Railways Document 1

Focus questions
RwQ1 What are the measurements of the railway gauge in each colony?
RwQ2 What do you think 'break of gauge' means?
RwQ3 Identify and explain the difficulties of having a break of gauge.
RwQ4 What is the suggested solution to the break of gauge problem?

COPIES OF LETTERS AND PAPERS BY THE CHIEF COMMISSIONER FOR RAILWAYS OF NEW SOUTH WALES ON THE BREAK OF GAUGE QUESTION. BREAK OF GAUGE IN AUSTRALIAN COLONIES

The gauge of the New South Wales railways is practically the universal gauge of the world, viz., 4ft. 8½in.

The mileage of each is:-

The question of the break of gauge is not as yet felt to be an inconvenience of any great magnitude, but before many years have passed it will be a source of great inconvenience, delay, and expense in transhipping goods particularly.

When the intercolonial trade of Australia has grown to any magnitude, if the break of gauge is allowed to continue, uniformity of gauge will be insisted upon, but if the mileage has grown to any great extent the cost of altering will be very great, and as this is undoubtedly destined to become a great nation the change of gauge must be made at some time; this being so the present is undoubtedly the right time to grasp the question and determine what shall be the universal gauge of the future.

In England one of the great trunk lines (the Great Western) adopted for a great part of their system what was known as the broad gauge; the changing of passengers and transhipping of goods became such a great annoyance and expense that a mixed gauge to enable both the broad and the 4ft. 8½in. vehicles to run was adopted to a great extent but, ultimately, nearly all the broad gauge was taken up, and now it only exists in connection with the West of England traffic, and even there it is doomed.

I would therefore recommend that the question should be at once taken up by the Government as a great national question of far-reaching importance for the future of the country; and, as neither colony will be disposed to alter its gauge because of the consequent expense, I would recommend that after it has been agreed which gauge – the 5ft. 3in. or 4ft. 8½in. – shall become the gauge of the future, that the cost of making the change shall be borne by a special fund created for the purpose, and that the colonies shall contribute the annual interest in agreed proportions, and also set aside an annual sum to act as a sinking fund for the extinguishing of the debt in, say, fifty years.

I need not now lengthen this paper with my views as to how an amicable settlement on the question of what is to be the future gauge may be arrived at, nor in what proportions the burden of the fund should be borne. These questions, which doubtless will be the subject of lengthy negotiations, are capable of being settled satisfactorily if the respective Governments decide to take the question up with a determination of bringing it to successful conclusion.

November 27th, 1888. E. M. G. EDDY.
[Chief Commissioner for Railways, New South Wales]

Excerpt from FEDERAL CONVENTION, 1897 (RETURN to the ORDER of the CONVENTION (March 24th, 1897), LAID on the TABLE by the CLERK and ORDERED to be PRINTED, April 2nd 1897) [copy of Paper handed to the late Hon. Sir Henry Parkes, G.C.M.G.], SLV, MS 10037, MSB 130.