A physical junction or station where railway tracks of different gauges converge. Because trains cannot run directly from one gauge to another, this requires passengers to transfer, freight to be transloaded, or rolling stock to be lifted so their bogies can be swapped out.
The break of gauge at the border means our freight sits for a day while they swap the wheelsets.
Historically, a break of gauge was a massive logistical bottleneck, which drove the industry to standardize track widths across continents.
Also heard as
- Break-of-gauge station
Related terms
Gauge
The distance between the inside faces of the two rails, 4 feet 8.5 inches on standard-gauge track.
Broad gauge
Any track width wider than the standard 4 feet 8.5 inches.
Standard gauge
The universal track gauge measuring 56.5 inches between the rails.
Narrow gauge
A railway track system where the rails are spaced closer together than the standard 56.5 inches.