View source for 5 ft and 1520 mm gauge railways

{{short description|Railway track gauge}}
{{Sidebar track gauge}}

Railways with a railway track [[track gauge|gauge]] of {{track gauge|5ft}} first appeared in the United Kingdom and the United States. This gauge became commonly known as "Russian gauge", because the government of the [[Russian Empire]] chose it in 1843. Former areas and states (such as [[Grand Duchy of Finland|Finland]]) of the Empire have inherited this standard.<ref name=paravoz/> However in 1970, [[Rail transport in the Soviet Union|Soviet Railways]] re-defined the gauge as 1,520&nbsp;mm ({{track gauge|1520mm|first= imp|disp=1}}).<ref name=rzd_1520/>

With about {{convert|225000|km|mi|abbr= on}} of track, 1,520&nbsp;mm is the second-most common gauge in the world, after {{track gauge|sg|allk= on}}.<ref name=1520_sp_about/>

== History ==

=== Great Britain, 1748 ===

In 1748, the [[Wylam waggonway]] was built to a {{track gauge|5ft}} gauge for the shipment of coal from [[Wylam]] to [[Lemington]] down the [[River Tyne]].<ref name=waggonway/>

In 1839, the [[Eastern Counties Railway]] was constructed. In 1840, the [[Northern and Eastern Railway]] was built. In 1844, both lines were [[Track gauge conversion|converted]] to {{track gauge|1435mm|allk=on}}. In 1903, the [[East Hill Cliff Railway]], a [[funicular]], was opened.

=== United States, 1827 ===

{{see also|Track gauge in the United States|Confederate railroads in the American Civil War}}
[[File:Railroad of Confederacy-1861.jpg|thumb|left|{{track gauge|5ft}} gauge rail network in the Southern United States (1861)]]

In 1827, [[Horatio Allen]], the chief engineer of the [[South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company|South Carolina Canal and Rail Road Company]], prescribed the usage of {{track gauge|5ft}} gauge. Many other railroads in the [[Southern United States]] adopted this gauge. The presence of several distinct gauges was a major disadvantage to the [[Confederate States of America]] during the [[American Civil War]]. In 1886, when around {{convert|11,500|mi|km}} of {{track gauge|5ft|disp=1}} gauge track existed in the United States, almost all of the railroads using that gauge were [[Track gauge conversion|converted]] to {{track gauge|57in|lk=off}}, the gauge then used by the [[Pennsylvania Railroad]].<ref name=usa/>
{{clear left}}

=== Russian Empire, 1842 ===

In 1837, the first railway built in Russia was a {{track gauge|6ft}} gauge, 17&nbsp;km long experimental line connecting [[Saint Petersburg]] with [[Tsarskoye Selo]] and [[Pavlovsk, Saint Petersburg|Pavlovsk]]. The choice of gauge was influenced by [[Brunel]]'s [[Great Western Railway]] which used {{track gauge|7ft}}.  The Tsarskoye Selo railway's success proved that a larger gauge could be viable for railways isolated from the extant {{track gauge|standard}} gauge Western European network.<ref name=haywood /><ref name=SiddallPrimary />

In 1840, work started on the second railway in the [[Russian Empire]], the [[Warsaw–Vienna railway]] in [[Congress Poland]]. It was a {{track gauge|1435mm}} [[Standard-gauge railway|standard gauge]], with the express intention of allowing through-freight trains into [[Austria-Hungary]].<ref name=haywood /><ref name=SiddallPrimary />

The modern Russian railway network solidified around the [[Saint Petersburg–Moscow railway]], built in 1842. There, the Tsar established a committee to recommend [[technical standards]] for the building of Russia's first major railway.  The team included devotees of [[Franz Anton von Gerstner]], who pushed to continue the Tsarskoye Selo gauge, and engineer [[Pavel Petrovich Melnikov|Pavel Melnikov]] and his consultant [[George Washington Whistler]], a prominent American railway engineer.  Whistler recommended {{track gauge|5ft}} on the basis that it was cheaper to construct than {{track gauge|6ft}} and cheaper to maintain than {{track gauge|1435mm}}. His advice won over the Tsar.<ref name=haywood /><ref name=SiddallPrimary />

