gauges

["Richo" <richardc@tpg.com.au>]

I believe the early gauge questions were of ego-centric engineers such as
Brunel who argued about the technical superiority vs economic reality of
large and narrow gauges. The key question of compatability seems to have
escaped them. I suppose the distances seemed further apart than they do now,
and the question of saving labour at transhipment points didn't bother them.

A further question for the group - why was the solution of changeable gauge
axles never explored years ago - even the proposed conical wheels or
telescopic axles sound reasonable for some applications. Voltage convertable
electric trains have been around a while to solve a different
incompatability problem - the Talgo idea made a lot of sense in Australia
but never tried. State govts I suppose is the answer. 1067mm to 1435mm is a
big jump, but not 1435 to 1600 - I'm sure a bit of adjustability in the
bogie frame and movable bearings would accommodate the difference. The
purists may say that for high speed applications the instability of a
flexible wheel set is undesirable, but for those heavy grinds say down from
Narranderra to Tocumwal, expand the axles and then down to Geelong, ideal.

Steven Hurst <hurste@primus.com.au> wrote in message
Kk9R3.475$8F2.6964@nsw.nnrp.telstra.net">news:Kk9R3.475$8F2.6964@nsw.nnrp.telstra.net...
> I think it is fair to say that everyone here, probably already knew
this. -
> He was asking what influenced the Scotts, the English and the Irish in
their
> own countries in the first place... :)
>
> > It's actually a classic Englishman, Irishman and Scotsman story.
> >
> > The colony of New South Wales had an Irish engineer who decided that NSW
> > should follow the Irish gauge of 5'3". Companies in other colonies
> > (Victoria, South Australia and Tasmania) ordered broad gauge locomotives
> > and started to lay track, but NSW cut their engineer's pay and he
> > resigned. He was replaced with an English engineer who decided that NSW
> > should follow the classic British standard gauge.
> >
> > Queensland had a Scottish engineer who advocated the colonial narrow
gauge
> > (3'6") which was cheaper to build.
>
>
>
>




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