Why more than two rails?

Why do some railway lines have three, four or five rails? A very quick look at dual gauge and check rails.
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#australia #melbourne #trains #railways

[@NynZhan]

These facts are so cool despite never having been interested in trains before 😂

[@TransportMan777]

Trains are awesome

[@NynZhan]

@@TransportMan777 hell ye

[@larry365]

Welcome

[@jpro6413]

​@@TransportMan777 yeeees

[@AreilKnight]

I grew up with a train obsessed dad and brother and while I admired their passion I couldn't even fake interest, I found trains so boring. My first real job was in the giftshop/ticket counter of the Newport railway museum, (I was recovering from a stroke and hip surgery in my late teens, my disability support worker found me the gig, and they were the most supportive team!) At the time I was obsessed with Edwardian fashion, so the 8M carriage was my ticket in. My passion was domestic history, and I realised while I found the "engineering talk" my dad and brother engaged in dull, I did love trains because I loved learning about the daily lives of people 100 years ago, and trains were always a big part of that. Learning how different lines changed as populations moved around, learning how electrification changed the way we travelled, and even helping contextualise events I lived through. (eg: the split during early privatisation, I remember how awkward it was, but at 15 had no context for *why* the system ran that way) Now I'm train obsessed all around and I owe a lot of that to Taitset for combining the history, the day to day context, and the technical details in such an entertaining way! Even just something simple like my co-worker lamenting that the city loop never runs in the direction we want it to, once upon a time I'd say "yeah it sucks" but now I think about how the junctions and cross overs are laid out and can appreciate how much time and management goes into those decisions. It's brought me closer to my brother and father because now I love hearing them talk about the technical aspects of gauges, switches, horsepower and engine output, and they love hearing me talk about how Rockbank appears on the Siemens seat covers and is the only V-line station on the design.

[@ALouisae]

When you said check rails, I thought to myself “Czech rails? Why are there Czech trains in Australia?” Took me a second lol

[@subirmajumdar4493]

Yup, my mind also went tubelight mode and took a few seconds to light up.

[@briansmith8967]

We call them guard rails in the U.S. (and crossties instead of sleepers)

[@trainnerd3029]

Hey, thanks for the laugh. I just caught that! Lol!

[@paulsven7923]

There are some Czech made turnouts here though

[@Mika-85]

I prefer Czech Streets

[@mahuhude]

In Germany we also had different main line gauges, but for efficiency reasons the larger ones (1600mm, Badische Breitspur) were narrowed to have one standard. It came with a cost but was worth it in the long run.

[@Skasaha_]

This isn't being considered in Victoria since the vast majority of the broad gauge track is on the mostly self-contained suburban network and won't actually ever need to run standard gauge rolling stock. Some regional lines that run towards other states have been converted further out of Melbourne, connecting to the dual gauge lines shown in the video (which area all relatively close to Melbourne and in particular Southern Cross Station, the terminus for regional/intercity/interstate trains).

[@TheArklyte]

Was it? Wider gauge is better for both cargo and high speed passenger trains. It's more expensive to have it as standard though. Given that Germany is doing its best to kill its railways, I guess it indeed was worth the effort as it helped to speed up their demise:D

[@mahuhude]

​@@TheArklyte The switch from 1600 to 1435 mm in the German Grand Duchy of Baden was completed in 1855. Today nobody doubts it was worth it.

[@Repelstreeltje]

@@TheArklyte standard gauge is actually better for high speed rail. It offers better stability and maneuverability, it reduces the lateral forces on the train. The only thing that is a plus for wide gauge is the wider trains and thus more capacity if used correctly, but that’s only really worth it for local trains and indeed cargo train. But it’s not worth having to maintain two different systems at the same time.

[@TheArklyte]

@@Repelstreeltje please remind me how exactly is narrower vehicle MORE stable at high speed turns? Thanks in advance.

[@semicolontransistor]

Dual gauge between standard and 1520mm Russian gauge isn't possible with 3 rails because the gauges are too close together. In border crossings between China and Russia/Mongolia/Kazakhstan/etc, dual gauge track uses 4 rails with no rail shared between the 2 gauges.

