Re: [NSW] Gauntlet Track

[carrington <consultancy@REMOVEbigpond.com>]

On Mon, 19 Jun 2000 20:13:07 +1000, Eddie Oliver
<eoliver@efs.mq.edu.au> wrote:

>John McCandless wrote:
>> 
>> <Insert English lesson question>
>> I presume this is where we get the phrase "running the gauntlet"?
>
>I wouldn't recommend the English lesson approach. Whenever the subject
>of gauntlet tracks appears on overseas rail newsgroups, it seems to
>start a month's debate about whether the spelling is gantlet or
>gauntlet, and what the relationship is (if any) to gauntlets (as in
>gloves) or "running the gauntlet", etc. Try deja news archives if you
>are really that keen! (Actually I think there's mention of the subject
>on uk.railway at the moment, although I haven't read it.)
>

I know it's currently being discussed in the listserv group
Brit_Rail_L ... ad infinitum

>To try to produce a general answer to a couple of the questions asked:
>The main purpose of gauntlet track (apart from weighbridges) is simply
>to enable a double track to go someplace where there is not enough
>clearance for normal double track, but without requiring any pointwork.
>So granted that this sort of purpose is often needed, gauntlet track is
>not all that uncommon around the world, but there were relatively few
>examples in Australia.
>
>Eddie Oliver