Editing Dual gauge (section)

==Configurations==
[[File:Rail baseplate on dual gauge (1435 and 1600 mm) track, South Australian Railways.jpg|thumb|200px|[[Rail fastening system#Tieplates|Baseplate]] on dual-gauge track showing the minimum practicable gap between the bases of two rails – about 40&nbsp;mm (1<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;in) – which determines the minimum difference in gauges possible in a three-rail configuration]]

{{Quote box
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{{big|An interactive 3D view of&nbsp;dual-gauge&nbsp;track&nbsp;components is<br />[https://inlandrail.com.au/what-is-dual-gauge-track/ here]}} 
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Dual-gauge track can consist of three rails, sharing one "common" rail; or four rails, with the rails of the narrower gauge lying between those of the broader gauge. In the three-rail configuration, wear and tear of the common rail is greater than with the two other outer rails. In dual gauge lines, turnouts ([[railroad switch]]es) are more complex than in single-gauge track, and trains must be safely signalled on both of the gauges. [[Track circuit]]s and mechanical interlocking must also operate on both gauges.<ref>{{cite book|title=Farewell narrow gauge |last=Rogers |first=K.C. |date=1969 |location=Adelaide |publisher=Australian Railway Historical Society (SA Division Inc.) |pages=19–22 }}</ref>

Multi-gauge track is very often associated with a break-of-gauge station, where rail vehicles or vehicle contents are transferred from one gauge to another. A break of gauge causes delay and increases congestion, especially on single-track lines. Essentially, two trains are required to do what a single train would normally accomplish. When traffic passes mainly in one direction, full wagons taken to the border have to be returned as empties, and a train of empty wagons has to be brought to the break of gauge from the other side to fetch the cargo. Congestion is also caused by unloading and reloading.<ref>{{cite book |last=Pratt |first=Edwin A. |date=1912 |title=The state railway muddle in Australia |publisher=John Murray |location=London |via=Internet Archive |page=68 |url=https://archive.org/details/staterailwaymudd00pratrich/page/68/mode/1up |access-date=2022-11-28}}</ref><ref name=haul>{{cite book |last1=Donovan|first1=Peter Francis|last2=O'Neil|first2=Bernard|last3=Jay|first3=Christopher|date=1991 |title=The long haul: Australian National 1978–1988 |edition=Revised |publisher= Australian National Railways Commission |location=Adelaide |isbn=1875359087}}</ref>{{rp|74–75}} The problem is worsened when there is a disparity between the capacity of locomotives and vehicles on the two gauges: typically, one broad-gauge trainload needs three narrow-gauge trains to carry.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Chambers |first=T.F. |date=February 1971 |title=The railways and Terowie – their early history and change of pattern over nearly a century |journal=[[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]] |volume=XXII |issue=400 |page=34 |issn=0005-0105 }}</ref>

===Three rails===
[[File:Cross-section of Australian dual-gauge railway track.tif|thumb|left|Configuration of dual-gauge (1600 mm and 1435 mm) track.]]

