehicles travelling on rails, having main wheel flanges that fit inside
138-528: A 15-ton railway crane. Standard gauge A standard-gauge railway is a railway with a track gauge of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ). The standard gauge is also called Stephenson gauge (after George Stephenson ), international gauge , UIC gauge , uniform gauge , normal gauge in Europe, and SGR in East Africa. It is the most widely used track gauge around
184-485: A 75.7 km (47.0 mi) route between Kerava and Lahti . This portion of track was opened in 2006. The trains can run at 200 km/h (124 mph) on a longer route between Helsinki and Seinäjoki and peak at that speed between Helsinki and Turku . The main railway line between Helsinki and Oulu has been upgraded between Seinäjoki and Oulu to allow for trains to run at speeds between 160 km/h (99 mph) and 200 km/h (124 mph). Other parts of
230-628: A country (for example, 1,440 mm or 4 ft 8 + 11 ⁄ 16 in to 1,445 mm or 4 ft 8 + 7 ⁄ 8 in in France). The first tracks in Austria and in the Netherlands had other gauges ( 1,000 mm or 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in in Austria for the Donau Moldau line and 1,945 mm or 6 ft 4 + 9 ⁄ 16 in in
276-568: A current running line of almost 2 + 1 ⁄ 4 miles (3.6 km). The Eden Valley Railway has mostly ex-British Rail built rolling stock, including British Rail Class 205 diesel-electric multiple unit no. 205 009, British Rail Class 411 electric multiple units nos. 2311 and 2315 and British Rail Class 419 units nos. 9003, 9005 and 9010. The railway also operates a British Rail Class 37 English Electric diesel-electric locomotive, no. 37 042, and Brush Traction Type 4 Class 47 diesel-electric locomotive, no. 47799, which sometimes hauled
322-506: A journey time of an hour between Helsinki and Turku compared to the current two hours; expecting to add a further 1.6 million annual passenger rail trips a year. In 2017, the Finnish government provided €10 million in funding towards the planning and construction of the line, with half of this being eligible for European Union TEN-T funding. As of October 2018 the line is scheduled for completion by 2031. The Lentorata has been included in
368-525: A new rail connection is under consideration with an expected travel time of one hour from Helsinki to Tampere via the airport, using the new airport line and either an upgraded Riihimäki–Tampere railway or brand new track, would cost a total of €5.5 billion. This new line is expected to generate a further 6.5 million rail trips annually. As possible future project connected to the Rail Baltica project, an undersea rail tunnel between Helsinki and Tallinn
414-505: A standard gauge of 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ), and those in Ireland to a new standard gauge of 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ). In Great Britain, Stephenson's gauge was chosen on the grounds that existing lines of this gauge were eight times longer than those of the rival 7 ft or 2,134 mm (later 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in or 2,140 mm ) gauge adopted principally by
460-406: Is a 126 km (78 mi) line from Lahti to Mikkeli with one intermediate station at Heinola . This would shorten the distance by rail between the two cities by 29 km (18 mi); with a 42-46 minute travel time reduction if built to a maximum speed of 220 km/h (140 mph), or a 50-56 minute reduction if 300 km/h (190 mph). The projected cost of this project in 2019
506-745: Is currently operated by the Ghana Railway Company Limited . Kojokrom-Sekondi Railway Line (The Kojokrom-Sekondi line is a branch line that joins the Western Railway Line at Kojokrom ) Indian nationwide rail system ( Indian Railways ) uses 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ) broad gauge. 96% of the broad gauge network is electrified. The railway tracks of Java and Sumatra use 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Planned and under construction high-speed railways to use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) to maintain interoperability with
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#1733084969158552-426: Is equivalent to 1,435.1 mm. As railways developed and expanded, one of the key issues was the track gauge (the distance, or width, between the inner sides of the rails) to be used. Different railways used different gauges, and where rails of different gauge met – a " gauge break " – loads had to be unloaded from one set of rail cars and reloaded onto another, a time-consuming and expensive process. The result
598-451: Is proposed, linking the Finnish rail network to continental Europe. An estimated 12.5 million annual passengers would use the tunnel. In 2018, a study was commissioned into the construction of a new 106 km (66 mi) rail line from Helsinki to Kouvola via Kerava and Porvoo , reducing the Helsinki to Kouvola travel time from 1 hour 18 minutes to 53 minutes. This new line would use