At the time, questions of continuity with the European network did not arise. By the time difficulties arose in connecting the Prussian railroads to the Russian ones in Warsaw in the 1850s, it was too late to change.<ref name=haywood />

A persistent myth holds that [[Imperial Russia]] chose a gauge broader than standard gauge for military reasons, namely to prevent potential invaders from using the rail system.{{refn|Lotysz, Slawomir. "[http://www.inventingeurope.eu/story/narrowing-is-easier Narrowing is easier]".  ''Inventing Europe''. Contrary to Lotysz's claim that "some railway historians" promote the myth, its only trace in the academic literature appears to be persistent warnings against the folklore.  See, e.g., {{harvnb|Haywood|1969}} or {{harvnb|Siddall|1969}}.}} The Russian military recognized as early as 1841 that operations to disrupt railway track did not depend on the gauge, and should instead focus on destroying [[railroad bridge|bridges]] and [[railroad tunnel|tunnels]].<ref name=haywood /><ref name=SiddallPrimary>{{cite journal|title=Railroad Gauges and Spatial Interaction|first1=William&nbsp;R.|last1=Siddall|journal=Geographical Review|date=January 1969|volume=59|issue=1|page=40|publisher=Taylor&nbsp;& Francis, Ltd.|doi=10.2307/213081 |jstor=213081}}</ref> However, in both World Wars the [[break of gauge]] did pose some amount of obstacle to the invading Germans.

==== Expansion ====

The 5-foot gauge became the standard in the [[Russian Empire#Second half of the nineteenth century|Russian Empire]] and later the Soviet Union.

Russian engineers used it on the [[Chinese Eastern Railway]], built in the closing years of the 19th century across the [[Manchuria|Northeastern China]] entry to provide a shortcut for the [[Trans-Siberian Railway]] to [[Vladivostok]]. The railway's southern branch, from [[Harbin]] via [[Changchun]] to [[Lüshun]], used Russian gauge. As a result of the [[Russo-Japanese War]] of 1904-1905, its [[South Manchuria Railway|southernmost section]] from Changchun to Lüshun was lost to the Japanese, who promptly [[Track gauge conversion|regauged]] it to [[standard gauge]], after using the narrow {{track gauge|3ft6in|lk=on}} for a short time during the war.<ref name=jackson/> This formed a [[break of gauge]] between Changchun and [[Kuancheng District|Kuancheng]], the station just to the north of Changchun, still in Russian hands,<ref name=manchuria/> until the rest of the former [[Chinese Eastern Railway]] was [[Track gauge conversion|converted]] to standard gauge, probably in the 1930s.

Unlike in [[South Manchuria Railway|South Manchuria]], the Soviet Union's [[Soviet invasion of Manchuria|reconquest]] of [[Karafuto Prefecture|southern Sakhalin]] from Japan did not result in regauging of the railway system. Southern Sakhalin has continued with the original Japanese {{track gauge|1067mm}} gauge simultaneously with the Russian gauge railway, constructed in the northern part of the island in 1930-1932 (Moskalvo-Okha). The railway has no fixed connection with the mainland. Before 2019, rail cars coming from the mainland port of [[Vanino, Khabarovsk Krai|Vanino]] on the [[Vanino-Kholmsk train ferry]], operating since 1973, had to have their [[Bogie exchange|bogies changed]] in the Sakhalin port of [[Kholmsk]].<ref name=sakhalin_1/> In 2004 and 2008 plans were put forward to [[Track gauge conversion|convert]] it to the Russian gauge. The conversion was completed in 2019.<ref name=sakhalin-conversion/>

There were proposals in 2013 for north-south and east-west lines in Afghanistan, with construction to start in 2013.<ref name=afghanistan_1/>

