Why is the distance between two train tracks 143.5 cm?

The distance of train tracks in most parts of the world is 4 feet and 8.5 inches. That is 143.5 cm. So why didn’t they round it up and chose such a fractional number?

If you are ready, check the distance between the train tracks. Into its past dating back to the Roman Empire Let’s go on a journey!

Before trains, there were horses.

Before the railways were built, horse-drawn carriages were used. These chariots consisted of horses hitched to each other and to the chariot. The wheels of the towed car are standing side by side. It was on a line that cuts 90 degrees from the middle of the feet of two horses. because the axle system could only work properly in this way.

In order to apply this pulling method exactly correctly, The distance between the two wheels of the horse carriage is 143.5 cm It was supposed to happen.

When railways began to be built, the same width was maintained.

When the American continent was discovered and the foundations of railway transportation were laid, the first train at modern speed was built in England and its engineer George Stephenson used it as a reference. horse carriages used.

With the expansion of railway networks in the mid-19th century, to a standard rail gauge was needed. Since different rail distances caused problems in freight and passenger transportation between different regions, 143.5 cm was adopted as an international standard and has remained so until today.

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