644-450: Is the Rantarata railway line, with journey times of around two hours. The first examination of a more direct rail link between the two cities Espoo and Salo took place in 1979. The current plans for the new railway line involve the construction of 95 km (59 mi) of track between Espoo and Salo with maximum running speeds of 300 km/h (190 mph) per hour, allowing for
690-467: The British Royal Train from 1990 to 2004, during which time it was named Prince Henry . Also on site are several ex industrial shunters: Robert Stephenson & Hawthorn 8343 ( 0-6-0 DH "Darlington"), Fowler 4220045 ( 0-4-0 DH ), Hunslet 2389 ( 0-4-0 DM ), Thomas Hill 130c ( 0-4-0 DH ) and Drewry Cars 2181 ( 0-4-0 DM ) in addition to a number of freight wagons and
736-647: The Finnish Transport Agency 's plans since 2010. Following the opening of the Ring Rail Line in 2015, Helsinki Airport gained its first railway connection through the Helsinki commuter rail network. However, a need has also been identified for a rail link to long distance traffic, with support from Finavia , the mayors of Helsinki and Tampere and the chief executive of the state-owned national rail company VR Group . In 2019, Helsinki Times reported that
782-653: The Green League proposing a €10 billion investment into the country's rail infrastructure in 2018. After the 2019 Finnish parliamentary election , new Prime Minister of Finland Antti Rinne 's government confirmed its commitment to advancing the three planned Finnish high-speed rail lines; the ELSA-rata, a Helsinki- Tampere line, and a link from Helsinki to Eastern Finland. Sanna Marin , Minister of Transport and Communications , stated in July 2019 that "we must first plan and secure
828-598: The Liverpool and Manchester Railway , authorised in 1826 and opened 30 September 1830. The extra half inch was not regarded at first as very significant, and some early trains ran on both gauges daily without compromising safety. The success of this project led to Stephenson and his son Robert being employed to engineer several other larger railway projects. Thus the 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge became widespread and dominant in Britain. Robert
874-511: The Russian invasion of Ukraine . Between 2007 and 2010 the Russian line from the Finnish border to Saint Petersburg was electrified and improved to allow higher running speeds. The Finnish line ( Riihimäki – Saint Petersburg Railway ) was also upgraded where needed, mostly to 200 km/h (124 mph). There are proposals for high speed rail links between Helsinki and other major Finnish cities, with
920-457: The Finnish railway network are limited to lower speed. A new service called Allegro started between Helsinki and Saint Petersburg , Russia, in December 2010 with a journey time of 3½ hours. It utilized four trains, with a top speed of 220 km/h (137 mph) which were a Pendolino model, supporting both Finnish and Russian standards. However the service was discontinued in 2022, following
966-889: The Great Western Railway. It allowed the broad-gauge companies in Great Britain to continue with their tracks and expand their networks within the "Limits of Deviation" and the exceptions defined in the Act. After an intervening period of mixed-gauge operation (tracks were laid with three rails), the Great Western Railway finally completed the conversion of its network to standard gauge in 1892. In North East England, some early lines in colliery ( coal mining ) areas were 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ), while in Scotland some early lines were 4 ft 6 in ( 1,372 mm ). The British gauges converged starting from 1846 as
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#17330849691581012-682: The Ministry of Transport and Communications to establish the Turku One Hour Train Project Company to oversee the Helsinki–Turku high-speed rail line, and the Suomirata Project Company , which will manage development of the new Riihimäki–Tampere line. Along with this announcement, Marin confirmed the lines would most likely not be operational until the 2030s at earliest. The only rail link between Helsinki and Turku
1058-631: The Netherlands for the Hollandsche IJzeren Spoorweg-Maatschappij ), but for interoperability reasons (the first rail service between Paris and Berlin began in 1849, first Chaix timetable) Germany adopted standard gauges, as did most other European countries. The modern method of measuring rail gauge was agreed in the first Berne rail convention of 1886. Several lines were initially built as standard gauge but were later converted to another gauge for cost or for compatibility reasons. 2,295 km (1,426 mi) Victoria built
1104-629: The advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. By the 1890s, the entire network was converted to standard gauge. The Royal Commission made no comment about small lines narrower than standard gauge (to be called "narrow gauge"), such as the Ffestiniog Railway . Thus it permitted a future multiplicity of narrow gauges in the UK. It also made no comments about future gauges in British colonies, which allowed various gauges to be adopted across
