Misplaced Pages

#191808

89-532: The company amalgamated with the Great Western Railway in 1863 and the track was converted to narrow (standard) gauge in 1873. In 1922–1923, most of the independent Welsh railways were constituents of the new enlarged Great Western Railway, enabling rationalisation and benefits of scale. Nearly all of the original main line of the South Wales Railway remains in use at present (2020). The prospectus of

178-466: A break of gauge occurs where a line of one track gauge (the distance between the rails, or between the wheels of trains designed to run on those rails) meets a line of a different gauge. Trains and rolling stock generally cannot run through without some form of conversion between gauges , leading to passengers having to change trains and freight requiring transloading or transshipping ; this can add delays, costs, and inconvenience to travel on such

267-430: A branch line from near Whitland to Pembroke Dock . The prospectus was published widely as a newspaper advertisement: Surveys have been made of the line of country best adapted for accommodating the extensive traffic of the great mineral basin of South Wales, and the important agricultural interests of that country, as well as the intercourse between the ports of Cork , Waterford , Wicklow , Limerick and Wexford ,

356-706: A cargo must be removed from cars anyway. An example of this is the East Broad Top Railroad in the US, 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 EBTR, and after processing was loaded into standard-gauge cars of the Pennsylvania Railroad . The line between Finland and Russia has a nominal break of gauge; Finnish gauge

445-530: A country retreat. Having sold Standish Wood to the National Trust , they sold Standish House to Gloucestershire County Council post- World War I , on which they developed Standish Hospital , which was immediately passed to the British Red Cross for treatment of soldiers. In the 1920s it became a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients, and a US Army medical facility during World War II . Developed by

534-497: A line between Swansea and Fishguard. The Great Western Railway was accused of duplicity: ... and if there were no guarantee in the case, the directors of the Great Western Railway would, as holders of more than one-fourth of the paid-up shares, be the first to urge upon the South Wales Company the abandonment of this portion of the undertaking. That they do not openly adopt this wise course, by meeting our advances to that end,

623-573: A problem as Taiwan High Speed Rail generally uses separate rolling stock and its own separate railway, and at most locations runs on routes kilometres away from the conventional Taiwan Railways Administration railway network. In 1845, the South Australian newspaper mentioned the convening of a Royal Commission in Britain "inquiring whether, in future private acts of parliament for the construction of railways, provision ought to be made for securing

712-562: A route. Break of gauge was a common issue in the early days of railways, as standards had not yet been set and different organizations each used their own favored gauge on the lines they controlled—sometimes for mechanical and engineering reasons (optimizing for geography or particular types of load and rolling stock), and sometimes for commercial and competitive reasons (interoperability and non-interoperability within and between companies and alliances were often key strategic moves). Various solutions other than transloading were conceived even in

801-507: 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 railways. Many internal Swiss railways that operate in the more mountainous regions are 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) metre gauge , and most are equipped with rack assistance to deal with

890-416: A through transit had to be physically transshipped, and passengers had to change trains. The commissioners declared that the break of gauge was "a serious evil" and they recommended that no further railway should be constructed on the broad gauge system, though they hoped that "some equitable means should be found of producing such entire uniformity of gauge or of adopting such other course as would admit of

979-544: A transporter train by trainload concept called " Train on Train " to carry narrow-gauge freight trains at faster speeds on standard-gauge flatcars. The Seikan Tunnel has been converted by JR Hokkaido to dual gauge to accommodate the Hokkaido Shinkansen . An experimental program for a variable gauge " Gauge Change Train " started in 1998 as a means to allow through services from high-speed standard-gauge Shinkansen lines to narrow-gauge regional lines. Its first deployment

SECTION 10

#1732844923192

1068-471: A tunnel there, a further large timber viaduct at Landore, and crossings of the River Loughor and River Towy further west. The depressed state of the money market immediately made the raising of subscriptions difficult, and the company suffered a major loss when the timber viaduct at Newport, almost completed, was burnt down on 31 May 1848, being completely destroyed. It had cost £20,000. A key objective of

