Swedish three foot gauge railways

Railway track gauge (891 mm)

By transport mode

By size (list)



Minimum
Fifteen inch	381 mm	(15 in)

Narrow
600 mm	600 mm	(1 ft 11+5⁄8 in)
Two foot	610 mm	(2 ft)
Two foot three inch	686 mm	(2 ft 3 in)
750 mm	750 mm	(2 ft 5+1⁄2 in)
Bosnian gauge	760 mm	(2 ft 5+15⁄16 in)
Two foot six inch	762 mm	(2 ft 6 in)
Swedish three foot	891 mm	(2 ft 11+3⁄32 in)
900 mm	900 mm	(2 ft 11+7⁄16 in)
Three foot	914 mm	(3 ft)
Italian metre	950 mm	(3 ft1+13⁄32 in)
Metre	1,000 mm	(3 ft 3+3⁄8 in)
Three foot six inch	1,067 mm	(3 ft 6 in)
Four foot	1,219 mm	(4 ft)
Four foot six inch	1,372 mm	(4 ft 6 in)
1432 mm	1,432 mm	(4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)

Standard	1,435 mm	(4 ft 8+1⁄2 in)

Broad
Italian broad gauge	1,445 mm	(4 ft 8+7⁄8 in)
Dresden gauge	1,450 mm	(4 ft 9+3⁄32 in)
Leipzig gauge	1,458 mm	(4 ft 9+13⁄32 in)
Toronto gauge	1,495 mm	(4 ft 10+7⁄8 in)
1520 mm	1,520 mm	(4 ft 11+27⁄32 in)
Five foot	1,524 mm	(5 ft)
Pennsylvania gauge	1,581 mm	(5 ft 2+1⁄4 in)
Pennsylvania gauge	1,588 mm	(5 ft 2+1⁄2 in)
Five foot three inch	1,600 mm	(5 ft 3 in)
Baltimore gauge	1,638 mm	(5 ft 4+1⁄2 in)
Iberian gauge	1,668 mm	(5 ft 5+21⁄32 in)
Five foot six inch	1,676 mm	(5 ft 6 in)
Six foot	1,829 mm	(6 ft)
Brunel	2,140 mm	(7 ft 1⁄4 in)
Breitspurbahn	3,000 mm	(9 ft 101⁄8 in)

Change of gauge

By location

The Roslagen railway, a suburban railway north of Stockholm using the Swedish three foot gauge.

Swedish three-foot gauge railways (Swedish: "trefotsbanor") are railways with the gauge 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in), or 3 Swedish feet in the old Swedish measurement system. Railways with this gauge have only existed in Sweden. This was the most common narrow gauge in Sweden. As of 2016, the total network with this gauge is 65 km (40 mi), all of which is electrified (excluding lines which only remain as heritage railways).

Sweden once had some fairly extensive narrow-gauge railways, but most are now closed. Some were converted to standard gauge (the latest one was KBJ, Kalmar - Berga Järnväg, between Berga and Kalmar in the 1970s) and some remain as heritage railways.

The only commercial Swedish three foot gauge railway still in use is the suburban railway Roslagsbanan ('the Roslagen Railway') in north-eastern Stockholm. The parts of this railway which is still in use will be in continual use in the foreseeable future, with new trains to be delivered in 2020 and there are even plans for a new line to connect this railway to Arlanda Airport.

A branch line of Roslagsbanan, Långängsbanan, was built in 1911 and ran for some years as an isolated 1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) standard gauge tramway in anticipation of a planned conversion of the main line to raise its capacity, but those plans came to naught and the branch was rebuilt to narrow gauge in 1934; it is closed since 1966.

The Nordmark-Klarälvens Järnväg (NKlJ) was a 175 km (109 mi) network issued from different lines built from 1873. It was electrified in 1920, with 15 AEG-locomotives. A new class of 5 locomotives (ASEA) went in 1961. The network was dismantled in 1990. Only Karlstad-Skoghall was regauged to standard gauge and transferred to SJ.

The longest remaining Swedish three foot gauge railway is the 126 km (78 mi) heritage line from Åseda to Virserum, Hultsfred and Västervik. 70 km (43 mi) between Hultsfred and Västervik are served by daily tourist trains in the summer, including 4 km (2.5 mi) of dual gauge track. Tourist railbuses also run along the southernmost 27 km (17 mi) (Åseda–Virserum), albeit less frequent. The middle section (Virserum–Hultsfred, 29 km (18 mi), is only used by draisines or not at all.

