Thread by @RAILMag

For new followers, you may hear the term "loading gauge" and question the meaning. Will explain in a brief thread with this photo by @christofspieler at Roselle Park, N.J. a) the definition, and b) why it matters for passenger rail service. #trains #railroading

https://twitter.com/christofspieler/status/1601973704694845442

As opposed to track gauge, which measures the width between the rails (for which "standard gauge" is 4'8 1/2" for much of the world), loading gauge is the width of the widest part of the *train.*

For passenger rail lines that are shared with freight operations, the wider loading gauge for the widest freight cars impacts passenger platforms, particularly high-level platforms, which need clearance for a bit of swaying for these cars, which tend to be wider than pax. coaches

In Christof's photo above, the Norfolk Southern train – about as wide as a freight can be – is passing the high-level platform at Roselle Park using a gauntlet track, which uses a set of parallel rails offset from the rails closest to the platform.

https://twitter.com/RAILMag/status/1537147384479854592?s=20&t=0_GHA4QkpYlTKRSWZOFbnw