1157-408: A uniform gauge, and whether ... to bring the railways already constructed, or in progress ... into uniformity". It continued, "Since the colonists are now moving the question of railroads, we direct their special attention to the following. A uniform gauge will be of the utmost importance to the internal traffic of the province; and the time to determine the proper and most convenient width of the rail,

1246-458: A uniform track gauge for the railways of the United Kingdom, as the negative effect of the difference of gauge between contiguous railways was beginning to show. The Great Western Railway and companies friendly to it used the broad gauge, while the narrow gauge (later known as standard gauge) was in use on most other lines. Where two lines of different gauges connected, goods and minerals making

1335-501: Is 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ) whereas Russian gauge is 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ); the present Russian gauge is actually a redefinition of the older 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ). This does not usually prevent through-running - service running across both gauges exists in the form of the Allegro high-speed service between Helsinki and St. Petersburg. The nominal 4 mm (0.16 in) difference

1424-546: Is at the commencement". South Australia and New South Wales then agreed to adopt the 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge: South Australia in 1847 and New South Wales in 1848. However, in 1850, New South Wales decided to change to 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ), or Irish gauge . The change was approved by the British government, and South Australia agreed to follow suit. However, in 1853, New South Wales unilaterally reverted to

1513-544: Is attributable, we believe, partly to the erroneous supposition that the South Wales Company will break down in the attempt to reach Fishguard, and thus be unable to bring the guarantee into operation ... SWR directors who were also GWR directors had had an unhealthy influence on the affairs of the SWR: We recommend the propriety of the retirement of those gentlemen from the Board who represent interests no longer identical with those of

1602-480: Is done with vehicles having a gauge within certain tolerances. Indian gauge , 1,676 mm ( 5 ft 6 in ), is also compatible with Iberian gauge, although there are no actual railway connections between the two. Despite this, old Spanish and Portuguese rolling stock have been reused in Argentina and Chile, both of which use Indian gauge. A nominal break of gauge with standard gauge exists as well: on

1691-589: Is expected to be replaced by 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) rolling stock by 2020, thus eliminating the break of gauge between Sakhalin and the Russian mainland. Like Japan, rail transport in Taiwan uses the 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) gauge for the majority of its railway network, but 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge for its high-speed rail; however, gauge differences are less of

1780-511: Is generally within operating tolerances and does not cause problems or delays. The Iberian gauge is actually three slightly different gauges: 1,672 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 13 ⁄ 16  in ) in Spain, 1,664 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) in Portugal, and the newer, redefined 1,668 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 21 ⁄ 32  in ). Through-running

1869-504: Is on other railway's territory) and language. The structure gauge, loading gauge and axleload problems are solved by simply using the smaller options for through running. The general solution is often to custom-build vehicles to fit all the standards to be encountered. Trains can be built to accept four voltages, to have dual signaling systems equipment, etc. All of these solutions, however, usually result in either more expensive trains or less comfort for passengers (e.g. through less room inside

SECTION 20

#1732844923192

1958-505: Is our unanimous opinion... that... any further expenditure on that part of your line to the westward of Swansea, would... be wasteful and unwise in the extreme. Even if the Irish railways, which were expected to bring traffic to the western extremity of the South Wales line, had not been abandoned, we apprehend that... no company, governed by ordinary prudence, would entertain the notion of carrying

2047-641: Is used in some places. Private railways often use other gauges. While most of the Japanese urban rail/metro lines use 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) rail gauge, a considerable number of lines (including all lines of the Osaka Metro ) are still using their own different gauges including 762 mm ( 2 ft 6 in ), 1,372 mm ( 4 ft 6 in ), and 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ). In 2010, Hokkaido Railway Company (JR Hokkaido) started working on

2136-415: The 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ( 1,435 mm ) gauge. South Australia and Victoria , the latter now separated from New South Wales, protested about the broken agreement, to no avail. Because they had already invested in broad-gauge track, locomotives and rolling stock, they continued construction. There followed years of nationally uncoordinated railway construction designed not to serve

