- Scotch gauge
Scotch gauge was the name given to a RailGauge|54
rail gauge , the distance between the inner sides of the rails, that was adopted by early 19th century railways mainly in theLanarkshire area ofScotland . It differed from the gauge of RailGauge|4ft8in that was used on some early lines inEngland ; and from theStandard gauge of RailGauge|sg. Scotch gauge became obsolete in the early 1840s when Standard gauge lines began to be constructed in Scotland, and all the lines were eventually converted to Standard Gauge.cottish railways built to Scotch gauge
A small number of early to mid 19th century passenger railways were built to Scotch gauge, they include:
; The Ardrossan and Johnstone Railway.Whishall (2nd Edition)] : Length: 10 mile (16
km ).Popplewell] Authorised on20 July 1806 and opened on6 November 1810 ;Awdry (1990)]; The
Monkland and Kirkintilloch Railway .Robertson (1983)] : Length: 10 mile (16km ). Authorised on17 May 1824 and opened on1 October 1826 . The engineer wasThomas Grainger .; The
Ballochney Railway . : Length: 6½ mile (10km ). Incorporated on19 May 1826 and opened on8 August 1828 .Awdry]; The
Edinburgh and Dalkeith Railway . : Authorised on26 May 1826 and opened in part on4 July 1831 .Awdry]; The
Garnkirk and Glasgow Railway . : Length: 8¼ mile (13km ). Incorporated on26 May 1826 and ceremonially opened on27 September 1831 for both passengers and goods.Awdry] The engineers wereGrainger and Miller fromEdinburgh : (Thomas Grainger and John Miller). Robertson]; The
Wishaw and Coltness Railway . : Length: 11 mile (18km ). Incorporated on21 June 1829 and partially opened on21 March 1834 . The engineers wereGrainger and Miller fromEdinburgh : (Thomas Grainger and John Miller).; The
Slamannan Railway . : Length: 12½ mile (20km ). Incorporated on3 July 1835 and opened on31 August 1840 .; The
Paisley and Renfrew Railway . : Length: 3 mile (5km ). Authorised on21 July 1835 and opened on3 April 1837 for both passengers and goods.Awdry] The engineer wasThomas Grainger .Robertson] Converted to Standard Gauge 1866.Interestingly
Robert Stephenson and Company built a Scotch gaugelocomotive , the "St. Rollox", for theGarnkirk and Glasgow Railway ; which was later sold to thePaisley and Renfrew Railway .All the lines were later relaid in Standard gauge.
Other early 19th century Scottish gauges
4ft 6½in gauge
In addition to the above lines, there were three railways, authorised between 1822 and 1835, that were built in the
Dundee area, to a gauge of 4ft 6½in (1385 mm). They were:; The
Dundee and Newtyle Railway . : Length: 10½ mile (17km ).; The
Newtyle and Coupar Angus Railway . : Length: 6⅓ mile (10km ).; The
Newtyle and Glammis Railway . : Length: 10 mile (16km ).5ft 6in gauge
Grainger and Miller built another two railway lines in the same area to a gauge of RailGauge|66.Thomas Grainger is said to have chosen this gauge, since he regardedStandard gauge as being too narrow andIsambard Kingdom Brunel 's RailGauge|84 Broad Gauge as being too wide. They were:; The
Dundee and Arbroath Railway ; : Length: 14½ mile (23km ). Incorporated on19 May 1836 and opened in part in October 1838.Awdry]; The
Arbroath and Forfar Railway . : Length: 15 mile (24km ). Incorporated on19 May 1836 and opened in part on24 November 1838 .Awdry]End of Scotch gauge
The
Glasgow, Paisley, Kilmarnock and Ayr Railway and theGlasgow, Paisley and Greenock Railway , which both obtained Parliamentary Approval on15 July 1837 and were later to become part of theGlasgow and South Western Railway and theCaledonian Railway , respectively, were built toStandard Gauge from the start.The
Standard gauge of RailGauge|ussg, also known as the "Stephenson gauge" afterGeorge Stephenson , was adopted inGreat Britain after 1846.References
Notes
ources
* Awdry, Christopher (1990). "Encyclopaedia of British Railway Companies". London: Guild Publishing.
* Robertson, C.J.A. (1983). "The Origins of the Scottish Railway System: 1722-1844". Edinburgh: John Donald Publishers. ISBN 0-85976-088-X.
* Thomas, John (1971). "A Regional History of the Railways of Great Britain. Volume 6 Scotland: The Lowlands and the Borders". Newton Abbott:David & Charles . ISBN 0-7153-5408-6.
* Popplewell, Lawrence (1989). "A Gazetteer of the Railway Contractors and Engineers of Scotland 1831 - 1870." (Vol. 1: 1831 - 1870 and Vol. 2: 1871 - 1914). Bournmouth: Melledgen Press. ISBN 0-906637-14-7.
* Whishaw, Francis (1842). "The Railways of Great Britain and Ireland practically described and illustrated". Second Edition. London: John Weale. Reprinted and republished 1969, Newton Abbott:David & Charles . ISBN 0-7153-4786-1.
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