[@KasabianFan44]

Even more interesting is the dual tracks between the Russian gauge (1520mm) and Finnish gauge (1524mm). Despite the discrepancy, it is actually possible for some wheelsets to run on either gauge, so that’s what they do. They run cross-border trains with an axle gauge of about 1522mm so that they can run in both countries, albeit often at a lower speed for safety reasons.

[@xpehkto]

​@@KasabianFan44 The nominal gauge is specified for a straight track, in curves it can change. Russian standards say that 1520 mm is for straight track and for curves with radius more than 350 m, 1530 mm for radius between 300 and 350 m, and 1535 mm for radius smaller than 300 m. An imprecision is specified as up to 8 mm wider or 4 mm narrower. And these specs are for new tracks, older ones can be ever less precise, standard mandates that everything between 1512 mm and 1548 mm is considered safe. So all wheelsets can adapt to 1524 mm! In practice most of cross-border freight trains were unmodified Russian, and most of cross-border passenger trains were purpose built Finish, because that was simpler to setup politically. Allegro high speed train service operated with speed up to 220 km/h on both sides of the border. 2020 pandemic killed night trains, 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine killed rest of the passenger service and almost all of the freight between Russia and Finland.

[@osasunaitor]

​@@xpehkto the 2020 pandemic also killed night trains over here in Spain. Sad to see the same story being repeated :(

[@AL5520]

@@osasunaitor The pandemic was only the excuse. Night trains in Spain were in a decline long before the pandemic and renfe wanted to get read of them regardless of the pandemic. It's just like they took advantage of the new HSR line to Paris to cancel the night train, even though it could have continued to run along side the high speed line. The fact that even now, when it's more popular, they refuse to reinstate this service shows that it would have happened regardless.

[@osasunaitor]

@@AL5520 yes, I know. The pandemic was just an excuse but it will be remembered as the moment when Spain lost its last night train nevertheless. Our high-speed-only obsessed politicians don't care about providing the services that people actually demand, they only care about filling their pockets with multi-billion contracts for high speed trains to nowhere.

[@Jerram89]

In Australian parlance generally check rails reside within points - the rails that protect bridge and tunnel structures etc. as shown are called guard rails, although more broadly the terms seem to be used interchangeably, much like “catch” and “trap” points.

[@bettyschnauber8238]

Check, check rails. Thanks I've always wondered about it.

[@dominooo6658]

Very interesting, I learnt something new!

[@RyanZ225_PC]

domino

[@Comeng_]

domino

[@oldsguy354]

I've never seen dual gauge rails before (I live in The USA) but I've often wondered what the the rails in the middle were for. Thanks for the heads up:)

[@curtisbarrow7650]

@truegemuese There is still some dual gauge rails in the US, but it is limited to the interfaces between narrow gauge tourist railroads and standard gauge mainlines. So it is almost all in stations.

[@zacharyrollick6169]

The only places US dual gauge existed is where narrow gauge and standard gauge met, and those were few. Hyce found one piece of old dual gauge out in the wild.

[@gezag.hanniker1940]

You can see dual gauge… Antonito CO and Orbasonia PA 3 foot narrow and standard.

[@beakytwitch7905]

Thank you for explanation of the check rails. Barmouth Viaduct in Wales also has such check rails and I had figured out that their purpose is to keep the train from falling off the bridge of it were to derail.

[@timothyteo4602]

Here in SA, 4 rails also means there are 3 gauges involved on the same track: 1,067 mm narrow, 1,435 mm standard, and 1,600 mm broad gauge. We used to have this sort of system up in the north but they’ve all closed down and only a few places have these remnants, if you know where to look. However a perfect example of this layout is preserved by the National Railway Museum in Port Adelaide, though this track may have been torn up as the line connecting the museum directly onto the suburban rail network is currently under upgrades for the future Port Dock railway line, for better connectivity to Port Adelaide compared to the current one sited above Commercial Road.

[@mfungyz]

I saw the check rails at the new Deer Park station recently and wondered what they were for. Thanks for making this video to help explain it ​@Taitset

[@sirBrouwer]

You can also see them at rail crossings. As in where two rail tracks cross. For the same reason.