2225-699: The South Wales Railway Act 1845 ( 8 & 9 Vict. c. cxc). In the 1846 session of Parliament, a revised bridge crossing of the Severn at Fretherne was proposed, and alternatively a tunnel. Both options were rejected in Parliament, and the company was obliged to concede the longer route through Gloucester, crossing the Severn there. A local railway thus became of strategic importance: the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway had been authorised in 1845 to connect with

2314-619: The Altynkol railway station near the border at Khorgos , two trains (the Chinese 1,435 mm or 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in standard gauge one and the Kazakh 1,520 mm or 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in one) are placed side by side at parallel tracks, while gantry cranes move the containers from one train to the other in as short a time as 47 minutes. Wherever there are narrow-gauge lines that connect with

2403-851: The Amberley Museum Railway . More rarely, standard-gauge vehicles are carried over narrow-gauge tracks using adaptor vehicles; examples include the Rollbocke transporter wagon arrangements in Germany, Austria, and the Czech Republic, and the milk transporter wagons of the Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway in England. As of 2010 , Japan is developing the Train on Train piggyback concept. The internationally widespread use of standard intermodal containers since

2492-553: The B4008 road to Quedgeley . The parish, which in the 2001 census had a population of 285, also contains the hamlet of Stroud Green , situated south-east of Standish village. The population had reduced to 227 at the 2011 census. Originally part of the estate of the Barons Sherborne of Gloucestershire , they developed Standish Court as part of their holdings. Abandoned in the 16th century, they then developed Standish House as

2581-751: The Great Western Railway acquired one of the narrow-gauge lines in Blaenau Ffestiniog , it deployed a similar type of transporter wagon to allow continued use of the quarries' existing slate wagons. Transporter wagons are most commonly used to transport narrow-gauge stock along standard-gauge lines. At the Guinness brewery in Dublin there used to be 1 ft 10 in ( 559 mm ) internal narrow gauge and 5 ft 3 in ( 1,600 mm ) gauge (standard gauge for Ireland), and to avoid

2670-471: The Korea-Russia Friendship Bridge is dual gauged for standard gauge and Russian gauge. Originally the dual gauge may have reached as far as Khasan , but as of 2021 the standard gauge track has been taken up on the Russian side of the bridge. In the 20th century, railroads on the entire Sakhalin used the same 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge as Japan, as part of it

2759-842: The National Health Service (NHS) as a specialist hospital, it closed in 2004. The parish church is the Grade I listed Church of St Nicholas, built in the 14th century and restored in the 1860s by J P St Aubyn . Between Standish and Stroud Green is Standish Junction, a railway junction where the Golden Valley Line joins the Bristol to Birmingham Cross Country Route . [REDACTED] Media related to Standish, Gloucestershire at Wikimedia Commons 51°46′26″N 2°17′28″W  /  51.774°N 2.291°W  / 51.774; -2.291 Break-of-gauge With railways,

South Wales Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

2848-753: The Trans-Manchurian Railway (gauge changing at Zabaikalsk on the Russian side of the border), the Trans-Mongolian Railway and the Lanxin railway . The Yunnan–Vietnam Railway is narrow gauge, and is connected to standard-gauge tracks both in Kunming and in Hekou . The Nanning - Hanoi line is dual gauge in Vietnam as far as Hanoi. There is currently a break of gauge at Dostyk on the Kazakh border. Kazakhstan

2937-471: The examples section below for a range of international examples of different types, including a break of gauge in Gloucester , which was the earliest significant break of gauge between the 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) and 7 ft  1 ⁄ 4  in ( 2,140 mm ) systems, and the first break of gauge between Russian and standard gauge built in 1861 between

3026-568: The main Perth station , standard-gauge passenger trains terminate three stations short at East Perth . Three Russian broad-gauge lines reach out from Ukraine, one (the Uzhhorod–Košice line ) into Slovakia to carry minerals; another (the Metallurgy Line ) into Poland to carry heavy iron ore and steel products without the need for transshipment as would be the case if there were a break of gauge at