=== Panama, 1850 ===

The [[Panama Canal Railway]], first constructed in ca. 1850, was built in {{track gauge|5ft}} gauge. During canal construction (1904&ndash;1914), this same gauge was chosen for both construction traffic, canal operating services along the quays, and the newly routed commercial cross-isthmus railway. In 2000 the gauge for the commercial parallel railway was [[Track gauge conversion|changed]] to {{track gauge|1435mm}} to use [[standard gauge]] equipment. The original gauge was chosen under the influence of the pre-conversion southern United States railway companies. The electric manoeuvering locomotives along the locks ([[Panama Canal locks#Mules|''mules'']]) still use the {{track gauge|5ft|disp=1}} gauge that was laid during canal construction.

=== Finland, 1862 ===
{{main|History of rail transport in Finland}}

The first rail line [[rail transport in Finland|in Finland]] was opened in January 1862. As Finland was then the [[Grand Duchy of Finland]], an autonomous principality in [[Imperial Russia]] where railways were also built to the (5&nbsp;ft) broad track gauge of {{track gauge|1524mm}}.<ref name=vilaris/> However the railway systems were not connected until the bridge over the River Neva was built in 1913.<ref name=finland_1/> Russian trains could not have run on Finnish tracks, because the Finnish [[loading gauge]] was narrower, until the connection was made and the Finnish [[structure gauge]] was widened.

== Technical ==

=== Redefinitions ===

In the late 1960s the gauge was redefined to {{track gauge|1520mm}} in the Soviet Union.<ref name=1520_sp_about/> At the same time the [[Engineering tolerance|tolerances]] were tightened. As the running gear ([[Wheelset (rail transport)|wheelsets]]) of the [[rolling stock]] remained unaltered, the result was an increased speed and stability.<ref name=vilaris/> The conversion took place between 1970 and the beginning of the 1990s.<ref name=vilaris/>

In Finland, the [[Finnish State Railways]] kept the original definition of {{track gauge|1524mm}}, even though they also have tightened the tolerances in a similar way, but to a higher level.

After its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Estonia redefined its track gauge to {{track gauge|1524mm|disp=1}}, to match Finland's gauge.<ref name=estonia/> The redefinition did not mean that all the railways in Estonia were changed immediately. It was more a rule change, so that all renovated old tracks and new railways would be constructed in 1,524&nbsp;mm gauge from then on. (See [[Track gauge in Estonia]].)

=== Tolerances ===

Finland allows its gauge to be 1,520–1,529&nbsp;mm on first class lines (classes 1AA and 1A, speed 220–160&nbsp;km/h).<ref name=finland_2/>

If the rolling stock's tolerance is kept within certain limits, through running between {{track gauge|1520mm}} railways and Finnish {{track gauge|1524mm}} railways is allowed. Since both 1,520 and 1,524&nbsp;mm tolerances overlap, the difference is negligible. The international high-speed [[Allegro (train)|Allegro]]'s gauge between Helsinki and St. Petersburg was specified as 1,522&nbsp;mm.<ref name=allegro/>

=== Loading gauge ===

The [[loading gauge]], which defines the maximum height and width for railway vehicles and their loads, is larger for Russian gauge. This means that if a standard gauge railway, in Europe, is adapted for [[dual gauge]], bridges must be rebuilt, double tracks must be placed further apart and the [[overhead wire]] must be raised. Or there must be restrictions on permitted rolling stock, which would restrict the benefit of such a railway. Dual gauge needs more width than single gauge. For double stacking on Russian gauge tracks, maximum height shall be {{cvt|6.15 or 6.4|m|ftin}} above rails.

For standard gauge railways, double stacking maximum height shall be {{cvt|6.15|m|ftin}}. For Indian gauge railways, double stacking maximum height shall be {{cvt|7.1|m|ftin}}, and minimum overhead wiring height shall be {{cvt|6.5 or 6.75|m|ftin}} above rails. Minimum overhead wiring height for double stacking, standard gauge railways shall be {{cvt|6.5|m|ftin}}, and Indian gauge railways shall be {{cvt|7.45|m|ftin}} above rails, respectively. This would apply to Russia and Europe (or North America), rather than to Russia and China (or Iran).

