standard gauge

Common track width

Standard gauge is the most common width between rails on a railroad track, measuring 4 feet 8½ inches (1,435 mm).

This spacing became dominant across North America, most of Europe, and much of the world, allowing trains to operate across different rail networks.

As a modifier, it describes equipment built for this track width: standard-gauge locomotives, standard-gauge rolling stock.

railway

track

Path or monitored route

train · sleepers · ties · ballast · spikes · carriage · freight · passenger · rolling stock · intercity

standardization

uniformity

State of being identical

conformity · regulation · specification · measurement · calibration · precision · equivalence · international · adoption · conversion

Opposites
track width

standard gaugenarrow gauge

Reduced track width

broad gauge · miniature railway

Family

standard, understand, gauge, understanding, standards, withstand, substandard, gauging, misunderstanding

Familiarity
Top 500,000
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Used worldwide · Timeless · Concrete · Rated G