3115-457: The 1960s has made break of gauge less of a problem, since containers can be efficiently transferred from one mode or train to another by specialized cranes . Greater efficiency is achieved when the lengths of the wagons on each gauge are the same, so that the containers can be transferred from one train to the other with no longitudinal movement. The speed of the transfer depends, among other factors, on how many cranes can operate simultaneously at

3204-558: The 19th century, but is now almost entirely 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge. Narrow-gauge operations are generally confined to isolated rail systems, with a few notable exceptions. China has a standard-gauge network; neighbouring countries Mongolia , Russia and Kazakhstan use 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) gauge, and Vietnam mostly uses 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) ( metre gauge ), so there are some breaks of gauge. See

3293-726: The Construction of an Extension and certain Alterations of the said Railway, and certain Branch Railways in Connexion therewith... shall be constructed on the Gauge of Seven Feet. Accordingly, the line was built on the broad gauge, with far-reaching consequences. There were prodigious engineering works to be undertaken: the crossing of the River Wye at Chepstow, a large timber viaduct at Newport and

3382-495: The Great Western Railway again became a source of conflict, leading to an arbitration award largely in favour of the GWR. At length the SWR gave notice to terminate the arrangement, on 30 June 1857. Even after the termination, trailing disputes continued to arise leading to further arbitration. MacDermot states that The disputes were, however, always conducted in a more or less friendly fashion, and

3471-500: The Hong Kong MTR network, lines owned by MTR Corporation used 1,432 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) before 2014. Newer lines and extensions use 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) with nominal gauge break at Sheung Wan station and Yau Ma Tei station . 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) is also employed on those owned by KCR Corporation , despite

3560-405: The Irish side the depression was so extreme that the railway partners considered that it was impossible to proceed with the construction of their railway. Fishguard at the time only had significance as a potential ferry port, and the building of the South Wales Railway to that point would obviously be wasted expenditure, so that the directors decided to cut it short. The GWR guarantee of 5% on capital

3649-533: The Landore viaduct formed a continuous timber work, exactly one-third of a mile long, with thirty-seven spans ranging from 40 to 100 feet. Construction was of course proceeding on the section between Landore and Haverfordwest, and between Chepstow and Grange Court. In November 1850, the work on the line towards Fishguard (west of the point of junction for the Haverfordwest branch) was resumed; it had been suspended since

South Wales Railway - Misplaced Pages Continue

3738-510: The Monmouth and Hereford Railway near Grange Court. If the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway extended southwards to Hagloe Farm, two miles south of Awre, the South Wales Railway could connect there. The arrangement was approved and both companies got their acts of Parliament in 1846. Soon after gaining royal assent the GWR agreed with the G&;DFR that the former would take over the construction and build

3827-568: The Narrow Gauge carriages passing, without interruption or danger, along the Broad Gauge Lines." If implemented, this finding seemed to mean that the South Wales Railway could not be built on the broad gauge, introducing a break of gauge with the parent GWR at Gloucester or Grange Court. The Lords of the Board of Trade considered the matter, and they modified the policy. It was their opinion that

3916-413: The Russian mainland 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) broad gauge. In 2003, the Russian government started to convert the entire network to dual gauge with 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) and 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ). Work is 70% done as of 2016, and is expected to be complete by 2018. The entire island's rolling stock

4005-513: The SWR pay compensation equivalent to a purchase. The SWR declined and the issue dragged on for a considerable time; the Llanelly Railway obstructed the SWR construction as much as possible, and at one stage the SWR considered crossing by a viaduct. Eventually however the SWR opened its line, crossing the Llanelly lines by flat crossings, and the matter was put to rest. In June 1852 a connection

4094-453: The SWR should be made on the broad gauge, and the resulting Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. 57) stated that the railways authorised ... by an Act passed in the last session of Parliament, intituled An Act for making a railway to be called "The South Wales Railway" [and a modifying Act] intituled "An Act for completing the Line of the South Wales Railway", and to authorize