== Current status ==

=== Primary usage ===
The primary countries currently using the gauge of 5&nbsp;ft or 1,520&nbsp;mm, include:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rail Gauges |url=https://studylib.net/doc/5562588/rail-gauges |access-date=2023-08-14 |website=studylib.net |language=en}}</ref> 
{{Div col|colwidth=12em}}
* {{flagcountry|Armenia}}
* {{flagcountry|Azerbaijan}}
* {{flagcountry|Belarus}}
* {{flagcountry|Estonia}}
* {{flagcountry|Finland}} (5 ft gauge)
* {{flagcountry|Georgia (country)}}
* {{flagcountry|Kazakhstan}}
* {{flagcountry|Kyrgyzstan}}
* {{flagcountry|Latvia}}
* {{flagcountry|Lithuania}}
* {{flagcountry|Moldova}}
* {{flagcountry|Mongolia}}
* {{flagcountry|Russia}}
* {{flagcountry|Tajikistan}}
* {{flagcountry|Turkmenistan}}
* {{flagcountry|Ukraine}}
* {{flagcountry|Uzbekistan}}
{{Div col end}}

=== Extended usage ===

Short sections of Russian or 5&nbsp;ft gauge extend [[PKP rail line 65|into Poland]], [[Uzhhorod–Košice broad-gauge track|eastern Slovakia]], Sweden (at the Finnish border at [[Haparanda]]), and northern [[Rail transport in Afghanistan|Afghanistan]].<ref name=afghanistan_2/>

There is an approximately 150&nbsp;km long section in Hungary in the [[Záhony]] logistics area close to the [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] border.<ref name=hungary/>

Following renovations in 2014, a 32&nbsp;km section of dual [[standard gauge|Standard]]/Russian gauge was installed between [[Tumangang Station|Tumangang]] and [[Rajin Station|Rajin]] stations in North Korea.<ref name=north_korea/>

The most western {{track gauge|1520mm|disp=1}} gauge railway is the Polish [[PKP rail line 65|LHS (''Linia Hutnicza Szerokotorowa'')]] from the Ukrainian border to the eastern end of the [[Upper Silesian Industrial Region]].

=== Use in rapid transit and light rail systems ===

Although broad gauge is quite rare on [[light rail|lighter railways]] and street [[tram]]ways worldwide, almost all tramways in the [[Post-Soviet states|former USSR]] are broad gauge (according to terminology in use in these countries, gauges narrower than {{track gauge|1520mm}} are considered to be narrow). Many tramway networks initially built to narrow gauges ({{track gauge|750mm|lk=on|disp=or}} or {{track gauge|1000mm|allk=on|disp=or}}) were converted to broad gauge. As of 2015, only a few out of more than sixty [[List of town tramway systems in Russia|tram systems in Russia]] are not broad gauge: {{track gauge|1000mm|disp=1}} in [[Kaliningrad]] and [[Pyatigorsk]], {{track gauge|1435mm}} in [[Rostov-on-Don]]. There are two tram systems in and around [[Yevpatoria]] that use {{track gauge|1000mm|lk=on}} gauge.<ref group=note name=note01/>

Finland's [[Helsinki tram]]s and Latvia's [[Liepājas tramvajs|Liepāja trams]] use {{track gauge|1000mm|lk=on}}. Estonia's [[Trams in Tallinn|Tallinn trams]] use similar {{track gauge|1067mm|lk=on}}. Warsaw's tramway system, constructed with 1525&nbsp;mm gauge, was regauged to 1435&nbsp;mm during post-WWII reconstruction.<ref name=poland/> [[Tampere light rail|Tampere tramway]], built in 2021, uses {{track gauge|1435mm|lk=on}}.