[@intubungamer6173]

In Germany there used to be curves that use 3 rails for tighter curves. The train is running on the flange on one side, while the other side has 2 rails for guiding the flange on the inner side.

[@u2bear377]

It's just an one-side check rail setup, isn't it?

[@intubungamer6173]

@@u2bear377 Essentially yes, but the flange of the outer rail isnt inside of the rail, but is running on it. de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Auflaufkurve

[@intubungamer6173]

Its essentially giving the outer wheel a way bigger diameter in order to take turn more easily. However they are being phased out at the moment

[@u2bear377]

@@intubungamer6173 No. The wheels of the railway rolling stock have a conical (well, somewhat more complex) shape. In curves the wheelset shifts towards the outer rail, so the outer wheel rolls with the larger radius circle while the inner wheel rolls wit the smaller radius. The difference creates yawing moment that steers the wheelset into the curve.

[@intubungamer6173]

@@u2bear377 pls just google "Auflaufkurve" or "Deutschlandkurve" and it will all make sense. The conical part on the outer wheel isnt touching the outer rail anymore. The flange is touching the outer rail from ontop.

[@TheOlis000]

Sometimes they have two separate rails for each gauge because the one shared rail is being used more often and has to be serviced more often

[@Taitset]

It's called 'gauntlet' track when it's done like that. The reason is usually just to make the pointwork more simple though, I'm not that uneven wear is a major consideration.

[@TheMrPeteChannel]

We use gauntlet track on many bridges in America & at certain stations. Mainly to keep frieghts away from platforms.

[@WizardOfOss]

Looks pretty cool with 5 tracks! Those check rails (or guard rails) are pretty common around the world, but it is unusual to see them this narrow. Usually they're much closer to the actual rails, and often just on the inside of the curve. Also, these seem like actual tracks, while at least here in Europe it's more common to see a much simpler (and lighter) profiles. After all, they ar just there to guide the wheels, not bear any weight.

[@Skasaha_]

They're all recycled rails from elsewhere.

[@QuadMochaMatti]

As a railfan for most of my life - although admittedly more of casual one that prefers to study the history of railroads or occasionally travel on them, rather than go out "in the field" and spend hours trackside - and as a Yank, it's possible that I know a bit more about European railroading (very minimal) than I do of Australian practices. I definitely learned something new today, thank you!

[@BrizzysTrains]

In qld, there are some trains between lindum and coopers plains that have the 3 rails, it’s the rail in the inside that’s the narrow guage (our guage) and the outside rail is the standard guage, now we have this because of the standard guage Aurizon service (K833 I think) to port of Brisbane and the QUBE steel shunts to rocklea from acacia ridge and they’re standard guage for some reason also there’s tracks from acacia ridge too nsw that are just standard guage

[@carisi2k11]

The Standard Gauge goes all the way to Roma Street.

[@BrizzysTrains]

@@carisi2k11I forgot about that

[@matthewgray5420]

And lets not forget the gaunlet tracks with standard gauge on one set and narrow on the other, plus the guard rails on the merrivale

[@bgold2007]

Are you misspelling gauge or is this a thing,?

[@tron.44]

Thanks for clearing that up, i suspected this to be the case but that confirms it!

[@user-os7uz8tp1q]

Love vids like this. Short, no nonsense, simplified, and interesting!

[@BennoWitter]

Krefeld, Germany has tram tracks with 4 rails, where the local trams use the meter-gauge and the light railway coming from Dusseldorf uses the standard-gauge.

[@vinceturner3863]

I'm from the UK. Had a train-geekgasm looking at the dual gauge tracks and points at Southern Cross Station in Melbourne.

[@Comeng_]

I knew about the standard and broad thing but not the ones in the middle

[@sirBrouwer]

For me it was more the opposite. You see the guide rails in more places across the globe. However the double rail feature abit less. I do think it could be useful for international trains that would go in and out of Spain. (Spain uses a different gauge then the European standard do to their history with Franco)

[@Comeng_]

​@@sirBrouwerok

[@erzahler1930]

Dual gauge. We haven't had dual-gauge rails in the US since the 1960s. During the 1950s into the 1960s, narrow-gauge (3-ft.) and standard gauge (4 ft. 8-½ in.) shared the same roadbeds. This dual-gauge track existed until narrow-gauge lines were either abandoned or converted to standard gauge, most of which were completed by the early 1960s.