4183-418: The SWR would build the southward extension itself, so that the northern limit of the SWR was to be at Grange Court, about 6 miles from Gloucester. Agreement was reached with the Great Western Railway that the GWR would lease the SWR on completion of the line to Fishguard, paying 5% on the capital plus half of surplus profits. A Gauge Commission had been established by Parliament to consider the desirability of

4272-460: The SWR, and the hitherto supportive relationship between the two companies now took a seriously unfriendly turn. It was stated that as the GWR had about a quarter of the SWR shareholding, they were being duplicitous in failing to support the abandonment of the Fishguard part of the line. A committee of shareholders reported their view of the situation: We have now to report to the proprietors that it

4361-607: The South Wales Railway was issued in the summer of 1844. It proposed a railway with capital of £2,500,000 to run from Standish , on the Cheltenham branch of the Great Western Railway where the Bristol and Gloucester line joins it. Over the River Severn at Hock Cliffe between Fretherne and Awre and then follow the coast to Chepstow , Newport , Cardiff , Bridgend , Aberavon , Neath , Swansea , Carmarthen and Fishguard , with

4450-406: The South Wales line proper... The first portion of the line was opened on 18 June 1850, from Chepstow to Swansea. It consisted of 75 miles of double track, on the broad gauge, using Brunel's longitudinal timber track. Engines and rolling stock were provided by the Great Western Railway; they arrived by coastal shipping, as the line was not connected to any other line. Soon after the opening a slip in

4539-574: The apparent mysteriousness of this lack of implementation, but a likely explanation is that the combatants at the time were likely primarily interested in winning the Gauge War and setting a standard that benefited their commercial interests. The lack of a standardized gauge was a significant problem in transportation in the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War . See

SECTION 50

#1732844923192

4628-462: The autumn of 1848. The instruction to complete the line may have been in frustration at the GWR position on the lease agreement. Further negotiation took place and the agreement in March 1851 took the form that the GWR would lease the line for 999 years from the time of completion from Grange Court to Swansea. The GWR were to take one third of the net profit, but pay a rental on the line; the SWR would provide

4717-520: The border into otherwise standard-gauge New South Wales. Similarly, the standard-gauge line from Albury to Melbourne in 1962 which eliminated most transshipment at Albury, especially the need for passengers to change trains in the middle of the night. The standard-gauge outreach from Kalgoorlie to Perth partly replaced the original 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow-gauge line, and partly rebuilt that line with better curves and gradients as double-track dual gauge. Because of lack of space at

4806-406: The border stations of Eydtkuhnen (then East Prussia, now Russia) and Kybartai (then Russia, now Lithuania). Where trains encounter a different gauge, such as at the borders between Spain and France or between Russia and China, the traditional solution has been transloading ( often called transshipment in discussions of break of gauge ), that is, the transfer of passengers and freight to cars on

4895-691: The border. There were plans to extend the Slovak line to Vienna but these have been effectively killed by the Austrian government in 2021. The third one, from Polish-Ukrainian border to Przemyśl, is used for passenger connections to Lviv and Kiyv. In 1994, the Rail Baltica proposal emerged to build a 728 km (452 mi) north–south standard-gauge line to link European railways from Poland via Kaunas , Lithuania, and Riga , Latvia, to Tallinn , Estonia. The first stage, connecting Lithuanian-Polish border to Kaunas,

4984-406: The border. This takes a few minutes per car, but is quicker than transshipment of goods. A more modern and sophisticated method is to have multigauge bogies with wheelsets whose wheels can be moved inwards and outwards . Normally they are locked in place, but special equipment at the border unloads and unlocks the wheels and pushes them inward or outward to the new gauge, relocking and reloading

5073-414: The cylinders were added until they had reached the top of the stage (about 100 feet in height) which had been erected for the purpose of sinking them. The weight of the column now cut through the planks, and the cylinder sank about 6 feet. The approach spans were replaced in 1948 and the main spans were reconstructed using a warren truss configuration in 1962. The westward route from Landore to Carmarthen

