Glasgow Corporation Tramways - Track Gauge

Track Gauge

Glasgow's tramlines had a highly unusual track gauge of 4 feet 7+3⁄4 inches (1,416 mm). This was to permit 4 ft 8 1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) standard gauge railway wagons to be operated over parts of the tram system (particularly in the Govan area) using their wheel flanges running in the slots of the tram tracks. This allowed the railway wagons to be drawn along tramway streets to access some shipyards. The shipyards provided their own small electric locomotives, running on the tramway power, to pull these wagons, principally loaded with steel for shipbuilding, from local railway freight yards.

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Famous quotes containing the word track:

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