rail gauge
Distance between tracks
Rail gauge is the distance between the inner edges of the two rails on a railway track.
Standard gauge—4 feet 8½ inches—predominates worldwide, but narrow and broad gauges exist, creating compatibility problems where different systems meet.
Historically, incompatible gauges forced passengers and freight to change trains at borders: The break of gauge at the frontier delayed shipments for hours.
Level of quality accepted
- broadWide in span
- narrowOf small width
- widthDistance across something
- spacingInterval arrangement between objects
distance · millimeters · inches · clearance · profile · tolerance · precision · specification
Ship stability material
- sleepersUnactivated spies or surprise hits
- tiesConnections or neckwear
- spikesSharp metal protrusions
- railsGuiding metal bars
roadbed · grading · tamping · embankment · culverts · trestle · viaduct · switches
- BrunelRenowned engineering surname
- heritage railwaysRestored historic rail lines
- light railwaysSmall-scale rail transit systems
- regaugingMeasuring anew for accuracy
Cross-platform functional harmony
- conversionAct of changing states
- transshipmentCargo transfer between carriers
- standardizationImplementing uniform technical specifications
- interconnectionMutual joining of parts
Measuring and charting terrain
- civil engineeringPublic structure construction field
- load-bearingSustaining structural mass
- stress analysisStudy of internal forces
- designPurposeful creative planning
construction · blueprint · CAD · specification · materials · welding · maintenance · inspection
standard
Level of quality accepted
spacing · distance · millimeters · inches · clearance · profile · tolerance · precision · specification · calibration
ballast
Ship stability material
rails · roadbed · grading · tamping · embankment · culverts · trestle · viaduct · switches · turnouts
Stephenson
- BrunelRenowned engineering surname
- heritage railwaysRestored historic rail lines
- light railwaysSmall-scale rail transit systems
interoperability
Cross-platform functional harmony
- conversionAct of changing states
- transshipmentCargo transfer between carriers
- standardizationImplementing uniform technical specifications
surveying
Measuring and charting terrain
- civil engineeringPublic structure construction field
- load-bearingSustaining structural mass
- stress analysisStudy of internal forces
design · construction · blueprint · CAD · specification · materials · welding · maintenance · inspection
rail gaugerolling stock
Wheeled railway equipment
train · locomotive · carriage · railcar
rail gaugerolling stock
Wheeled railway equipment
locomotives · train cars · track bed · railway sleepers · ties
rail, gauge, gauging, gauged, gaugeable, narrow gauge, broad gauge, standard gauge