Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 4, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 January 1917 — FORUNIFORMGAUGE [ARTICLE]

FORUNIFORMGAUGE

CHANGE THAT IS BEING FORCED ON AUSTRALIAN LINES. Problem That Has Been Successfully Overcome in This Country Must Be Grappled With In Britain's Great Colony. problem which is fast becoming obsolete in this country the problem presented -by different lines having different gauges—is still a very serious one in Australia where, for example, gauge tn Victoria is 4 feet 3 .inches and in New South Wales 4 feet 8% inches, says Popular Mechanics Magazine. Now that the systems there have been joined together, it is believed that a uniform gauge must ultimately be adopted, but such a change will necessarly take years to complete. As a means of making Interchangeable the rolling stock of roads of different widths, a dual-gauge system on which trains of either gauge can operate has been devised. With this system three rails are employed Instead of two. The chief problem in devising such a railroad has been the construction of switches. What has been called a third-rail switch seems to solve this -diffieirityj- In thls switch the raiis_are so merged and curved that cars of either width move over it without interference. In a test made a few months ago an engine running 40 miles per hour passed over one of these switches in a manner that was pronounced satisfactory. The track is laid so that the single rail comes next to the station platforms. - ' : :