The Vadstena–Fågelsta narrow gauge railway was part of a larger network in Östergötland.

The gauge difference to the internationally much more used 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) is small, only 9 mm, and some used 900 mm vehicles have been brought to Sweden and given a slight wheel adaptation (reducing the flange by 4 mm or 0.157 in using turning).

References

^ Erik Sundström (1999-11-10). "Trefotsbanor". Historiskt om Svenska Järnvägar (in Swedish). Retrieved 2012-10-12.
The World Factbook, FIELD LISTING :: RAILWAYS, CIA, accessed on 18 November 2020
"SL köper in nya tåg till Roslagsbanan". SL. Retrieved 4 March 2017.
article in swedish

v t e Track gauge (list)
Minimum-gauge Minimum-gauge railways	15 in (381 mm) 400 mm (15+3⁄4 in) 16 in (406 mm) 18 in (457 mm) 19 in (483 mm) 500 mm (19+3⁄4 in) 20 in (508 mm) 21 in (533 mm) 1 ft 10 in (559 mm)
Narrow gauge	2 foot and 600 mm 2 ft 3 in (686 mm) 750 mm (2 ft 5+1⁄2 in) 760 mm (2 ft 5+15⁄16 in) 2 ft 6 in (762 mm) 800 mm (2 ft 7+1⁄2 in) 891 mm (2 ft 11+3⁄32 in) Swedish three foot 900 mm (2 ft 11+7⁄16 in) 3 ft (914 mm) 950 mm (3 ft 1+3⁄8 in) Italian metre gauge 1,000 mm (3 ft 3+3⁄8 in) metre gauge 1,050 mm (3 ft 5+11⁄32 in), 1,055 mm (3 ft 5+1⁄2 in), 3 ft 6 in (1,067 mm) 1,093 mm (3 ft 7 in), 1,100 mm (3 ft 7+5⁄16 in), 1,200 mm (3 ft 11+1⁄4 in) 4 ft (1,219 mm) 4 ft 1 in (1,245 mm), Middleton Railway 4 ft 6 in (1,372 mm), Scotch gauge 4 ft 6+1⁄2 in (1,384 mm), Scotch gauge 4 ft 7+3⁄4 in (1,416 mm) 4 ft 8 in (1,422 mm), almost standard gauge 4 ft 8+1⁄4 in (1,429 mm) 1,432 mm (4 ft 8+3⁄8 in)
Standard gauge	4 ft 8+1⁄2 in / 1,435 mm, Stephenson gauge
Broad gauge	1,440 mm (4 ft 8+11⁄16 in) 1,445 mm (4 ft 8+7⁄8 in) 1,450 mm (4 ft 9+3⁄32 in) 4 ft 9+3⁄8 in (1,457 mm) 1,458 mm (4 ft 9+13⁄32 in) 4 ft 10+7⁄8 in (1,495 mm), Toronto gauge 5 ft / 1,524 mm and 1,520 mm (4 ft 11+27⁄32 in), Russian gauge. 5 ft 2+1⁄4 in / 1,581 mm and 5 ft 2+1⁄2 in / 1,588 mm, Pennsylvania gauge 5 ft 3 in (1,600 mm), Irish gauge 5 ft 4+1⁄2 in (1,638 mm), Baltimore gauge 1,668 mm (5 ft 5+21⁄32 in), Iberian gauge 5 ft 6 in (1,676 mm), Indian gauge 1,945 mm (6 ft 4+9⁄16 in), De Arend 7 ft 1⁄4 in (2,140 mm), Brunel gauge 3,000 mm (9 ft 10+1⁄8 in), Breitspurbahn 8,200 mm (26 ft 10+27⁄32 in), Lärchwandschrägaufzug 9,000 mm (29 ft 6+5⁄16 in), Krasnoyarsk ship lift
List of track gauge articles	List of track gauges List of tram track gauges Miniature railways Minimum-gauge railways Large amusement railways
Gauge differences	Bogie exchange Break of gauge Dual gauge Gauge conversion list Variable gauge
Transport mode	Tram and light rail Rapid transit Miniature Scale model
Categories	by country by imperial units by metric units by name lists of track gauges

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Swedish three foot gauge railways

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References