Constructing dual-gauge track with three rails is possible when the two adjacent rails can be separated at the base by at least the space required by rail fastening hardware such as spikes and or rail clips – typically {{convert|40|mm|in|abbr=off|comma=off}}. If the two gauges are closer than that, four rails must be used. Depending on the rail fasteners used and the weight of rails (heavy rails are bigger), the practicable difference between the two gauges is in the range {{convert|145|mm|in|abbr=off|comma=off}} to {{convert|200|mm|in|abbr=off|comma=off}}.<ref>{{cite book |date=1988 |title=Track Maintenance Guide |publisher=Australian National Railways Commission |location=Adelaide |page=section 9.1}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable floatleft mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border= "1" style= "width:60%; font-size: 86%; float:left; margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; margin-bottom:2em"
! colspan="2"| {{larger|''' Gallery: Dual gauge (3 rails)'''}}
|-align="center"
|<br />[[Image: Dual-gauge tracks (1600 mm and 1000 mm) at Belo Horizonte, Brazil(cropped).jpg|border|400x130px|none]]
|<br />[[Image: Wallaroo-dual-gauge-railway-0855.jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1000&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 3<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">3</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">8</span>&nbsp;in)<br />{{efn-la|Commuter lines near Estação Central, City of [[Belo Horizonte]], Brazil, 2007.}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;mm<br /> (5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;in).<br />{{efn-la| Secondary main line, [[Wallaroo, South Australia]], 2008. Such close spacing of two rails is at the limit of possibilities for three-rail dual gauge; if closer, a four-rail configuration must be built.}}
|-align="center"
|<br /> [[Image: Dual-gauge (1435 and 891 mm) track and turnout at Jenny, Sweden.jpg|border|400x130px|none]]
|<br />[[Image:Liberec, Tatranská, výhybka u vozovny.jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1435&nbsp;/ 891&nbsp;mm<br />(4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 2&nbsp;ft 11<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">3</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">32</span>&nbsp;in)<br />{{efn-la|Jenny, Sweden, 2006.}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1435&nbsp;/ 1000&nbsp;mm<br />(4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 3<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">3</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">8</span>&nbsp;in)<br />{{efn-la|Street [[tramway track]] in [[Liberec#Transport|Liberec]], Czech Republic, 2007.}}
|-align="center"
|<br />[[Image: Dual gauge track (1435mm and 1000 mm), Hakone Tozan Line, Japan (cropped).jpg|border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in)<br />{{efn-la| Odawara on the [[Hakone Tozan Railway]], Japan, 2005.}}
|}
{{clear}}

===Four rails===
[[File: Cross-section of 4-rail dual-gauge track (standard and metre gauge).png |thumb|left|Four-rail arrangement of standard and metre gauge on the [[Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme]]. A 435&nbsp;mm difference in gauge can also be accommodated in a three-rail configuration.]]

In some places, the dimensions of two gauges needing to be collocated are too close to allow a three-rail configuration – for example:
* {{Track gauge|1000mm|lk=on|comma=off}} and {{Track gauge|1067mm|lk=on|comma=off}} (common in Africa, a legacy respectively of French/Belgian and British railway practice)
* {{Track gauge|1000mm|lk=on|comma=off}} and {{Track gauge|914mm|lk=on|comma=off}} (common in South America)
* {{Track gauge|1435mm|lk=on|comma=off}} and {{Track gauge|1524mm|lk=on|comma=off}} (common where [[broad-gauge railway]]s of former [[satellite states]] of the [[Soviet Union]] meet European or Chinese standard gauge).
In such cases, four rails are needed to provide the dual gauge.

Four rails might also be installed because of other engineering or operational factors, even though three rails would suffice: an example is on the [[Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme]] (Somme Bay railway), which combines standard and metre gauge – {{convert|435|mm|in|abbr=off|comma=off}} different, well within the parameters for three rails.

Four rails are necessary where the centre-line of rail vehicles on both tracks must be closely aligned with the centre-line of the track in tunnels or other constricted locations. Such configurations, when they revert  back to standard parallel lines as soon as room is available, are termed "[[Gauntlet track|gauntlet track" (US: "gantlet track")]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.trains.com/trn/train-basics/ask-trains/gantlet-gauntlet/ |title=Gantlet vs. gauntlet |author=<!--Not stated--> |date=1 February 2011 |website=[[Trains (magazine)|Trains]] |publisher=[[Kalmbach Media]]|access-date=1 September 2023 }}</ref><ref name=Tratman/>

Four rails must be placed identically on either side of the central axis of dual-gauge [[Railway turntable|turntables]] (and six rails on triple-gauge turntables) so that they match the configuration of the fixed rails leading to and from the turntable, regardless of the direction in which the turntable is facing.