5162-451: The deep cutting slope took place at Llansamlet , between Neath and Swansea. To stabilise it, Brunel erected the so-called flying arches , loaded with slag, to resist the thrust. Brunel's most substantial timber work, not just on the SWR, but as far as his work was concerned for any railway company, was to be found in the vicinity of Swansea. Crossing the River Tawe and the Landore marshes,

5251-470: The early era of railways in Britain (including rollbocks , transporter wagons , dual gauge , and even containerization or variable gauge axles), but they were not implemented at the height of the Gauge War in the 1840s, which resulted in a regular need for transloading. L. T. C. Rolt 's biography of Isambard Kingdom Brunel (key proponent of the broad gauge for the Great Western Railway ) remarks on

5340-480: The inland and manufacturing districts of England and the metropolis. The line was to pass "within an easy distance of Monmouth " and west of Carmarthen, it was proposed "that the railway shall divide into two branches, one to the naval arsenal of Pembroke and the harbour of Milford Haven Waterway , and the other to Fishguard, whence a communication with the South of Ireland would be effected within six hours." Chief among

5429-467: The junction arrangements with the GWR at Gloucester station were causing delay. However the line was opened on 19 September 1851 from Gloucester to a temporary station named Chepstow East , at Sedbury Lane. Passengers (only) were conveyed by omnibus between the two Chepstow stations. On 19 July 1852 a single line over the Chepstow bridge was brought into use, and through communication from London to Swansea

SECTION 60

#1732844923192

5518-479: The lack of physical connections between the two networks. A large railway may have main lines with heavy tracks, and branch lines with light track. Light locomotives and rolling stock can operate on all lines, but heavy locomotives and rolling stock can only operate on heavy track. Heavy rolling stock might be able to operate on lighter track at reduced speed. Light track can be upgraded to heavy track by installing heavy rails, etc., and this can be done without changing

5607-430: The line themselves. The South Wales Railway Amendment Act 1846 ( 9 & 10 Vict. c. ccxxxix) also authorised a branch from Landore to Swansea, as the original route had not been intended to enter the town centre, and another from a point near the later Clarbeston Road station to Haverfordwest . Soon after the passing of the act of Parliament the company agreed with the Gloucester and Dean Forest Railway that

5696-426: The line was not to pass through their town, and they urged a deviation to run through Gloucester, Monmouth and Usk to Caerleon , adding 18 miles to the route and involving considerably worse gradients. The Admiralty objected to the Severn bridge, and the result was that the line was authorised west of Chepstow only, with a branch to Monmouth. The line was to be broad gauge, although this was not explicitly defined in

5785-516: The need for steam locomotives of both gauges the narrow-gauge engines were provided with standard-gauge converter wagons (named "haulage trucks"). The narrow-gauge steam locomotive was lowered into the haulage truck using a gantry, and its wheels rested on rollers, which in turn drove the haulage wagon wheels via a 3:1 reduction gear. Several of these locomotives survived into preservation, including locomotive No23 complete with haulage wagon and lifting gantry preserved at Brockham museum in 1966, and now at

5874-615: The north-eastern extremity of the South Wales Railway. At first there were no other broad gauge lines in the area traversed by the SWR. Some railways were already in existence and their routes were crossed by the SWR: Standish, Gloucestershire Standish is a small village and civil parish in the Stroud local government district in Gloucestershire , England. The village is 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) north-west of Stroud , on

5963-434: The objectives of the line was communication with Ireland; the engineer was Isambard Kingdom Brunel . The project was sponsored by the Great Western Railway and in February 1845 the GWR announced that they had promised £500,000 towards the formation of the company. It was to be "a great national undertaking to connect the South of Ireland as well as South Wales with the Metropolis". The people of Monmouth were disappointed that

6052-416: The other system. When transloading from one gauge to another, often the quantities of rolling stock are unbalanced between the two systems, leading to more idle rolling stock on one system than the other. One common method to avoid transshipment is to build cars to the smaller of the two systems' loading gauges with bogies that are easily removed and replaced with other bogies at an interchange location on

