Debs. Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I know it`s called the 'six foot'....but a little machining project I have-on at the present, has got me thinking: What was the average/actual distance between adjacent running lines? How much variance (if any) was there in the 6ft. between companies? How much did line curvature affect the separation `twixt parallel lines? TIA. Debs, Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
royaloak Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 The six foot was just the name for the area in between the 2 sets of tracks, the actual distance could be as much or as little as would fit on the available formation. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
APOLLO Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 From the book "The Wigan Branch Railway" (D Sweeney). At a meeting of the board of directors for the Wigan Branch Railway (Parkside - Liverpool & Manchester Rly to Wigan - now part of the West coast main line) in December 1830, the engineer, Vignoles was instructed to furnish an estimate for the New Springs branch - Ince Mill to New Springs (Wigan), and at this same meeting, the distance between running lines, the way, was fixed at 6 feet. However, at the next board meeting, perhaps with Huskisson's accident at Parkside in mind, it was decided to increase this to 6' 6". The board met again twice in April 1831, and after much debate, finally decided on the 6 foot "way". Brit15 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edwin_m Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 I seem to remember six foot is still defined as a minimum separation in the current standards, but measured from the outside of adjacent rails not from the gauge face. It's not easy to find and I don't fancy ploughing through the RSPG at this time of night... A lot of routes use more, particularly those that were originally laid to the broad gauge. And if there are more than two tracks there is normally a wider space known as a ten-foot at least every two tracks. I think I read somewhere that the Liverpool and Manchester originally iaid their track to a "six-foot" of 4'8.5", so they could run wide loads straight down the middle. Anyone else heard this? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
frisby Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 (http://myweb.tiscali...k/002-index.htm) Clearance between tracks The Liverpool & Manchester Railway of 1830 was the first line to use double track all the way, they used left handed running on their double lines from the start (only a few companies in Britain used right handed running and these had all changed to left by mid nineteenth century). Stephenson designed the track for the L&M with a gap between the inner rails of the two tracks of four foot eight and a half inches, the idea being that unusually wide loads could be carried on trucks running on the inner rails of both tracks during slack periods. This left very little clearance between the lines and on the opening day of the L&M an MP called Huskisson, who had championed the railways, stepped down to stretch his legs at a watering station and was caught between a coach and a passing loco. This took off his leg and he died from his injuries, becoming the first recorded main line railway fatality. The distance between the inner rails on double track lines was subsequently standardised (more or less) at six foot (1.82m), widening on curves. Different companies adopted different spacings but BR standardised the spacing, Mr J. T. Raven (a retired Railway Civil Enginner)was able to advise: The dimension of the British sixfoot was arrived at by using the size of six feet (Outside edge of rail to outside edge of rail) plus twice the width of the railhead (2.75 inches) giving a sixfoot of 6 feet 5 1/2 inches or 1968.5mm, this may have been rounded up to 2000 mm. The gap between the running lines is sometimes referred to as 'the six foot way' and railway staff often refer to the area between the rails as 'the four foot'. The distance between the running line and a siding was greater, BR settled on a minimum of ten feet as there was the likelihood of someone walking along the siding, for example a wheel tapper checking the wheels on the stock. Where additional running lines were added under BR the distance between these and the main running line was to be ten feet, although this could be reduced to nine foot where space was restricted, existing multiple track lines were not affected by this however. This spacing set the upper limit on the width of items that could be carried on the line as allowance has to be made for trains carrying loads heading in opposite directions. This allowance was further narrowed to allow for what happens on curves when the centre of the outer vehicle, which is 'cutting the curve' passes the ends of the inner vehicle which are riding directly above the inner track or possibly even extending slightly beyond (although as noted above there was some widening of the space between tracks on the curves to increase clearances). Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
10800 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hi Debs We have covered this before - http://www.rmweb.co.uk/community/index.php?/topic/23043-width-of-the-six-foot/ may have the info you need. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debs. Posted January 18, 2012 Author Share Posted January 18, 2012 Hi Debs We have covered this before - http://www.rmweb.co....f-the-six-foot/ may have the info you need. Yes it did, Rod; thankyou. ....and thanks to all, for your helpful replies! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.