[@rubywright2249]

I have often wondered this! Thank you

[@The_Gamer_66]

in Switzerland more specifically in Zweisimmen there are 4 rail tracks where the inner 2 are for metergauge and the other two for standart gauge. 2 tracks even feature a gauge changing mechanism for gauge changing trains.

[@felixro1006]

V/Line trains are pretty nice. I was so amazed by their seats. It's like sitting in your living room.

[@sgt.gunslinger1532]

There is a spot in between france and spain where passanger trains have this specialized axel that actually moves when ran through a certain building. The train cars actually change their guage. It works kinda like those automated car washes that roll cars through on a belt.

[@tylore69]

That's pretty cool, great explanation

[@garryferrington811]

I was astounded to know Australia still has different gauges. You've certainly had time to change that.

[@ratedpz9461]

I’ve been wondering about this forever, thank you for this video

[@RYNT1157]

Check rails used on curves where they are not elevated like in stations and yards to hold wheels in place to prevent derailment and check rails in the centre at bridges so if a train derails it will be kept in a straight line so it wont collide with the sides of the bridge and go over. These can be also in yards as well.

[@gapthemind--mindthegap8524]

For those who dont know what gauge is, its the width of the wheels apart from each other on the wheelset

[@Zhilinjain]

Note: The middle two are also called Guard Rails in some places.

[@mbwyatt1978]

Regardless of the semantics in comments about check or guard rails. Thank you for the simplest and concise explanation of their purpose.

[@geronimo5537]

honestly this makes me appreciate there are better ways to do railways than what I have seen in America. where safety actually matters and its not the cheapest solution possible.

[@DistanceNsVeterans]

I would say American railroads are safe, but it's just the people who run them don't know or doesn't pay attention to maintain them to be safe.

[@SomeSubwayFanForEver_SSFFE]

That class 455 /8 gives me memories...

[@user-yn8rd3gx4u]

The 3rd rail is also the case in the blue mountain quarry in Thomas and friends Because it has 3 rails for Standard gauge and Narrow gauge engines

[@ExplorerRafi]

The same thing we have in Bangladesh too, we also have 3 lines bcz in Bangladesh there are two types of gauge system Meter and Broad mainly the North-central and East part of the country uses Meter Gauge system while south-central and west uses Broad Gauge system.

[@vikj1255]

Cool. Dual rail. what a great idea!

[@joshthetrainfan]

Here in the States, the reason those are here is to prevent trains derailing on things like bridges

[@tylerfb1]

Can’t say I have ever wondered that. Nice info, none-the-less.

[@vogel6554]

I’ve been wondering for ten years about the two extra rails in the middle that appear in curves and on bridges. Thank you!

[@Mecrom]

I have never even considered the existence of dual-gauge, that's really cool!

[@Gfr4OfficalYT]

im japan the mini-shinkansen uses duel guage for some of the track because japan uses narrow guage for conventional lines and shinkansens use standard guage.

[@bw1227]

good to see that those check rails are all rusty

[@thegardensentinel]

I honestly thought this was for other reasons,,, one being that there were special trains that used all 5 rails intermittently and secondly,, the track laying machine was being generous and just kept "laying track"

[@Mercy_Pants]

Never wondered but now I know!

[@10C45E]

I've heard of dual gauge, but I've never actually seen it before, it look super useful.

[@liam3284]

Yes, I have wondered about those "check rails" guessed it was reinforcement.

[@CancelMeNow]

The picture of the Southern and South Western train is taken just past Clapham Junction heading into central London. I know this as that is the train I get into the city lol

[@RUMBALman4downunder]

A slang word for the check rails in NZ is torpedo rails

[@Thomas_TdK]

Check rails are also used on place where the ground is not to solid.

[@antigod8385]

did not expect to be jumpscared by a southern 455 xD

[@RobertCraft-re5sf]

Lol, it would be funny to see like a really tiny narrow gauge train between the other rails.