{|class="wikitable floatleft mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border= "1" style= "width:60%; font-size: 86%; float:left; margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; margin-bottom:2em"
!colspan="2"| {{larger|''' Gallery: Dual gauge (4 rails)'''}}

|-align="center"
|<br />[[Image: Double écartement CFBS.jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|<br />[[Image: Rail Baltica Lietuva.jpg |border|400x130px|none]]

|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1435&nbsp;/ 1000&nbsp;mm<br />(4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 3<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">3</span><span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">8</span>&nbsp;in).<br />In the foreground, the narrow gauge diverges via a fixed-rail configuration.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|[[Chemin de Fer de la Baie de Somme]], France, 2007.}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1520&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;mm<br /> (4&nbsp;ft 11<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">27</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">32</span>&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;in).<br />The gauges of this track are as follows (numbering the rails from left to right). [[5 ft and 1520 mm gauge railways|1520 mm]] gauge: rails 1 and 3; [[standard gauge|1435 mm gauge]]: rails 2 and 4.{{hair space}}{{efn-la| Newly laid track between [[Mockava]] and [[Šeštokai]], Lithuania, 2013 or earlier.}}
|-align="center"
|<br />[[Image: Haparanda-Tornio rail bridge across the Torne River, looking towards Sweden, 2008.jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1524&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 0&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;in).<br />A line comprising European standard gauge and "Russian" gauge, a legacy of the former [[satellite state]]s of the [[Soviet Union]]. The 89&nbsp;mm difference between the two gauges is too small to allow a three-rail configuration.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|Torne River  rail bridge between Tornio (Finland) and Haparanda (Sweden, ahead), 2008.}}
|-align="center"
|}
{{clear}}

===Triple gauge===
[[File:Cross-section of Australian triple-gauge track.png|thumb|left|Cross-section of triple-gauge track at [[Gladstone railway station, South Australia|Gladstone]] and [[Peterborough railway station, South Australia|Peterborough]], [[South Australia]], before [[Sydney–Perth rail corridor|gauge standardisation]]. The three gauges require the respective gaps between the outer and inner rails to be different, unlike four-rail dual gauge.]]

In rare situations, three different gauges may converge on to a rail yard and triple-gauge track is needed to meet the operational needs of the break-of-gauge station – most commonly where there is insufficient space to do otherwise. Construction and operation of triple-gauge track and its signalling, however, involves immense cost and disruption, and is undertaken when no other alternative is available.<ref>{{cite book|title=Making tracks: 46 years in Australian railways  |last=Fitch |first=Ronald J. |date=1989 |location= Kenthurst NSW |publisher=Kangaroo Press |page=141 |isbn=0864172702 }}</ref>

{|class="wikitable floatleft mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border= "1" style= "width:60%; font-size: 86%; float:left; margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; margin-bottom:2em"
!colspan="2"| {{larger|''' Gallery: Triple gauge (4 rails)'''}}

|-align="center"
|<br />[[Image: South Australian Railways triple-gauge turnout, Gladstone (KNorgrove).jpg|border|400x130px|none]] 
|<br />[[Image: Four-rail triple-gauge turnout, Gladstone South Australia (HSWilliams).jpg|border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in).<br />Turnout, 4-rail triple-gauge both ways, from the points end.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|Gladstone, South Australia, early 1970s.}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in).<br />Turnout, 4-rail triple-gauge both ways, from the crossing end.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|Gladstone, South Australia, early 1970s.}}

|-align="center"
|<br />[[Image: Gladstone Railyard March 1986 002.jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|<br />[[Image: South Australian Railways standard gauge car on 4-rail track, Gladstone (KNorgrove).jpg|border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"| 1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in). Three-rail dual-gauge track is joined by four-rail triple-gauge.{{hair space}}{{efn-la| Gladstone, South Australia, early 1970s.}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span> in&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in).<br />Standard-gauge car on 4-rail triple-gauge track. Narrow gauge track is two central rails; broad gauge is far left rail and second from right.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|Gladstone, South Australia, early 1970s.}}

|-align="center"
|<br /> [[Image:Triple-gauge track on turntable, Gladstone, South Australia (HSWilliams).jpg|400x130px|none]]
|<br />[[Image:Triple-gauge railway yard looking south, Gladstone, SA, 1976 (HSWilliams).jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in).<br />A six-rail triple-gauge turntable. It must always present the same positioning of rails at both ends, so all four rails must be symmetrical to the central axis. This is made possible only by reducing the profile of the middle rail on either side.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|Locomotive depot, Peterborough, South Australia, 2010 (turntable was made triple-gauge in 1969 to accommodate new standard gauge).}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in).<br />When the Sydney–Perth rail corridor was [[track gauge conversion|converted to standard gauge]] in the late 1960s, dual-gauge track in the [[Gladstone railway station, South Australia|Gladstone yard]] had to be replaced by all-new triple-gauge track. The result was an inordinately complex marshalling yard.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|[[Gladstone railway station, South Australia|Gladstone railway station]], 1976.}}
|}
{{clear}}

