Non standard track gauges that were and currently used in the UK

[blueberry11]

My understanding is that currently, all railways in the UK use standard gauge (4 ft 8,5 in / 1435 mm) except for Northern Ireland which (along with the Republic or Ireland) uses 5 ft 3 in 1600 mm and the Glasgow Metro which uses 4 ft / 1219 mm, as well as some of the private ones such as the one at Bure Valley Railway (near todays Hoveton and Wroxham railway station) using narrow gauge.

Back in the day, Brunel wanted the Great Western Railway (not to be confused with todays version of the same name) to use 7 ft (2100 mm) track gauge, later revised to 7 ft 1/4 inch. That is over a foot (~305 mm) wider than the next largest gauge, which is used in Spain, Portugal and India (1668/1676 mm). This is why you may be able to see wider than normal bridges and tunnels on todays GWR route.

So other than the ones I explained earlier, what track gauges have been used on UK railways?

--- edit 2024-01-04 15:00 UTC

For clarity UK includes Northern Ireland but not Isle of Wight meaning that you can post if it has used a gauge other than standard or 5 ft 3 in.

Additionally, tramways that have existed using a gauge other than 4 ft 8.5 in is also allowed (all UK tramways currently in operation use that gauge)

 

[61058]

My understanding is that currently, all railways in the UK use standard gauge (4 ft 8,5 in / 1435 mm) except for Northern Ireland which (along with the Republic or Ireland) uses 5 ft 3 in 1600 mm and the Glasgow Metro which uses 4 ft / 1219 mm, as well as some of the private ones such as the one at Bure Valley Railway (near todays Hoveton and Wroxham railway station) using narrow gauge.

Back in the day, Brunel wanted the Great Western Railway (not to be confused with todays version of the same name) to use 7 ft (2100 mm) track gauge, later revised to 7 ft 1/4 inch. That is over a foot (~305 mm) wider than the next largest gauge, which is used in Spain, Portugal and India (1668/1676 mm). This is why you may be able to see wider than normal bridges and tunnels on todays GWR route.

So other than the ones I explained earlier, what track gauges have been used on UK railways?

The ones that immediately spring to mind are :
Eastern Counties Railway originally 5ft gauge,
Southwold, Isle of Man & Irish narrow gauge 3ft gauge,
Ravenglass & Eskdale was originally 3ft gauge as well,
Quite a few narrow gauge lines were 2ft gauge,
Ulster Railway 6frt 2" gauge,
Padarn Railway 4ft gauge.

 

[nwales58]

2'4" and a bit is the most non-standard I can think of: Glyn Valley Tramway and the Snailbeach, even rarer than 2'3".

For a probably comprehensive list see:

British narrow-gauge railways - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[hexagon789]

Many early Scottish railways, including the Glasgow and Garnkirk, Paisley and Renfrew and the Ardrossan and Johnsone were 4ft 6in, sometimes called 'Scotch Gauge'. A few in the Tayside area were 4ft 6-and-a-half. Some railways were originally 5ft 6in - the Dundee and Arbroath (still open) and the Arbroath and Forfar (section through Arbroath still open).

 

[30907]

The clay lines in Purbeck were originally 2ft 8in, another obscure one, though the last survivor was regauged to 2ft.

 

[randyrippley]

Snaefell Mountain Railway 3'6"

Portland ("Merchant's") Railway 4'6"
Portland Admiralty Incline Railway 7'

 

[edwin_m]

Trams in Birmingham, and probably other places too, were 3'6" gauge.

 

[Taunton]

My understanding is that currently, all railways in the UK use standard gauge (4 ft 8,5 in / 1435 mm) except for Northern Ireland which (along with the Republic or Ireland) uses 5 ft 3 in 1600 mm and the Glasgow Metro which uses 4 ft / 1219 mm, as well as some of the private ones such as the one at Bure Valley Railway (near todays Hoveton and Wroxham railway station) using narrow gauge.

Back in the day, Brunel wanted the Great Western Railway (not to be confused with todays version of the same name) to use 7 ft (2100 mm) track gauge, later revised to 7 ft 1/4 inch. That is over a foot (~305 mm) wider than the next largest gauge, which is used in Spain, Portugal and India (1668/1676 mm). This is why you may be able to see wider than normal bridges and tunnels on todays GWR route.

So other than the ones I explained earlier, what track gauges have been used on UK railways?

Contrary to much writing, the track gauge and the overall vehicle and structure sizes are not particularly related. The enormous double stack trains in the USA, which in no dimension would fit on Brunel's lines, are still standard 4'8" gauge. Likewise the very much larger than the UK large steam locomotives in South Africa were on 3'6" gauge, and the big Garratts in East Africa were on even narrower 1 metre gauge. Meanwhile the small and cramped Tube trains on London Underground are standard 4'8" gauge.

