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40-541: The North Caucasus Railway (Russian: Северо-Кавказская железная дорога ) is a 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) broad gauge Russian railway network that links the Sea of Azov (in the west) and Caspian Sea (in the east). It runs through ten federal subjects: Rostov Oblast , Krasnodar Krai , Stavropol Krai , Republic of Adygeya , Karachay–Cherkessia , North Ossetia , Ingushetia , Chechnya , Dagestan , and Kalmykia . The headquarters are

80-627: A committee to recommend technical standards for the building of Russia's first major railway. The team included devotees of Franz Anton von Gerstner , who pushed to continue the Tsarskoye Selo gauge, and engineer Pavel Melnikov and his consultant George Washington Whistler , a prominent American railway engineer. Whistler recommended 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) on the basis that it was cheaper to construct than 6 ft ( 1,829 mm ) and cheaper to maintain than 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ). His advice won over

120-783: A few out of more than sixty tram systems in Russia are not broad gauge: 1,000 mm in Kaliningrad and Pyatigorsk , 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) in Rostov-on-Don . There are two tram systems in and around Yevpatoria that use 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ) gauge. Finland's Helsinki trams and Latvia's Liepāja trams use 1,000 mm ( 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in ). Estonia's Tallinn trams use similar 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ). Warsaw's tramway system, constructed with 1525 mm gauge,

160-448: A number of captured German 03 class Pacifics locomotives were re-gauged to the 5 ft ( 1524 mm ) Russian gauge . Most diesel and electric rolling stock can undergo gauge conversion by replacement of their bogies . Engines with fixed wheelbases are more difficult to convert. In Australia, diesel locomotives are regularly re-gauged between broad, standard and narrow gauges. Gauge conversion of wagons and coaches involves

200-567: A short time during the war. This formed a break of gauge between Changchun and Kuancheng , the station just to the north of Changchun, still in Russian hands, until the rest of the former Chinese Eastern Railway was converted to standard gauge, probably in the 1930s. Unlike in South Manchuria , the Soviet Union's reconquest of southern Sakhalin from Japan did not result in regauging of

240-584: A shortcut for the Trans-Siberian Railway to Vladivostok . The railway's southern branch, from Harbin via Changchun to Lüshun , used Russian gauge. As a result of the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-1905, its southernmost section from Changchun to Lüshun was lost to the Japanese, who promptly regauged it to standard gauge , after using the narrow 3 ft 6 in ( 1,067 mm ) for

280-441: A unique track gauge of 1,522 mm, falls between the Russian gauge ( 1,520 mm ) and broad gauge 1,524 mm . These gauges cannot make 3-rail dual gauge with Russian gauge. These gauges are within tolerance. Dual gauge between Russian gauge and another similar gauge can make these bonus gauges. Track gauge conversion Track gauge conversion is the changing of one railway track gauge (the distance between

320-433: Is required if the conversion is to a significantly wider gauge. Some sleepers may be long enough to accommodate the fittings of both existing and alternative gauges. Wooden sleepers are suitable for conversion because they can be drilled for the repositioned rail spikes . Concrete sleepers are unsuitable for conversion. Concrete sleepers may be cast with alternative gauge fittings in place, an example being those used during

360-615: Is the second-most common gauge in the world, after 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge . In 1748, the Wylam waggonway was built to a 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) gauge for the shipment of coal from Wylam to Lemington down the River Tyne . In 1839, the Eastern Counties Railway was constructed. In 1840, the Northern and Eastern Railway

400-480: The 1668 mm ( 5 ft  5 + 21 ⁄ 32  in ) gauge in Spain pass through an installation which adjusts their variable-gauge axles. This process is known as "gauge change". Goods wagons are still subject to either bogie exchange or wheelset exchange . Some steam locomotives were constructed to be reconfigured to a different gauge: for example, some East African Railways locomotives; Garratts ;