1150-476: The coal mines of County Durham . He favoured 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) for wagonways in Northumberland and Durham , and used it on his Killingworth line. The Hetton and Springwell wagonways also used this gauge. Stephenson's Stockton and Darlington railway (S&DR) was built primarily to transport coal from mines near Shildon to the port at Stockton-on-Tees . Opening in 1825,
1196-581: The colonies. Parts of the United States, mainly in the Northeast, adopted the same gauge, because some early trains were purchased from Britain. The American gauges converged, as the advantages of equipment interchange became increasingly apparent. Notably, all the 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) broad gauge track in the South was converted to "almost standard" gauge 4 ft 9 in ( 1,448 mm ) over
1242-459: The course of two days beginning on 31 May 1886. See Track gauge in the United States . In continental Europe, France and Belgium adopted a 1,500 mm ( 4 ft 11 + 1 ⁄ 16 in ) gauge (measured between the midpoints of each rail's profile ) for their early railways. The gauge between the interior edges of the rails (the measurement adopted from 1844) differed slightly between countries, and even between networks within
1288-463: The evidence of rutted roads marked by chariot wheels dating from the Roman Empire . Snopes categorised this legend as "false", but commented that it "is perhaps more fairly labeled as 'Partly true, but for trivial and unremarkable reasons. ' " The historical tendency to place the wheels of horse-drawn vehicles around 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) apart probably derives from the width needed to fit
1334-735: The first railways to the 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) Irish broad gauge. New South Wales then built to the standard gauge, so trains had to stop on the border and passengers transferred, which was only rectified in the 1960s. Queensland still runs on a narrow gauge but there is a standard gauge line from NSW to Brisbane. NMBS/SNCB 3,619 km (2,249 mi) Brussels Metro 40 km (25 mi) Trams in Brussels 140 km (87 mi) 1,032 km (641 mi) The Toronto Transit Commission uses 4 ft 10 + 7 ⁄ 8 in ( 1,495 mm ) gauge on its streetcar and subway lines. Takoradi to Sekondi Route,
1380-497: The funding, before we can start building. The three high-speed links – the westbound, northbound and eastbound links – will cost a total of 10 billion euros to build. Planning the projects alone will cost roughly 350 million euros. This isn't a small amount given that roughly one billion euros is allocated for transport projects every electoral term." In September 2019, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment gave authorisation to
1426-486: The government of Antti Rinne confirmed commitment to advancing proposals for this line. In 2011 the region of Central Finland produced a study into a high-speed rail connection between Helsinki and Jyväskylä , narrowed down to three options; via Tampere , Riihimäki or Lahti ; with a top speed of 200 km/h (124 mph)–250 km/h (155 mph) and estimated costs of €580–970 million. No further work has progressed as of 2019. A further section of high-speed track under discussion
Eden Valley Railway (heritage railway) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1472-429: The initial gauge of 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) was set to accommodate the existing gauge of hundreds of horse-drawn chaldron wagons that were already in use on the wagonways in the mines. The railway used this gauge for 15 years before a change was made, debuting around 1850, to the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge. The historic Mount Washington Cog Railway ,
1518-591: The old 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ) plateway was relaid to 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) so that Blenkinsop's engine could be used. Others were 4 ft 4 in ( 1,321 mm ) (in Beamish ) or 4 ft 7 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,410 mm ) (in Bigges Main (in Wallsend ), Kenton , and Coxlodge ). English railway pioneer George Stephenson spent much of his early engineering career working for
1564-415: The proposed Lentorata route between Helsinki and Kerava. With a 220 km/h (140 mph) line speed, the journey time for Helsinki-St Petersburg services could be reduced by nine minutes. A 15-minute reduction could be achieved if the infrastructure was built for 300 km/h (190 mph) operation, and is forecasted to generate a further 2.8 million rail trips annually. At a cost of €1.7 billion, it
