This is a photo of Russian diplomats escaping from North Korea using a railway push cart.
The track has four rails. I know Russia uses a 5’ gauge while the Koreas and China use 4’ 8 1/2". I’ve always understood that it’s impossible to operate 5’ and standard gauge on the same track, as can be done with meter gauge and standard guage. There’s supposidly just not enough space between 5’ and standard gauge to use a 3rd rail.
There’s a break in gauge at the Russia-N. Korea border. Does this track handle that? If so, how so?
Really short toe tie plates. The base of rail dimension will not allow 3-rail operation so you have a very long gauntlet operation on what I suspect is slightly longer ties for the staggered arrangement.
Significance of the stringline on both sides of the track ?
In the picture, what looks like a stringline looks to me like a temporary electric fence for cattle. We have these all over the place out here. These can be put up or taken down in minutes, but they are very effective.
4ft 8-1/2in (1435mm) “standard gauge” in U.S., N.Korea and most of the world.
5ft (actually 4ft 11-27/32in or 1520mm) “russian gauge”.
Three rail dual gauge with one rail shared is possible only where the gauge difference is enough to accomodate a flangeway and/or tie plates. Like this: 0 0 0 I I I A B C With space for the above between B and C. Since the difference between 1435mm and 1520mm is barely enough to accomodate a rail’s head, dual gauge would need four rails like this:
MC is correct on guantlet track. Russian Railways provides a short passenger hop from the Russian town of Khasan across the Tumen River to the DPRK city of Tumangan across the Friendship bridge. Which is a dual gauge bridge. There is some freight that gets transhipped across the borders by rail.
My understanding is that gauntlet sections are used because of a ROW, or bridge, that’s too narrow for two tracks side by side. Those tracks could be the same gauge or not; my guess is that same gauge is/was more common than different.
My first reaction to the photo was that it’s gauntlet; however, there appears to be plenty of room for side by side tracks; so there is no need, at least in the spot we see. Maybe there is a constriction elsewhere nearby?
I can’t tell if the two tracks are the same gauge or not. What do you guys think?
I suppose property rights abutting the ROW could necessitate the gauntlet, but I’m thinking that would be overridden by the government in that part of the world.
Is saving on the expense of ties maybe a factor? One size fits all! [:)]
What I don’t get about gauntlet track is this. Say there’s no gauge difference, and we have a narrow bridge. Wouldn’t it be simpler to use a pair of switches, and just have single-track across the bridge?
I can see how the gauntlet is mechanically simpler; no switches to throw. But it damn sure needs to be signaled. So it’s not like it needs no attention!
Gauntlet tracks are often used to keep occasional wide freight loads away from high level passenger platforms located where there is insufficient room for a separate passing siding.
Then you have twice the rail wear, still need guardrails in the gauge the length of the bridge… and most importantly have switch points near the end of the bridge that need to be moved, can direct the train to an improper track when leaving the bridge, and with points that can be picked, damaged, or move under a train.
Gantlet track has only a couple of frogs at the points the rails cross. These can easily be self-guarding or have a short piece of guard rail adjacent so are safe even if very long high-speed frogs are used, and can be flange-bearing in modern practice for low shock.
I recall a location in OK where the MKT and Santa Fe had lines approaching a fairly large river and then diverging beyond the river. They elected to build one bridge and each RR had its own tracks upon the bridge with a gauntlet track arrangement to cross the river. A unique arrangement that saved a second bridge.
The railways of Latvia, Estonia, The Ukraine, etc. are all built to the Russian 5’ gauge.
The diplomats weren’t “Free to Leave.” If they were free to leave why would they be sneaking out like this? I’ll opine that some serious bribes were paid to North Koreans who may have already been shot.