440-684: The North Caucasus Railway Administration Building in Rostov-on-Don . The network comprises Grozny , Krasnodar , Makhachkala , Mineralnye Vody , and Rostov passenger and freight railways, as well as two children's railways (in Vladikavkaz and Rostov). As of 2005, there were 6315.9 km of railtrack and 403 railway stations. The railway is operated by the Russian Railways and employs 80,757 people. The Black Sea resorts of Sochi , Gelendzhik and Anapa are

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480-648: The United States , some 5 ft ( 1524 mm ) broad-gauge locomotives were designed for easy conversion to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) gauge, and in the United Kingdom some 7 ft  1 ⁄ 4  in ( 2140 mm ) broad-gauge locomotive classes of the Great Western Railway were designed for easy conversion to 1435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) gauge. After World War II ,

520-476: The structure gauge of standard gauge track, such as height of overpasses so that trains can be exchanged. The choice of train couplers may be a factor as well. Where vehicles move to a different gauge, they must either be prepared for bogie exchange or be prepared for wheelset exchange. For example, passenger trains moving between the 1435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) in France and

560-546: The Sakhalin port of Kholmsk . In 2004 and 2008 plans were put forward to convert it to the Russian gauge. The conversion was completed in 2019. There were proposals in 2013 for north-south and east-west lines in Afghanistan, with construction to start in 2013. The Panama Canal Railway , first constructed in ca. 1850, was built in 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) gauge. During canal construction (1904–1914), this same gauge

600-539: The Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia redefined its track gauge to 1,524 mm , to match Finland's gauge. The redefinition did not mean that all the railways in Estonia were changed immediately. It was more a rule change, so that all renovated old tracks and new railways would be constructed in 1,524 mm gauge from then on. (See Track gauge in Estonia .) Finland allows its gauge to be 1,520–1,529 mm on first class lines (classes 1AA and 1A, speed 220–160 km/h). If

640-716: The Tsar. At the time, questions of continuity with the European network did not arise. By the time difficulties arose in connecting the Prussian railroads to the Russian ones in Warsaw in the 1850s, it was too late to change. A persistent myth holds that Imperial Russia chose a gauge broader than standard gauge for military reasons, namely to prevent potential invaders from using the rail system. The Russian military recognized as early as 1841 that operations to disrupt railway track did not depend on

680-509: The Tx class on the broad gauge before they were eventually converted back again. Gauge-change in steam locomotives has a long lineage. In about 1860, the Bristol and Exeter Railway converted five 1435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) locomotives to 7 ft  1 ⁄ 4  in ( 2140 mm ) gauge, and later converted them back again. Also in the 19th century, in

720-523: The bridge over the River Neva was built in 1913. Russian trains could not have run on Finnish tracks, because the Finnish loading gauge was narrower, until the connection was made and the Finnish structure gauge was widened. In the late 1960s the gauge was redefined to 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) in the Soviet Union. At the same time the tolerances were tightened. As

760-429: The bridges, overpasses and tunnels, embankments and cuts . The minimum curve radius may have a larger radius on broader gauges requiring route deviations to allow the minimum curve radius to be increased. Track centers at stations with multiple tracks may also have to be increased. Conversion from narrow to standard gauge can cause several changes not because of the gauge itself, but in order to be compatible with

800-463: The conversion of the Melbourne–Adelaide railway from 1600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) to 1435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ). Steel sleepers may have alternative gauge fittings cast at production, may be drilled for new fittings or may be welded with new fittings. Conversion from a narrow to a wider gauge may require enlargement of the structure gauge of

840-581: The gauge of 5 ft or 1,520 mm, include: Short sections of Russian or 5 ft gauge extend into Poland , eastern Slovakia , Sweden (at the Finnish border at Haparanda ), and northern Afghanistan . There is an approximately 150 km long section in Hungary in the Záhony logistics area close to the Ukrainian border. Following renovations in 2014, a 32 km section of dual Standard /Russian gauge