[@_yannis2707]

It's nice to have my assumption, that the additional rails are used to keep the train on the tracks in case of derailment, confirmed.

[@brucekellett2269]

what about gantlet track

[@Taitset]

Thiis is just a 1 minute video covering the most common examples seen in Victoria today.

[@Saint_Dan132]

thats very well informed of you thanks

[@cantfindclips]

Thank you! I’ve always wondered what those rails on the bridge was for.

[@roberthewitt9054]

In North America, "check rails" are commonly known as a "Jordan Rail"

[@matthewhaywood7411]

That explains the question I had about the ones in Port of Melbourne

[@stevenn1940]

Ahh.. in the US, but where I live, we have a raised commuter light rail, which has 4 rails. The inner ones must be the check rails. Makes sense, it's basically all bridge

[@CarpeNoctum95]

Just once, i'd like someone to give the reason for the close inner rails to be for a secret mini train.

[@Raildealer1]

Finally learnt what check rails mean… only took a few years hahahaha

[@CoddoYT]

This is also on high speed train rails so the trains don't derail! (I saw this on a train TV show about Japanese bullet trains)

[@mariosphere]

Watching this on a Czech train in Austria

[@NeoDerGrose]

Those check rails seam to be quiet far away from the running rails. We mount them way closer over here.

[@boar7153]

Would be nice if Australia brought back full operation to the rail and fixed what the trucks have done to the roads.

[@jekanyika]

Are check rails just an Australian thing? I don't think I have seen them in the UK, but maybe I just haven't noticed

[@Taitset]

Not sure how common they are in the UK, but I've definitely seen them in some places. (They're sometimes just a single rail on the inside of a curve, rather than two like shown here)

[@johnmckenna4]

My life is now complete!

[@michaelskinn9673]

Thank u sir

[@User.theslikes]

Wow cool, thanks for showing me video, i like ur account and ur smart.

[@muncherofpizza]

We’ve got check rails as well, I always wondered what they were for

[@jayvonnoelsmith8445]

That facts are so awesome

[@dudeistpriestman]

I have never wondered that, no. Not once, ever. I'm glad I know now, though.

[@jaredikin455]

Nothing sexier than a man well stocked with train facts 🫠

[@adrianpalladino3388]

Seems like you get frisky when you see trains penetrate tunnels. Get it?! Lol

[@egay86292]

completely efficient.

[@stephenwalsh1332triumph]

All ways wondered, Now I know! 👍

[@antonylawrence7266]

The ‘points’ must be very interesting !

[@Testtestnotest]

thank you

[@ryleeculla5570]

Anyone who has watched the Thomas franchise an watched blue mountain mistery would know what this kind of track it is as you could see it in almost every scene

[@twistedyogert]

It seems weird that there are multiple railway gauges in use. I would think that since Australia was once a British colony, they would've used standard gauge.

[@Taitset]

1600mm Broad Gauge is also a British gauge, used in Ireland/Northern Ireland.

[@meirdeaph]

Awesome

[@SUPERTOAD-69]

Kinda reminds me of the ttte standard and narrow gauge compatible track.

[@EastBayTransit]

Pretty cool 👍

[@_muppelpuppel_9773]

Yeah in my hometown we had to have two different tracks As it turns out, Victoria is the only state in Australia without "Broad" trains being the default

[@Taitset]

Broad gauge certainly is (or at least was) the default in Victoria.

[@_muppelpuppel_9773]

@@Taitset In Albury, a border town, we have Victoria and NSW tracks intersecting While NSW are what you'd call broad, Victoria are the slimmer ones (or atleast were, the train station there has been under going renovations for 5 or 6 years now)

[@Taitset]

@@_muppelpuppel_9773 Other way around mate, Victoria was Broad gauge 1600mm, NSW Standard gauge 1435mm. The Victorian side was converted to Standard gauge just over a decade ago, so there's no broad gauge in Albury any more.

[@Priyodarsono]

Just got an additional info from this video that the common rail at the 3 rail dual gauge will be the one that must be the most frequently changed because it run over more than the other 2. Because the other 2 only run-over by the correlated gauge train. You can see the common rail is shiner than the other 2.

