The Diolkos (Δίολκος) across the Isthmus of Corinth in Greece – a grooved paved trackway – was constructed with an average gauge of 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm).[1]
The Swiss Northern Railway was opened as a 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) line[when?] and converted to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) in 1854.
1854
The first Australian railway to operate steam-powered freight and passenger services, Melbourne and Hobson's Bay Railway Company, was built as a 5 ft 3 in (1600 mm) line.[4]
The Canterbury Railway in New Zealand was built in 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm). It was converted to 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) in 1876.
Nomenclature
In Great Britain and Ireland, the gauge is known as Irish gauge.[5][6][7] In Ireland it is also common to hear it referred to as "standard gauge" or "broad gauge" when distinguishing it from the various 3 ft (narrow gauge) railways of the island.[8][9]
In Australia, where the states of Victoria and South Australia have this gauge (as did Tasmania in the 19th century), it is also known as broad gauge.[10]: 168 [11]
In Brazil, the gauge is mainly known as broad gauge (Portuguese: bitola larga), but occasionally as Irish gauge (Portuguese: bitola irlandesa).[12][13]
Before the advent of diesel and electric traction, one of the advantages of the broader 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm) Irish gauge compared to 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) was that more space between steam locomotive frames allows for a bigger firebox, enabling generation of more steam.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to 5 ft 3 in gauge railways.
^Lewis, M. J. T. (2001), "Railways in the Greek and Roman world", in Guy, A.; Rees, J. (eds.), Early Railways. A Selection of Papers from the First International Early Railways Conference (PDF), pp. 8–19 (10–15), archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2009
^ a b c d"Brief history of Irish railways". Downpatrick & County Down Railway. Archived from the original on 2 January 2024. Retrieved 2 January 2024.
^ a b"Odds and ends". Colonial Times. Hobart, Tasmania: National Library of Australia. 24 March 1846. p. 4. Retrieved 21 August 2012.
^Harrigan, Leo J. (1962). Victorian Railways to '62. Melbourne: Victorian Railways. p. 40.
^Rail, Irish. "Iarnród Éireann Heritage and Enthusiasts". Irish Rail.
^https://hmrs.org.uk/stewards/irish-bg
^McCormack, K. (2017). Irish Railways in the 1950s and 1960s: A Journey Through Two Decades. United Kingdom: Pen & Sword Books.
^Irish Builder and Engineer. (1881:58). Ireland: Howard MacGarvey & Sons..
^Fitch, Ron (2006). Australian Railwayman: from cadet engineer to railways commissioner. Dural, New South Wales: Rosenberg Publishing Pty Ltd. ISBN 1877058483.
^Mike W. Harry (2008). Cast Into the Unknown. p. 30. ISBN 9781875329670.
^Engenharia, Wasaki (27 October 2022). "As medidas das bitolas mais usadas no Brasil".
^"A padronização da bitola nas ferrovias da Grã-Bretanha". vfco.brazilia.jor.br.
^Rail_transport_in_Brazil
^Newer Metro systems use 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge.
^Rieger, Bernhard (23 April 2006). "Breitspurbahn". Archived from the original on 10 September 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2007.
^"Infrastructure". Irish Rail. Archived from the original on 7 May 2013. Retrieved 3 May 2013.
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