Underground urban [[rapid transit]] systems in the former USSR, like the [[Moscow Metro]], [[Saint Petersburg Metro]], [[Kyiv Metro]] and [[Yerevan Metro]] use Russian gauge ({{track gauge|1520mm|disp=1}}). Outside the former USSR, the [[Helsinki Metro]] in Finland that utilizes a unique track gauge of 1,522&nbsp;mm, falls between the Russian gauge ({{track gauge|1520mm|disp=1}}) and broad gauge {{track gauge|1524mm|disp=1}}.

== Similar gauges ==

[[File:Hypothetical concept for placement of rails to achieve five collocated track gauges.png|thumb|400px|Mixed between 1,524&nbsp;mm (5 ft) and another similar gauge, result the bonus gauge is {{track gauge|7ft|lk=on}} ([[Great Western Railway#Brunel's 7-foot gauge and the "gauge war"|Brunel gauge]]).]]

These gauges cannot make 3-rail [[dual gauge]] with Russian gauge.
*{{railgauge|1676mm|lk=on}} Indian gauge
*{{railgauge|1668mm|lk=on}} Iberian gauge
*{{railgauge|1600mm|lk=on}} Irish gauge
*{{railgauge|1435mm|lk=on}} [[standard gauge]]

These gauges are within tolerance.
* '''{{track gauge|Russian|al=on}}'''
* '''{{track gauge|1522mm}}''' as used by [[Helsinki Metro]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Perustietoja ja metroasemat |url=https://www.raitio.org/metro/helsinki/perustietoja/ |publisher=Finnish Railway Society |access-date=30 August 2022 |language=Finnish, English}}</ref>
* '''{{track gauge|1524mm}}'''
Dual gauge between Russian gauge and another similar gauge can make these bonus gauges.
*{{track gauge|6ft|first=met}}
*{{track gauge|1945mm}}
*{{track gauge|7ft|first=met}}
*{{track gauge|7ft0.25in|first=met}} ([[Great Western Railway#Brunel's 7-foot gauge and the "gauge war"|Brunel gauge]])
*2,503&nbsp;mm (8&nbsp;ft&nbsp;{{frac|2|1|2}}&nbsp;in) (the maximum bonus gauge from the {{track gauge|sg|allk=on}} [[gauntlet track]]s).

== Summary ==

=== Railways using 1,524 mm gauge ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Country/territory
! Railway
|-
| China
| [[Chinese Eastern Railway]] (until 1930s)
|-
| Finland
| [[Rail transport in Finland]] (except: [[Helsinki Metro]] uses {{track gauge|1522mm}}, and [[Tampere tram]] uses [[standard gauge]] (1,435&nbsp;mm))
|-
| Iran
| Proposed for the south and east of Tehran and the north and east of Estafan. The {{track gauge|1676mm}} [[Indian gauge]] is proposed for the east of Kerman, the south of Mashhad, and the north and east of Chabahar, whereas the north and west of Tehran and the south and west of Estafan will continue the {{track gauge|sg}} [[standard gauge]].
|-
| Isle of Man
| [[Laxey Browside Tramway]] (closed by 1914), [[Second Falcon Cliff lift]] (closed 1990)
|-
| Japan
| [[Sakhalin-Hokkaido Tunnel|Sakhalin-Hokkaido tunnel]] (proposed), with the [[break-of-gauge]] facilities between {{track gauge|5ft}} and {{track gauge|sg}} in Northern Hokkaido.
|-
| Norway
| Proposed for [[Kolari-Skibotn-Tromsø line|Kolari-Skibotn-Tromsø]] and [[Arctic Railway|Nikel-Kirkenes-Rovaniemi]] lines.<ref name=norway/>
|-
| Panama
| [[Panama Canal Railway]] prior to [[Gauge conversion|conversion]] to [[standard gauge]] in 2000 to suit off-the-shelf supply.
|-
| Sweden
| Only a small freight yard in [[Haparanda]]. Used for exchanging cargo with Finnish trains.
|-
| United States
| [[Southern United States|The South]], such as the [[Cartersville and Van Wert Railroad]], the [[Cherokee Railroad]], and the [[Western and Atlantic Railroad|Western & Atlantic Railroad]], until 31 May 1886. The [[Duquesne Incline]] and [[Monongahela Incline]] in [[Pittsburgh]], Pennsylvania.
|}