6141-488: The promoters of the line was to connect southern Ireland by ferry from Fishguard to a harbour near Wexford. It was hoped that the Post Office contract for the carriage of mails between London and Dublin could be secured for the Great Western Railway and its allies. In Ireland, the Waterford, Wexford, Wicklow and Dublin Railway Company was to handle the traffic. Brunel also hoped that a transatlantic shipping business using Fishguard might be developed. However, in 1845 there

6230-404: The railway was very successful. The intended route of the South Wales Railway needed to cross the two lines of the Llanelly Railway and Dock company, and the SWR authorising act of Parliament did not specify in detail how this was to be done. The Llanelly Company wished to sell its network to the South Wales Railway, and suggested that the crossing would make its system unworkable: it demanded that

6319-414: The relatively steep gradients encountered. Through running of standard-gauge trains on rack sections would not be possible, but dual-gauge track exists in many places where the gradient is relatively flat to carry standard- and metre-gauge stock. There are also some 800-mm-gauge railways which are entirely rack operated. The effects of a minor break of gauge can be minimized by placing it at the point where

6408-662: The same gauge to which they are not otherwise connected. Piggyback operation by the trainload occurred as a temporary measure between Port Augusta and Marree during gauge conversion work in the 1950s to bypass steep gradients and washaways in the Flinders Ranges . Narrow-gauge railways were favoured in the underground slate quarries of North Wales , as tunnels could be smaller. The Padarn Railway operated transporter wagons on their 4 ft ( 1,219 mm ) gauge railway, each carrying four 1 ft  10 + 3 ⁄ 4  in ( 578 mm ) slate trams. When

6497-417: The staffing other than the locomotive department. The work of completing the western extremity of the line was again discontinued. Completion of the Chepstow bridge was much delayed, while the easier construction between its east side and Grange Court was proceeding well. Construction of the Gloucester and Forest of Dean Railway was also going well, although the opening bridge over the Severn at Gloucester, and

6586-505: The track gauge. When a main line is converted to a different gauge, branch lines can be cut off and made relatively useless, at least for freight trains, until they too are converted to the new gauge. These severed branches can be called gauge orphans . The opposite of a gauge orphan is a line of one gauge which reaches into the territory composed mainly of another gauge. Examples include five 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) broad-gauge lines from Victoria, Australia, which crossed

6675-478: The train if it has a smaller loading gauge) or – in the case of freight railways – less room for cargo, making double stacking impossible or other negative effects. The earliest working example of the axle-changing system at the French-Spain border in 1948 had the axles being changed at the rate of 8 wagons or 32 axles per hour. The United States of America had broad-, narrow-, and standard-gauge tracks in

6764-418: The transfer location. Container cranes are relatively portable, so that if the break of gauge transshipment hub changes from time to time, the cranes can be moved around as required. Fork lift trucks can also be used. For example, when containers are shipped by a "direct train" from China to Europe, it is only containers, and not the railcars, which move from China's railway network to that of Kazakhstan. At

6853-427: The two Companies never became really hostile to each other. The line was extended from Carmarthen to Haverfordwest on 2 January 1854, again a single line formed of Barlow rails. At first the South Wales Railway line made no junction connections with other railways except with the Gloucester and Forest of Dean Railway at Grange Court; notwithstanding its name, that railway simply provided the link between Gloucester and

6942-507: The wheels when done. This is done as the train moves slowly over the special equipment. In some cases, breaks of gauge are avoided by installing dual-gauge track, either permanently or as part of a changeover process to a single gauge. One method of achieving interoperability between rolling stock of different gauges is to piggyback stock of one gauge on special transporter wagons or even ordinary flat wagons fitted with rails. This enables rolling stock to reach workshops and other lines of

7031-510: Was a catastrophic failure of the potato crop on which a majority of Irish people depended for a living; this resulted in mass starvation and commercial depression, which deepened the following year. The catastrophe is known as the Great Famine of Ireland . The economy in Ireland worsened considerably, at the same time as the general economic climate throughout the United Kingdom declined sharply. On