[@Taitset]

That's probably just the lighting, the common rail isn't visibly more shiny than the most commonly used other rail (which is different depending on where you are)

[@Priyodarsono]

@@Taitset aaahhh I see. But still, the common rail is run over by 2 different gauge train wheels & the other 2 are not. In this case take example there are 6 train with 1435 mm gauge & 4 train with 1600mm gauge. The common rail will be run over by 10 trains, the 1435 mm & 1600 mm gauge. That's mean the worn are high at the common rail. So it's need to be replaced sooner than the other 2.

[@Taitset]

@@Priyodarsono Correct, although I honestly don't know how it would translate into different wear patterns, rail can last decades without needing replacement. It's possible in some places they might be able to swap two of the rails to to extend the life too.

[@terrylm235]

Good!

[@major_tm]

I feel like I'm ready to sit the Train Exam...

[@markfryer9880]

Great video unfortunately I couldn't read the red writing, partiality colour blind and red on dark background gets sort of lost. Mark from Melbourne Australia 🇦🇺

[@HamiltonSurrey]

It's because they couldn,t organise a piss up in a brewery. Other countries had the amazing thought = "Wouldn't it be a good idea if we had just one guage of track and train?"

[@Taitset]

It wasn't one country when the gauges were chosen.

[@dkbmaestrorules]

They did try! Multiple colonists asked London what gauge to use and got the answer "we don't care as long as you're all the same". The chief engineer in NSW at the time was Irish, so he chose 5'3"/1600mm as used in Ireland, AND told the authorities in Victoria about it and they were fine. Unfortunately, before construction started, he was then replaced by a Scottish engineer, who decided that NSW's railways should be 4'8.5"/1435mm gauge as used in Scotland. He didn't tell anyone in Victoria, and by the time they found out it was too late to change. And then colonists in Queensland just went ahead and used 3'6"/1067mm gauge because they assumed that their railway would never possibly link up with those further south, and so gauge wouldn't matter!

[@HamiltonSurrey]

Thanks for the info. Only goes to show you shouldn't post comments before you have all the facts. My apologies.@@dkbmaestrorules

[@acesretroonline]

@@dkbmaestrorules This is such an interesting question. I guess 1435mm or 4 foot 8.5 in those days was new and they had no idea the scale of its use 100 years later.

[@ethanspaziani1070]

That's pretty cool

[@dozog]

I have seen trains running on ONE multipurpose rail.

[@scottwilliam8088]

Billy has narrow gage.

[@Taitset]

Yes, I said mainline gauges.

[@commanderbluy]

How do check rails actually work?

[@Taitset]

If a train derails, the wheels will drop down to ground level between the running rail and the check rail, limiting how far the train can wander off to the side.

[@astoneuk]

Dual gauge question: Can you get a train with both gauges running in one line for example a larger gauge train pulling smaller gauge carriages?

[@Taitset]

There's no theoretical reason why not, and it's possibly been done in some shunting situations. But the dual gauge sections are all quite short, so there's no real reason to do it.

[@WhiffTheRubbishEngine1869]

Ever thought of tri gauge? Like Broad, Standard and Narrow all in one

[@Taitset]

Yes, it happened in South Australia and there are some preserved examples at the National Railway Museum and at the Peterborough roundhouse.

[@bennetfox]

How do you power your trains if you don't have a third rail for power? Are they diesel electric?

[@Taitset]

All our electrification is overhead wire, which is the best and most common type of electrification!

[@TurissChin]

I've never counted rail lines but now I definitely will

[@Fattts]

In the US, the check rail is known as a bull rail, at least to railway workers. Just a fun fact for those in the audience.

[@tspoon772]

How do switches work with dial gauge tracks?

[@Onkaparinga_Garb]

let's just say that there a LOT of frog points

[@J3zzaG]

Dual nose frogs and in some designs, 5 switch blades

[@Skasaha_]

If you go to platform 1 and 2 at Southern Cross Station you should be able to find them. Those platforms are dual gauge to accommodate interstate arrivals.

[@ariadnepyanfar1048]

Nifty.