=== Railways using 1,520 mm gauge ===

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Country/territory
! Railway
|-
| Afghanistan
| [[Rail transport in Afghanistan]]: The northern spur lines from CIS states. For Afghanistan's future network, {{railgauge|sg}} [[standard gauge]] for the western spur lines from Iran, and {{railgauge|1676mm}} [[Indian gauge]] are proposed.
|-
| Armenia
| [[Armenian Railways]], [[South Caucasus Railway]]
|-
| Austria
| [[Košice-Vienna broad-gauge line]] (proposed)
|-
| Azerbaijan
| [[Azerbaijan Railways]]
|-
| Belarus
| [[Rail transport in Belarus]]
|-
| Bulgaria
| Only at [[Varna, Bulgaria|Varna]] ferry terminal for [[Train ferry|train ferries]] to [[Odesa]] and [[Poti]]; [[dual gauge]] track for [[Bogie exchange|changing wagon bogies]] with standard gauge ones, and parallel transhipping tracks of {{track gauge|1520mm|disp=1}} and {{track gauge|sg}} gauge.
|-
| China
| Several short stretches from Russia, Mongolia and Kazakhstan.
|-
| Estonia
| [[Rail transport in Estonia]]
|-
| France
| A short section linking the assembly building to the [[Soyuz (rocket)|Soyuz]] launcher launch pad, at the [[Guiana Space Center]].
|-
| Georgia
| [[Georgian Railway]]
|-
| Germany
| Only at [[Sassnitz]]/[[Mukran]] ferry terminal for freight train ferries to [[Turku]], [[Klaipėda]] and [[Baltijsk]].
|-
| Hong Kong
| [[Peak Tram]]
|-
| Kazakhstan
| [[Kazakhstan Temir Zholy]]
|-
| Kyrgyzstan
| [[Kyrgyz Railways]]
|-
| Latvia
| [[Rail transport in Latvia]]
|-
| Lithuania
| [[Rail transport in Lithuania]]
|-
| Moldova
| [[Calea Ferată din Moldova|CFM]]
|-
| Mongolia
| [[Rail transport in Mongolia]]
|-
| North Korea
| A 32-km stretch of 1,435/{{track gauge|1520mm|disp=1}} [[dual gauge]] between [[Tumangang]] and [[Rajin Station]]s.
|-
| Poland
| Almost exclusively on the [[Hrubieszów–Sławków Południowy LHS railway|Broad Gauge Metallurgy Line]].
|-
| Russia
| [[Russian Railways]]
|-
| Slovakia
| Only on the "Širokorozchodná trať" [[Uzhhorod–Košice broad-gauge track|(Uzhhorod - Maťovce - Haniska pri Košiciach]]) and from the border station of [[Dobrá pri Čiernej nad Tisou]] to [[Ukraine]], both operated by [[Železničná spoločnosť Cargo Slovakia|ZSSK Cargo]].
|-
| Tajikistan
| [[Rail transport in Tajikistan]]: Most in the West; Also {{railgauge|1676mm}} [[Indian gauge]] is proposed for the East.
|-
| Turkmenistan
| [[Railways in Turkmenistan]]
|-
| Ukraine
| [[Ukrainian Railways]]
|-
| Uzbekistan
| [[Uzbek Railways]]
|-
|}

== See also ==

{{Portal|Trains}}

* [[The Museum of the Moscow Railway]]