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880-613: The gauge, and should instead focus on destroying bridges and tunnels . However, in both World Wars the break of gauge did pose some amount of obstacle to the invading Germans. The 5-foot gauge became the standard in the Russian Empire and later the Soviet Union. Russian engineers used it on the Chinese Eastern Railway , built in the closing years of the 19th century across the Northeastern China entry to provide

920-587: The large 500 , 600 and 700 class locomotives of the South Australian Railways introduced by William Webb in 1926; and the Victorian Railways J , N and R classes. In the Australian instances, conversion was anticipated from 1600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) broad gauge to 1435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge. Conversion to a wider gauge

960-583: The locks ( mules ) still use the 5 ft gauge that was laid during canal construction. The first rail line in Finland was opened in January 1862. As Finland was then the Grand Duchy of Finland , an autonomous state ruled in personal union by Imperial Russia where railways were also built to the (5 ft) broad track gauge of 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ). However the railway systems were not connected until

1000-1332: The maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads, is larger for Russian gauge. This means that if a standard gauge railway, in Europe, is adapted for dual gauge , bridges must be rebuilt, double tracks must be placed further apart and the overhead wire must be raised. Or there must be restrictions on permitted rolling stock, which would restrict the benefit of such a railway. Dual gauge needs more width than single gauge. For double stacking on Russian gauge tracks, maximum height shall be 6.15 or 6.4 m (20 ft 2 in or 21 ft 0 in) above rails. For standard gauge railways, double stacking maximum height shall be 6.15 m (20 ft 2 in). For Indian gauge railways, double stacking maximum height shall be 7.1 m (23 ft 4 in), and minimum overhead wiring height shall be 6.5 or 6.75 m (21 ft 4 in or 22 ft 2 in) above rails. Minimum overhead wiring height for double stacking, standard gauge railways shall be 6.5 m (21 ft 4 in), and Indian gauge railways shall be 7.45 m (24 ft 5 in) above rails, respectively. This would apply to Russia and Europe (or North America), rather than to Russia and China (or Iran). The primary countries currently using

1040-628: The principal passenger destinations on the railway. The Sochi line, running for many miles along the coast of the Black Sea, is especially busy in summer with regular extra direct express trains for holiday makers. The oil ports at Novorossiysk and Tuapse are significant destinations for rail freight traffic. In 1937 the North Caucasus Railway was renamed after the Soviet party leader Sergo Ordzhonikidze but soon reverted to its traditional name. It

1080-526: The railway system. Southern Sakhalin has continued with the original Japanese 1,067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) gauge simultaneously with the Russian gauge railway, constructed in the northern part of the island in 1930-1932 (Moskalvo-Okha). The railway has no fixed connection with the mainland. Before 2019, rail cars coming from the mainland port of Vanino on the Vanino-Kholmsk train ferry , operating since 1973, had to have their bogies changed in

1120-403: The replacement of the wheelsets or the bogies . In May 1892, wagons and coaches were converted when the 7 ft  1 ⁄ 4  in ( 2140 mm ) gauge of the Great Western Railway was abandoned. During or after gauge conversion work, some stations and branch lines may become "gauge orphans". This occurs especially when it is not considered economically worthwhile to go to

1160-462: The rolling stock's tolerance is kept within certain limits, through running between 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) railways and Finnish 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ) railways is allowed. Since both 1,520 and 1,524 mm tolerances overlap, the difference is negligible. The international high-speed Allegro 's gauge between Helsinki and St. Petersburg was specified as 1,522 mm. The loading gauge , which defines

1200-488: The running gear ( wheelsets ) of the rolling stock remained unaltered, the result was an increased speed and stability. The conversion took place between 1970 and the beginning of the 1990s. In Finland, the Finnish State Railways kept the original definition of 1,524 mm ( 5 ft ), even though they also have tightened the tolerances in a similar way, but to a higher level. After its independence from

