Loading gauge A loading gauge is the envelope or contoured shape within which all railway vehicles, engines, coaches and trucks must fit. It is dictated by the size of tunnels, height of bridges and shape and height of platforms. It varies between different countries and may also vary on different lines within a country. For example, metro trains might have smaller loading gauge than conventional railway to allow smaller tunnels. In that case metro trains may run on conventional tracks, but not vice versa. In more recent times, the term loading gauge has fallen out of use among railway professionals, since it is a purely static concept and ignores other factors affecting clearance. Instead, the terms dynamic envelope or kinematic envelope are used. Factors such as suspension travel, overhang on curves (at both ends and middle), lateral motion on the track, etc. are just as important as the vehicle's static profile. All these factors must be considered in determining whether the moving rail vehicle will fit within allowed clearances. Strictly speaking: loading gauge is maximum size of rolling stock. structure gauge is minimum size of bridges and tunnels. There has to be some separation between the above two. Loading gauges of the world The loading gauge differs around the world. The smallest standard gauge loading gauge is that of the London Underground's deep lines; early Victorian engineers only had the technical and financial capabilty to build small bore deep tunnels. The largest loading gauge is that of the Channel Tunnel between Great Britain and France. The loading gauge on the main lines of Great Britain, where rail transport started, is quite small as early engineers had to save money on construction. Those in Europe tend to conform to the slightly larger Berne gauge and those in the United States tend to be larger still. Most Popular Articles: Music    Musical Instruments    Guitar    Classical Music    History    Music Definition    Country Music    Rock Music    Pop Music    Hip Hop    Rap    DJ    Video Games    Casino Games    Poker    Blackjack    Casinos    Real Estate    Loan    Auction    eBay    Marketing    Search Engine Optimization    File Sharing    MP3    Music Industry    Kazaa    Internet    Supermodel    Fashion    Fashion Designers    Erotica    Modeling    Clothing    Boots    Shoes    Diamond Engagement Rings    Diamond    Rugs    Gospel Music    Affiliate    E-Commerce    Radio This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License at http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html You may copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license. You must provide a link to http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html for use of this content. To view or edit this article at Wikipedia go to http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Loading_gauge