Track gauges which have been in use around the world.
NB! This list is not complete. We are grateful for contributions and corrections.
| 380 mm |
England |
Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch: miniature passenge carrying railway. |
| 457 mm |
England |
Industrial railway in Crewe. Equal to 1 foot 5 inches (english). |
| 500 mm |
All the world |
Industrial and military railways. |
| 520 mm |
Sweden |
Industrial line at Sandvikens Järnverk. |
| 600 mm |
Sweden, Wales, Namibia, all over the world |
"Decauville" gauge. Military and industrial railways. In Wales, among others, the Ffestiniog Railway. In Namibia converted to 1067 mm after WW2. |
| 610 mm |
India, All the world |
|
| 650 mm |
Marokko |
|
| 686 mm |
British Commonwealth |
Equal to 2 feet 3 inches (english). |
| 693 mm |
Sweden |
Industrial line at Kvarnsvedens Pappersbruk. |
| 700 mm |
All the world |
Industrial and military railways. |
| 750 mm |
The former Soviet Union, Argentina, all the world. |
Widely used narrow gauge, also military and industrial lines. In Argentina the Rio Turbio mining railway. |
| 760 mm |
Bosnia, Austria, India, Cuba |
"Bosnian" gauge. Widely used in the former Austrian-Hungarian empire. |
| 762 mm |
India, South-Africa, Cuba |
In South Africa widened to 1067 mm. |
| 785 mm |
Poland, Eastern Europe |
Various short lines. |
| 791 mm |
Denmark |
Faxe Railway |
| 800 mm |
Switzerland, Sweden |
E.g. the Wengernalpbahn |
| 802 mm |
Sweden |
E.g. the Bredsjö-Degerfors line. |
| 838 mm |
British Commonwealth |
Equal to 2 feet 9 inches (english). |
| 880 mm |
Norway |
Industrial line at Sundland Torvstrofabrikk. |
| 891 mm |
Sweden |
Equal to 3 feet (swedish). |
| 900 mm |
All the world |
Industrial lines. |
| 914 mm |
New Zealand, Isle of Man, USA, Cuba, All the world |
Equal to 3 feet (english). In the USA, among others, the D&RGW. |
| 915 mm |
Peru |
|
| 950 mm |
Eritrea, Italy |
"Standard" narrow gauge in Italy, who ruled Eritrea at one time. |
| 991 mm |
British Commonwealth |
Equal to 3 feet 3 inches (english). |
| 1000 mm |
Switzerland, India, Africa, Vietnam |
Widely used narrow gauge, all over the world. Equal to 3 feet 3 3/8 inches (english). |
| 1050 mm |
Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Saudi Arabia |
E.g. the Mecca Railway, destroyed by Lawrence of Arabia south of Amman, Jordan. |
| 1055 mm |
French colonies |
|
| 1065 mm |
South Africa |
After 1990, the Spoornet (South African Railways) have standardized this gauge, replacing 1067 mm. |
| 1067 mm |
South Africa, Japan, Norway, New Zealand, Indonesia, Austr. (Queensland and W. Australia) |
"Kapp-gauge" |
| 1093 mm |
Sweden |
E.g. the Köping-Uttersberg Railway and the industrial line Surahammar -Lisjö. |
| 1099 mm |
Sweden |
|
| 1100 mm |
Belgium |
The railway Antwerp-Ghent until 1896, then converted to standard gauge. |
| 1101 mm |
Sweden |
Fryckstad Clara Elfs Railway. Equal to 3 feet 8 1/2 inch (swedish). |
| 1106 mm |
Austria |
The horse railway Budweis (now Ceske Budejovice in the Czech Republic) - Linz (200 km long). Converted to standard gauge. |
| 1188 mm |
Sweden |
Equal to 4 feet (swedish). |
| 1219 mm |
Sweden |
Equal to 4 feet (english). |
| 1422 mm |
England |
The gauge George Stephenson started out with: 4 feet 8 inches (english). He quickly discovered that things ran better if he added another half an inch to the gauge. |
| 1431 mm |
Sweden |
The Stockholm Underground Railway was originally built to this gauge. Later additions and changes have been built to standard gauge. |
| 1432 mm |
Europe, Japan |
Standard gauge turned out to be on the wide side for high speed railways. So 3 mm were pinched off. |
| 1435 mm |
All the world, with exeptions |
"Standard" gauge. (4 feet 8 1/2 inches, english) |
| 1440 mm |
Belgium, France |
Converted to standard gauge. |
| 1473 mm |
USA |
Camden & Amboy, NJ & Ohio, both converted to standard gauge. |
| 1524 mm |
The former Soviet Union, China, Finland, USA, Poland |
In the USA standard in the South until1886. The first transcontinental railway in the USA (UP / SP) was to be built to this gauge, but this was reconsidered before construction started. In Poland converted to standard gauge in 1918. |
| 1600 mm |
Ireland, Australia (South Austr., Victoria) Bayern |
"Irish" gauge. In Bavaria (Germany) converted to standard gauge before 1870. |
| 1672 mm |
Spain |
Later converted to 1676 mm. |
| 1676 mm |
Spain, India, Canada, Portugal |
In Canada (and a line across the border to Portland, Maine, USA) until 1870, then converted to standard gauge. |
| 1814 mm |
Russia, USA |
In Russia converted to 1524 mm. In the USA (New York to St. Louis, Erie and others) 1865 - 1871, then converted to standard gauge. |
| 1829 mm |
USA |
|
| 1940 mm |
The Netherlands |
Converted to standard gauge. |
| 2000 mm |
Germany |
Planned by Hitler's "Third Reich" during WW2 as a super railway with bi-level rolling stock, first between Berlin and Munich. Construction never got under way. |
| 2134 mm |
England |
Great Western Railway (or "God's Wonderful Railway" as it was called by some). Only converted to standard gauge in 1892. |
| 2440 mm |
Oregon |
Logging railways during the 1880s. |