== Notes ==

{{reflist|group=note|refs=
<ref name=note01>Yevpatoria is located in [[Crimea]], a territory disputed between [[Ukraine]] (as the [[Autonomous Republic of Crimea]]) and [[Russia]] (as the [[Republic of Crimea (Russia)|Republic of Crimea]]) since the [[2014 Crimean status referendum|March 2014 Crimean status referendum]].</ref>
}}

== References ==

{{reflist|30em|refs=

<ref name=1520_sp_about>1520 Strategic Partnership, [http://www.forum1520.com/about/about1520.php About gauge 1520] {{webarchive |url= https://web.archive.org/web/20081007062127/http://www.forum1520.com/about/about1520.php |date= 7 October 2008 }}, retrieved 2008-07-20.</ref>

<ref name=afghanistan_1>{{cite web|url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/nc/news/single-view/view/afghan-railway-ambitions.html|title=Afghan railway ambitions awarded funding|first=DVV Media|last=UK|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=afghanistan_2>{{cite news|title=Construction of Afghan railway launched |url=http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view//construction-of-afghan-railway-launched.html |work=[[Railway Gazette International]] |date=2010-01-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100303120352/http://www.railwaygazette.com/news/single-view/view/construction-of-afghan-railway-launched.html |archive-date=2010-03-03 }}</ref>

<ref name=allegro>{{Cite web |title=Allegro high speed Pendolino train at Finland station in St Petersburg |url=http://www.alstom.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=8589940640 |publisher=Alstom |date=7 October 2010 |access-date=12 February 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707120102/http://www.alstom.com/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=8589940640 |archive-date=7 July 2011 }}</ref>

<ref name=estonia>[http://www.rrdc.com/article_05_2003_evr_todays_rwys.pdf Estonian railways today] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303171940/http://www.rrdc.com/article_05_2003_evr_todays_rwys.pdf |date=3 March 2016 }}, p. 32</ref>

<ref name=finland_1>Jussi Iltanen: Radan varrella (''tr. "Along the track "'') (Karttakeskus 2009), page 390 {{ISBN|9515932149}}</ref>

<ref name=finland_2>{{cite web|url=http://julkaisut.liikennevirasto.fi/pdf4/rato_13_radan_tarkastus.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20200226120433if_/https://julkaisut.vayla.fi/pdf4/rato_13_radan_tarkastus.pdf|archivedate=2020-02-26|title=Ratatekniset määräykset ja ohjeet|publisher=Finnish Rail Administration|page=56|quote=The nominal track gauge on the rail network 1,524 mm. The max tolerance range in lowest quality lines (class 6, max speed 50 km/h) is −7…+20 mm|access-date=9 Feb 2020}}</ref>

<ref name=haywood>{{cite journal|last1=Haywood|first1=R. M.|title=The Question of a Standard Gauge for Russian Railways, 1836-1860|journal=Slavic Review|date=March 1969|volume=28|issue=1|pages=72–80|doi=10.2307/2493039|jstor=2493039|s2cid=163934218 }}<br/>See also Haywood's full-length monographs on this topic,<br/>{{*}}{{cite book |title=The beginnings of railway development in Russia in the reign of Nicholas I, 1835-1842 |year=1969 |publisher=Duke University Press |location=Durham, NC |oclc=2762 }}<br/>{{*}}{{cite book |title=Russia enters the railway age, 1842–1855 |year=1998 |series=East European Monographs |publisher=Columbia University Press |location=Boulder, CO |isbn=0880333901 }}</ref>

<ref name=hungary>{{cite web|url=http://innoteka.hu/cikk/megujult_a_szeles_nyomtavolsagu_vagany_a_zahonyi_tersegben.240.html|title=Megújult a széles nyomtávolságú vágány a záhonyi térségben|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=jackson>Luis Jackson, Industrial Commissioner of the Erie Railway. "Rambles in Japan and China." In [https://archive.org/details/railwaylocomotiv26newyuoft Railway and Locomotive Engineering] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160829004022/https://archive.org/details/railwaylocomotiv26newyuoft |date=29 August 2016 }}, vol. 26 (March 1913), pp. 91-92</ref>