7120-465: Was a preliminary to the Royal Albert Bridge at Saltash . In sinking the cylinders to form the piers of the bridge, the workmen had first to pass through 29 feet of blue clay and sand, below which they met with a thin bed of peat containing timber, some solid oak, hazel-nuts, and other similar substances... The cylinders were placed on planks to prevent their cutting into the soft mud. One by one

7209-471: Was available. The 999-year lease by the GWR started. The second track over the bridge was in use from 18 April 1853. The Chepstow railway bridge over the Wye had finally been completed: it had been a severe engineering challenge. The 300 feet main spans were suspended from chains, with an overhead tubular strut of 9 feet diameter to resist the inward force of the chains. Some commentators suggest that this arrangement

7298-499: Was built outside the city, as the existing station was hemmed in by built-up areas. All high-speed " Shinkansen " routes in Japan have been built as standard-gauge lines. A few routes, known as " Super Tokkyū ", have been planned as narrow-gauge 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ), and the conventional (non-high-speed) is mostly narrow-gauge 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ), so there are some breaks of gauge and dual gauge

7387-673: Was completed in 2015. A standard-gauge line, extending from Belarusian-Polish border to Hrodna, is used for passenger connections to Białystok, Warsaw and Kraków. A standard-gauge line from Polish-Ukrainian border to Lviv is planned. While track gauge is the most important factor preventing through running between adjacent systems, other issues can also be a hindrance, including structure gauge , loading gauge , axleloads , couplings , brakes , electrification systems , signalling systems, multiple unit controls, rules and regulations , driver certification, righthand or lefthand running, repairs (how to make and pay for repairs while rolling stock

7476-746: Was expected to be the Kyushu Shinkansen Nagasaki route. However, the program was cancelled in 2008. The North Korean rail system has some breaks of gauge. Several parts of the Paektusan Ch'ŏngnyŏn Line on the stretch between Wiyŏn and Hyesan Ch'ŏngnyŏn are dual gauged to allow connections to the Paektusan Rimch'ŏl Line and the Samjiyŏn Line . Also, the line connecting to the Trans-Siberian Railway from Rason to Tumangang and

7565-582: Was made from Swansea station to the North Dock at Swansea. The definite decision was taken not to proceed to Fishguard, and an act of Parliament, the South Wales Railway Act 1852 ( 15 & 16 Vict. c. cxvii), was obtained authorising abandonment of the Fishguard line and instead an extension from Haverfordwest to Neyland Point, on the Milford Haven Waterway . The lease arrangement with

7654-409: Was only to come into effect when Fishguard was reached by the SWR, so the latter's directors approached the GWR proposing that the guarantee should come into effect when the line reached Swansea instead. The GWR were not agreeable to this, leaving the South Wales Railway in a difficult position; certain persons who were directors of both companies saw that their positions were untenable, and resigned from

7743-554: Was opened on 11 October 1852. It was laid as a single line using Barlow rails for economy. Two lines of the Llanelly Railway were crossed on the level, as were other horse-operated mineral lines. In 1828 the Llanelly Railroad and Dock Company built a dock and a two-mile railway connecting coal pits north of Llanelly , and in 1839 a second line from Llanelly to Cwmamman was opened. At first concentrating on mineral traffic,

7832-427: Was planning to build an additional line using standard gauge, between Dostyk and Aktogay but the scheme was abandoned. Iran , with its standard-gauge rail system, has a break of gauge with 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) gauge at the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan , and also with Pakistan's 5 ft 6 in gauge railway at Zahedan . The break-of-gauge station at Zahedan

7921-496: Was under Japan's control when railway construction began. One stretch of rail that used 600 mm ( 1 ft  11 + 5 ⁄ 8  in ) narrow gauge was converted to match the 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) narrow gauge after Russia took control of it. Starting from the 1970s, a train ferry service was provided to connect Sakhalin and the Russia mainland, requiring bogie exchange on wagons to allow operation on

#191808