1610-436: The rails is better, thus the minimum distance between the wheels (and, by extension, the inside faces of the rail heads ) was the important one. A standard gauge for horse railways never existed, but rough groupings were used; in the north of England none was less than 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ). Wylam colliery's system, built before 1763, was 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ), as was John Blenkinsop 's Middleton Railway ;
1656-411: The rest of the network. All other railways use 1,668 mm ( 5 ft 5 + 21 ⁄ 32 in ) ( broad gauge ) and/or 1,000 mm ( 3 ft 3 + 3 ⁄ 8 in ) metre gauge . BLS , Rigi Railways (rack railway) 449 km Several states in the United States had laws requiring road vehicles to have a consistent gauge to allow them to follow ruts in
1702-508: The road. Those gauges were similar to railway standard gauge. High-speed rail in Finland Although Finland has no dedicated high-speed rail lines, sections of its rail network are capable of running speeds of up to 220 km/h (137 mph). The Finnish national railway company VR operates tilting Alstom Pendolino trains. The trains reach their maximum speed of 220 km/h (137 mph) in regular operation on
1748-485: The term "narrow gauge" for gauges less than standard did not arise for many years, until the first such locomotive-hauled passenger railway, the Ffestiniog Railway , was built. In 1845, in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland , a Royal Commission on Railway Gauges reported in favour of a standard gauge. The subsequent Gauge Act ruled that new passenger-carrying railways in Great Britain should be built to
1794-463: The weekends and Bank Holidays and some weekday workings in summer. The original Eden Valley Railway opened in 1862, linking Penrith and Kirkby Stephen via Appleby-in-Westmorland . Passenger traffic ended in 1962 and the line was reduced to the track between the junction at Appleby station with the Settle-Carlisle Line and Kirkby Stephen which served a quarry. By 1976 all that was left
1840-426: The world's first mountain -climbing rack railway , is still in operation in the 21st century, and has used the earlier 4 ft 8 in ( 1,422 mm ) gauge since its inauguration in 1868. George Stephenson introduced the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge (including a belated extra 1 ⁄ 2 in (13 mm) of free movement to reduce binding on curves ) for
1886-562: The world, with about 55% of the lines in the world using it. All high-speed rail lines use standard gauge except those in Russia , Finland , Uzbekistan , and some line sections in Spain . The distance between the inside edges of the rails is defined to be 1,435 mm except in the United States, Canada, and on some heritage British lines, where it is defined in U.S. customary / Imperial units as exactly "four feet eight and one half inches", which
Eden Valley Railway (heritage railway) - Misplaced Pages Continue
1932-575: Was 6 miles (9.7 km) of track between Appleby in Westmorland and Flitholme . It was used by infrequent British Army services to Warcop Training Area until 1989. In 1995 the Eden Valley Railway Society was formed with the primary objective of restoring the Warcop to Appleby section of the line, and a secondary object of, if possible, extending it to Kirkby Stephen once the initial section
1978-517: Was in operation. On 3 August 2004 the Eden Valley Railway Order 2004 came into action, allowing the trust to undertake railway operations (excluding non-self generated electrical railways) on the 9.3 kilometres (5.8 mi) track from Appleby to Flitholme near Warcop. Heritage railway services resumed in 2006 between Warcop and Sandford, with an extension of 1 ⁄ 2 mile (0.80 km) to Southfields being opened in 2013, giving
2024-472: Was not determined to be economically feasible by former Finnish transport minister Anne Berner , in spite of Porvoo's status as the largest Finnish municipality without a scheduled rail service; along with the significantly reduced travel times the line would bring to eastern Finnish cities including Lappeenranta , Kuopio , Joensuu and Mikkeli , which currently use the Kerava–Lahti railway line . In 2019,
2070-589: Was reported to have said that if he had had a second chance to choose a gauge, he would have chosen one wider than 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ( 1,435 mm ). "I would take a few inches more, but a very few". During the " gauge war " with the Great Western Railway , standard gauge was called " narrow gauge ", in contrast to the Great Western's 7 ft 1 ⁄ 4 in ( 2,140 mm ) broad gauge . The modern use of
2116-420: Was the adoption throughout a large part of the world of a "standard gauge" of 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ), allowing interconnectivity and interoperability. A popular legend that has circulated since at least 1937 traces the origin of the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft 8 + 1 ⁄ 2 in ) gauge even further back than the coalfields of northern England, pointing to
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