<ref name=manchuria>"Provisional Convention ... concerning the junction of the Japanese and Russian Railways in Manchuria" - June 13, 1907. {{cite book |author=Endowment for International Peace |publisher=BiblioBazaar, LLC |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-113-11167-8 |title=Manchuria: Treaties and Agreements |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=Lb-FhmJ-DXcC |page=108 }}</ref>

<ref name=north_korea>{{cite web | url = https://www.railway-technology.com/uncategorised/newsrussia-north-korea-sign-deal-complete-khasan-rajin-railway-reconstruction/ | title = Russia and North Korea sign deal to complete Khasan-Rajin railway reconstruction | date = 2013-06-17 | website = www.railway-technology.com | publisher = Verdict Media Limited | access-date = 2021-07-18 }}</ref>

<ref name=norway>{{Cite web|url=https://www.highnorthnews.com/en/agreement-arctic-railway-planning-and-implementation|title=Agreement on Arctic Railway Planning and Implementation|first=Siri Gulliksen Tømmerbakke From Amund|last=Trellevik|website=www.highnorthnews.com}}</ref>

<ref name=paravoz>{{cite web|url= http://www.parovoz.com/spravka/gauges-en.php|title=Paravoz|access-date=2008-07-20}}</ref>

<ref name=poland>{{Cite web|url=http://tramwar.pl/tw-rozwoj1945-1950.html|title = Tramwaje Warszawskie - rozwój sieci - lata 1990-2006}}</ref>

<ref name=rzd_1520>{{cite web|url= http://eng.rzd.ru/statice/public/en?STRUCTURE_ID=74#3|title= Broad Gauge Track-1520| access-date= 2014-06-12|publisher= [[Russian Railways]]}}</ref>

<ref name=sakhalin_1>{{Cite web|url=http://sbchf.narod.ru/11/sahjd.html|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20131115033833/http://sbchf.narod.ru/11/sahjd.html|url-status=dead|title=Сахалинская узкоколейная железная дорога (The narrow-gauge railways of Sakhalin)|archivedate=November 15, 2013}}</ref>

<ref name=sakhalin-conversion>{{Cite web|url=https://company.rzd.ru/ru/10557/page/103290?id=19066|title=История железных дорог – филиалов ОАО "РЖД"|publisher=Russian Railways}} {{in_lang|ru}}</ref>

<ref name=usa>{{cite web|url=http://southern.railfan.net/ties/1966/66-8/gauge.html|title=The Days They Changed the Gauge|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref>

<ref name=vilaris>{{cite web|url=http://vilaris.com/en/terminal/history.php|title=Historic reference|access-date=1 June 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304225550/http://vilaris.com/en/terminal/history.php|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

<ref name=waggonway>{{cite web|url=http://heddonhistory.weebly.com/waggonway--railway.html|title=Waggonway & Railway|access-date=1 June 2016}}</ref>

}}

== External links ==

*[http://www.forum1520.com/ 1520 Strategic Partnership] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091016051627/http://www.forum1520.com/ |date=2009-10-16 }} ''www.forum1520.com''
*{{cite web|url=http://www.parovoz.com/spravka/gauges-en.php|title=Railway gauge width : 1 519 / 1 520 / 1 524 / 1 525}} ''www.parovoz.com''
*{{Cite web |url=http://www.etla.fi/julkaisut/suomen-ja-venajan-valinen-liikenne-vuosina-2020-ja-2030-ennuste-talouden-ja-liikenteen-kehityksesta/ |title=Traffic between Finland and Russia in 2020 and 2030|date=18 March 2013 }} ''www.etla.fi''
{{Navbox track gauge}}
{{Rail gauge in Europe by country}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:5 ft or 1520 mm gauge}}
[[Category:Rail infrastructure in Russia]]
[[Category:Russian-gauge railways| ]]
[[Category:1520 mm gauge railways| ]]
[[Category:5 ft gauge railways| ]]