 

[Gag Halfrunt]

Many early Scottish railways, including the Glasgow and Garnkirk, Paisley and Renfrew and the Ardrossan and Johnsone were 4ft 6in, sometimes called 'Scotch Gauge'.

Scotch gauge lives on in Japan.

After the end of the Scotch gauge in Britain, the gauge was revived in Japan. Since 1903, most of the tram network in Tokyo was built with 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm) rail gauge, called "coach gauge" (馬車軌間, Basha Kikan). The use of this gauge extended to other suburban lines that through-operated onto the city tram network. Although Tokyo has abolished its major tram network (except the Arakawa Line), as of 2009 the following lines still used this gauge:

• The Keiō Line and its branches (excluding the Inokashira Line). The reason to use 1372 mm in 1915 was to provide through service with the now-abolished Tokyo city tram.[9] Length: 72.0 km (44.7 mi). Commuter railways connecting Tokyo and its suburb operated by Keio Corporation.
• The Toei Shinjuku Line.[9] Length: 23.5 km (14.6 mi). One of rapid transit lines in Tokyo, built to provide through service with the Keiō Line. Originally the Ministry of Transport intended the Keiō Line to convert to 1435 mm (so that the Shinjuku Line would have the same gauge as the Asakusa Line for maintenance convenience), but the service area as of late 20th century was too densely populated to risk a massive disruption of the Keiō service, and the Shinjuku Line was constructed in 1372 mm instead.
• The Toden Arakawa Line.[9] Length: 12.2 km (7.6 mi). Only surviving line of Tokyo municipal tram.
• The Tōkyū Setagaya Line.[9] Length: 5.0 km (3.1 mi). Another tram line in Tokyo operated by Tokyu Corporation.
• The Hakodate City Tram.[9] Length: 10.9 km (6.8 mi). Only user of the gauge outside the Greater Tokyo Area.

4 ft 6 in gauge railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[hexagon789]

Scotch gauge lives on in Japan.

4 ft 6 in gauge railway - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Forgotten about that, but I remember reading of it before and wondering why they settled on a wider gauge for tramways than their mainlines.

 

[edwin_m]

The trams in Glasgow were slightly narrower than standard gauge, so wagons could be hauled to certain shipyards with their wheel flanges running in the grooves of the street rails.

 

[PeterC]

Also at 4feet was the Padarn Railway which annoyingly closed about 18 months before I read about it in the local library.

 

[Rescars]

Wikipedia suggests that at 18 feet the all-time broadest gauge in the UK (although not necessarily on dry land!) was "Daddy Long Legs", aka the Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway.

 

[Dr Hoo]

Wikipedia suggests that at 18 feet the all-time broadest gauge in the UK (although not necessarily on dry land!) was "Daddy Long Legs", aka the Brighton and Rottingdean Seashore Electric Railway.

Possibly the broadest passenger line.

Gantry cranes can traverse on rails much further apart. The Harland & Wolff shipyard cranes in Belfast (Samson and Goliath) move on a gauge of over 450 feet, I believe. Capable of a massive load too.

 

[Sir Felix Pole]

Haytor Granite Tramway in Devon was notionally 4ft gauge, but could be up to 4ft 3in on corners. Some sections of 'track' still survive.

 

[SargeNpton]

Haytor Granite Tramway in Devon was notionally 4ft gauge, but could be up to 4ft 3in on corners. Some sections of 'track' still survive.

Here's a picture of part of the Haytor tramway...

 

[John Webb]

An internal system of 18inch gauge was in use at Crewe railway works - its success brought about a very large installation to the same gauge at Woolwich Arsenal for internal transport as well as an extensive network of standard gauge lines connected to the SE Railway's line at Plumstead.

 

[Rescars]

The various funiculars around the UK, both current and defunct, use a whole variety of gauges. Some are narrower than standard (eg Bridgenorth), some are standard (eg Scarborough Central) whilst others are broader (eg Scarborough St Nicholas).

 

[AM9]

Here's a picture of part of the Haytor tramway...

Ah, a prototype for insulated frog points.

 

[racyrich]

The ones that immediately spring to mind are :
Eastern Counties Railway originally 5ft gauge,
Southwold, Isle of Man & Irish narrow gauge 3ft gauge,
Ravenglass & Eskdale was originally 3ft gauge as well,
Quite a few narrow gauge lines were 2ft gauge,
Ulster Railway 6frt 2" gauge,
Padarn Railway 4ft gauge.