The following table shows localities where triple gauge has been necessary. 
{| class="wikitable sortable floatleft mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border= "1" style= "width:95%; font-size: 87%; float:left; margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; margin-bottom:2em"
! colspan="5"|{{larger|Occurrences of triple gauge}} 
|-
! Place
! Narrowest<br />gauge
! Middle<br />gauge
! Broadest<br />gauge
! Notes
|-
| [[Volos#Railway|Volos]], Greece
| {{Track gauge|600mm}} || rowspan="4" | {{Track gauge|1000mm|comma=off}} || rowspan="5" | {{Track gauge|1435mm|comma=off}}
| {{Track gauge|600mm}} gauge closed in the 1970s, {{Track gauge|1000mm|comma=off}} gauge closed in 1998
|-
| [[Jenbach]], Austria
| {{Track gauge|760mm}} 
| rowspan="2" | Still in use{{When|date=November 2022}}
|-
| [[Montreux]], Switzerland
| rowspan="2" | {{Track gauge|800mm}} 
|-
| [[Capolago]], Switzerland
| Metre gauge line closed in 1950
|-
| [[Växjö]], Sweden
| {{Track gauge|891mm}} || {{Track gauge|1067mm|comma=off}} 
| Until 1974 or later<ref>[http://www.vmjs.se/ Triple gauge at Växjö, ''click on Treskensspår at the left'']</ref>
|-
| [[Latour-de-Carol]], France
| rowspan="3" | {{Track gauge|1000mm|comma=off}} || rowspan="6" | {{Track gauge|1435mm|comma=off}} || rowspan="3" | {{Track gauge|1668mm|comma=off}}
| Three gauges since 1928; still in use in 2024.
|-
| [[Hendaye]], France
| Still in use
|-
| [[Barcelona]], Spain  
| Approach to [[Port of Barcelona]], still in use as of September 2024
|-
| [[Gladstone railway station, South Australia|Gladstone, South Australia]]{{refn|group=note|[[Port Pirie Junction railway station|Port Pirie Junction]] was a triple-gauge station from 1937 to 1983 but, unlike Gladstone, did not have any triple-gauge track. For the most part the gauges were separate; dual-gauge tracks served a few trans-shipment sidings and another [[Port Pirie railway station (Ellen Street)|passenger station]] in the town's main street.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bakewell |first1=Guy  |last2=Wilson |first2=John |date=September 1968 |title=Farewell to Ellen Street |journal=[[Australian Railway History|Australian Railway Historical Society Bulletin]] |volume=XIX |issue=371 |page=211 |issn=0005-0105}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://natrailmuseum.org.au/downloads/documents/Multi_Gauge_Muddle.compressed.pdf |title=South Australia's mixed gauge muddle |access-date=8 November 2022 |archive-date=28 February 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228020700/http://natrailmuseum.org.au/downloads/documents/Multi_Gauge_Muddle.compressed.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref>}} 
| rowspan="3" | {{Track gauge|1067mm|comma=off}} || rowspan="2" | {{Track gauge|1600mm|comma=off}}
| 1968–1983<br />(Some has been reconstructed at the [[National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide]].)<ref>{{cite magazine|title=NRM report |author=<!--Not stated-->|date= January 2022 |magazine=[[Catch Point (periodical)|Catch Point Magazine]] |location=Port Adelaide |publisher=National Railway Museum |page=45 }}</ref>
|-
| [[Peterborough railway station, South Australia|Peterborough, South Australia]]
| 1968–1983. (Some has been preserved at the [[Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre]] in Peterborough.)<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.steamtown.com.au/gallery-links/ |title=About Steamtown |author=<!--Not stated-->|date=2022 |website=Steamtown Peterborough |publisher=Steamtown Heritage Rail Centre |access-date=5 November 2022 }}</ref> 
|-
| [[Toronto]], Canada
|| {{Track gauge|1676mm|comma=off}}
| Reported as impending in 1872.<ref>{{cite news |title=The railway gauges |newspaper=[[The Mercury (Hobart)]] |url=https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/8920889# |volume= XXI |issue=3577 |location=(Original, Hobart. Digital reproduction, Canberra|publisher=National Library of Australia – [[Trove]] digital newspaper archive) |date= 14 June 1872 |page=3 |accessdate=31 October 2022}}</ref> Subsequently [[Track gauge conversion|converted]] to {{Track gauge|1435mm|comma=off}} gauge.
|}