1240-406: The running rails) to another. In general, requirements depend on whether the conversion is from a wider gauge to a narrower gauge or vice versa, on how the rail vehicles can be modified to accommodate a track gauge conversion, and on whether the gauge conversion is manual or automated. If tracks are converted to a narrower gauge, the existing timber sleepers (ties) may be used. However, replacement

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1280-587: The second railway in the Russian Empire , the Warsaw–Vienna railway in Congress Poland . It was a 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge , with the express intention of allowing through-freight trains into Austria-Hungary . The modern Russian railway network solidified around the Saint Petersburg–Moscow railway , built in 1842. There, the Tsar established

1320-504: Was a 6 ft ( 1,829 mm ) gauge, 17 km long experimental line connecting Saint Petersburg with Tsarskoye Selo and Pavlovsk . The choice of gauge was influenced by Brunel 's Great Western Railway which used 7 ft ( 2,134 mm ). The Tsarskoye Selo railway's success proved that a larger gauge could be viable for railways isolated from the extant 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) gauge Western European network. In 1840, work started on

1360-652: Was a major disadvantage to the Confederate States of America during the American Civil War . In 1886, when around 11,500 miles (18,500 km) of 5 ft gauge track existed in the United States, almost all of the railroads using that gauge were converted to 4 ft 9 in ( 1,448 mm ), the gauge then used by the Pennsylvania Railroad . In 1837, the first railway built in Russia

1400-667: Was built. In 1844, both lines were converted to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) standard gauge . In 1903, the East Hill Cliff Railway , a funicular , was opened. In 1827, Horatio Allen , the chief engineer of the South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company , prescribed the usage of 5 ft ( 1,524 mm ) gauge. Many other railroads in the Southern United States adopted this gauge. The presence of several distinct gauges

1440-467: Was chosen for both construction traffic, canal operating services along the quays, and the newly routed commercial cross-isthmus railway. In 2000 the gauge for the commercial parallel railway was changed to 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ) to use standard gauge equipment. The original gauge was chosen under the influence of the pre-conversion southern United States railway companies. The electric manoeuvering locomotives along

1480-560: Was in the late 1950s that most of the railway network was electrified. In 1987 the line from Zverevo north to Chertkovo was transferred from the South Eastern Railway to the North Caucasus Railway, with the new connection between the two railways being just north of Chertkovo railway station . [REDACTED] Media related to North Caucasus Railway at Wikimedia Commons 5 ft and 1520 mm gauge railways With about 225,000 km (140,000 mi) of track, 1,520 mm

1520-1071: Was installed between Tumangang and Rajin stations in North Korea. The most western 1,520 mm gauge railway is the Polish LHS ( Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa ) from the Ukrainian border to the eastern end of the Upper Silesian Industrial Region . Although broad gauge is quite rare on lighter railways and street tramways worldwide, almost all tramways in the former USSR are broad gauge (according to terminology in use in these countries, gauges narrower than 1,520 mm ( 4 ft  11 + 27 ⁄ 32  in ) are considered to be narrow). Many tramway networks initially built to narrow gauges ( 750 mm or 2 ft  5 + 1 ⁄ 2  in or 1,000 mm or 3 ft  3 + 3 ⁄ 8  in metre gauge ) were converted to broad gauge. As of 2015, only

1560-535: Was regauged to 1435 mm during post-WWII reconstruction. Tampere tramway , built in 2021, uses 1,435 mm ( 4 ft  8 + 1 ⁄ 2  in ). Underground urban rapid transit systems in the former USSR, like the Moscow Metro , Saint Petersburg Metro , Kyiv Metro and Yerevan Metro use Russian gauge ( 1,520 mm ). Outside the former USSR, the Helsinki Metro in Finland that utilizes

1600-500: Was similarly anticipated for the large 1067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge Western Australian Government Railways V class locomotive (to standard gauge). Of these locomotives, only one R class was converted (when in preservation). Two unanticipated conversions to occur were the ten locomotives of the South Australian Railways 740 class (from standard to broad gauge) and five 1067 mm ( 3 ft 6 in ) narrow-gauge T class locomotives, which became

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