Also the connected Northern and Eastern.
The nearby London and Blackwall was 5' 1/2" but changed to the standard when the extension to the ECR via Bow Road was built

 

[Lemmy282]

Not railways but tramways, As already mentioned 3' 6" was the accepted "narrow gauge" used in places like Birmingham, other Midlands towns and some south coast towns, Derby, Bradford and others had 4' 0". Glasgow was 4' 7 3/4". Interestingly there was for a short time a through service from Leeds (4' 8 1/2") to Bradford (4' 0'), the wheels on the axles were unlocked and the tram run slowly through a section of track which tapered to match both gauges, then the wheels locked again and on went the tram! Didn't last very long though

 

[mike57]

Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway, was 2ft 6in I think, now a cycle and walking trail

 

[duffield]

I walked the final part of the Peak Forest Tramway to Bugsworth Basin a few years ago. The tramway was 4'2" gauge, with stone sleeper blocks (still present) and cast iron rails.

It formed part of a very pleasant station-to-station walk from Chinley to Marple via the tramway and the Peak Forest Canal. Bugsworth basin and the Marple locks are well worth seeing.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

Snowdon Mountain Railway is 2'7 1/2" (800cm) because the whole thing was bought as a complete kit from the Swiss manufacturers. I think the gauge is unique in the british Isles but there are rack railways of the same gauge elsewhere in Europe.

 

[Calthrop]

Snaefell Mountain Railway 3'6"

Leek and Manifold Valley Light Railway, was 2ft 6in I think, now a cycle and walking trail

Indeed, 2ft 6in. This one, and the Welshpool & Llanfair, were the British Isles' only "fully-fledged" public passenger true railways on this gauge. It also obtained on various lines not in that category -- some industrial, including Bowaters' in the Sittingbourne area (part of that, now the Sittingbourne & Kemsley "heritage" line).

It has always struck me as a little surprising that the 3ft 6in gauge -- so very widely used on public railways on other continents (and to a less-than-huge extent, on the European continent) -- many of those elsewhere on the planet, in territories of the erstwhile British Empire -- got so extremely little use on public "rail-proper" lines, as opposed to on the tramway scene; in these islands. Cannot in fact call to mind a pub. pass. "real railway" on this gauge, in the U.K. proper. There is the Snaefell, as cited by @randyrippley above; but that is on the Isle of Man, not part of the United Kingdom as such -- and some would I think, make distinctions as to its status: "tram" and/or "mountain railway", rather than conventional-railway, ballparks. The Jersey Railway was 3ft. 6in. -- but as with Man, this not in the actual U.K., but in a Crown Dependency.

 

[Dr Hoo]

I walked the final part of the Peak Forest Tramway to Bugsworth Basin a few years ago. The tramway was 4'2" gauge, with stone sleeper blocks (still present) and cast iron rails.

It formed part of a very pleasant station-to-station walk from Chinley to Marple via the tramway and the Peak Forest Canal. Bugsworth basin and the Marple locks are well worth seeing.

Yes, indeed a very interesting walk.

The Peak Forest Tramway (and other early plateways/waggonways with 'L'-shaped rails and un-flanged wheels) are the key to understanding that the oft-repeated claim that 'standard' gauge was set by the width of a horse's posterior between the shafts is a complete load of rubbish. Although the Peak Forest Tramway was worked by gravitation and cable-hauled inclines in the loaded direction, horses still had to pull 'gangs' of wagons back up the slope. These managed perfectly fine between the gauge of the rails. In fact Benjamin Outram's first waggonway, associated with the Cromford Canal, had a gauge of only 3' 6" and still used horses.

In the North East the design and operating philosophy was entirely different, originally based on wooden 'rails' and flanged wheels. These were used to move single waggons of coal, containing a single chaldron, with a single horse and single 'driver'. The key was the chaldron - a unit of volume rather than weight. Over many years this had gradually been standardised as the unit of ordering, payment, tolls, taxes, customs dues, shipment, etc. So all waggons were essentially the same size. The suitable design meant that they needed rails about 4' 8" apart to avoid the waggon being too long and thin. There was some slight local variation. Ironically the Wylam Waggonway, that ran past George Stephenson's childhood home, was about 5' 0".

 

[snowball]

Snowdon Mountain Railway is 2'7 1/2" (800cm)

More like 80cm or 800mm.

 

[Shimbleshanks]

More like 80cm or 800mm.

Duh! 800cm would be about 26 feet...

 

[Bungle158]

Duh! 800cm would be about 26 feet...

Yes, of course it would.


On a more reasonable tack, anyone mentioned the Lynton & Barnstaple? Originally 1 ft 11 1/4 l believe

 

[32475]

The Guildford Tramway in Sandwich, Kent (1903-1930) was 3’6’’ gauge. This was the only built part of the proposed Cinque Ports Railway from Ramsgate to Hastings.