Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846

The Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act was enacted by the Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland on 18 August 1846.[1] It mandated the track gauge of 4 ft 8+1⁄2 in (1,435 mm) to be the standard for Great Britain and 5 ft 3 in to be the standard for Ireland.[2]

Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act
Act of Parliament
Long titleAn Act for regulating the Gauge of Railways
Citation9 & 10 Vic. c.57
Territorial extent
Dates
Royal assent18 August 1846 (1846-08-18)
Status: Current legislation
Text of statute as originally enacted

The Act stipulated that "it shall not be lawful after the passing of this Act to alter the Gauge of any Railway used for the Conveyance of Passengers".[3] It continued legislative approval of the broad-gauge constructed by the Great Western Railway engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel, and endorsed the construction of several new broad-gauge lines, but restricted them to the south-west of England and to Wales. The Act stated that these railways "shall be constructed on the Gauge of Seven Feet".[4][note 1] The resulting isolation of these lines ultimately contributed to the demise of the Great Western Railway broad-gauge system.

Notes
  1. Later, the distance between the rails was widened to 7 ft 01⁄4 in (2,140 mm).

References
  1. Railway Regulation (Gauge) Act 1846 (PDF)
  2. "An Act for regulating the Gauge of Railways: Section I", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 18 August 1846, 1846 c. 30 (s. I), retrieved 11 February 2021
  3. "An Act for regulating the Gauge of Railways: Section IV", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 18 August 1846, 1846 c. 30 (s. IV), retrieved 11 February 2021
  4. "An Act for regulating the Gauge of Railways: Section III", legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives, 18 August 1846, 1846 c. 30 (s. III), retrieved 11 February 2021

See also
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