{| class="wikitable floatleft mw-collapsible mw-collapsed" border= "1" style= "width:60%; font-size: 86%; float:left; margin-left:2em; margin-right:2em; margin-bottom:2em"
! colspan="2"| {{larger|'''Gallery: Multi-gauge devices'''}}
|-align="center"
|<br />[[Image:South Australian Railways dual-gauge centraliser, Gladstone (KNorgrove).jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|<br />[[Image:Dual gauge -- common rail change-over device, Southern Cross station, Melbourne.jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in). <br />A dual-gauge '''centraliser''' that directs narrow-gauge livestock cars to the centre of the broad gauge so that they can be shunted without snagging the platforms.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|Gladstone, South Australia, 1970s.}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;mm<br /> (5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;in).<br />A simple dual-gauge common-rail '''change-over''' device. It directs standard-gauge rolling stock from the common rail in the left foreground to the right-hand rail in readiness for the turnout in the distance.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|[[Southern Cross station]], Melbourne, Australia, 2010.}}
|-align="center"
|<br /> [[Image:South Australian Railways triple-gauge change-over trackwork -- from one common rail to NG in middle.jpg|border|400x130px|none]] 
|<br />[[Image: Three gauges with one common rail on the right hand side, plus change-over, Gladstone, South Australia (HSWilliams) (cropped).jpg |border|400x130px|none]]
|-align="left" vertical-align="top"
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in).<br />Triple-gauge common-rail '''change-over''' device: from one common rail (right foreground) to narrow gauge in the middle (in the distance).{{hair space}}{{efn-la|[[National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide]], 2022. Rebuilt with components from [[Gladstone, South Australia|Gladstone]].}}
|style="vertical-align: top; width=100"|1600&nbsp;/ 1435&nbsp;/ 1067&nbsp;mm<br />(5&nbsp;ft 3&nbsp;/ 4&nbsp;ft 8<span style="vertical-align:super;font-size:x-small">1</span>/<span style="vertical-align:sub;font-size:x-small">2</span>&nbsp;/ 3&nbsp;ft 6&nbsp;in).<br />A four-rail triple-gauge track that joins a three-rail dual-gauge track. The '''change-over''' device in the foreground directs standard-gauge rolling stock into a four-rail configuration.{{hair space}}{{efn-la|[[Gladstone railway station, South Australia|Gladstone station, South Australia]], 1976. The four rails in the foreground include one rail that is common to all three gauges (the rail on the right) and the gauges are as follows (numbering rails from left to right): broad gauge, 1&nbsp;and&nbsp;4; standard gauge, 2&nbsp;and&nbsp;4; narrow gauge, 3&nbsp;and&nbsp;4.}}
|}
{{clear}}

===More than three gauges===
[[File: Beyer, Peacock and Co Gorton Foundry in 1870.jpg|thumb|The Gorton Foundry of [[Beyer, Peacock & Company]] was typical of locomotive and rolling stock manufacturers that exported to many countries. This track of four gauges traversed two turntables, requiring the rails to be centralised.]]

Three gauges are the maximum found on operating railway lines and in railway yards, but some rolling stock manufacturers collocate more than three lines in their works, depending on the particular gauges of their customers.