It is called a gauge. The North American railroad system's gauge is 4 ft. 8 1/2 in. in width. It is the width of a Roman chariot.
Gauge by: Andrea Burke
Is the gauge not to confused with the "loading gauge" which is the height and width of a vehicle above the rails. Standard rail gauge is 4ft 8.5ins (1.435m) as used in Europe, the US, Canada, North Africa and Australia
The distance between the inner edges of the heads of the rails is called the gauge.
192 feet
56.5" wide
No they aren't. They both run on different tracks because of this :-)
Here are links to the answer to your question: http://www.truthorfiction.com/rumors/r/railwidth.htm http://pegasus.cc.ucf.edu/~dsulliva/g0000095.html http://www.countryhumor.com/humor/railroad_tracks.htm
If the tracks are not parallel, the wheels will not stay on the tracks; train wheels are spaced at a fixed width, or gauge, and that width cannot expand or contract to accommodate non-parallel tracks. Thus, if the tracks were non-parallel, the wheel would come off the track and cause a derailment.
Track width is a measurement of the distance between the inner edges of a pair of railway tracks. This measurement is important for determining the load-bearing capacity of the tracks as well as the types and sizes of trains that can use the tracks. The width of the tracks is also important for the maneuverability of the trains as the width of the track will determine the amount of space available in the curves of the track and the degree of curvature that can be achieved. There are several different ways to measure track width including: Standard Gauge (SG) - This is the most common track width in the world and is measured as 4 feet 8.5 inches. Broad Gauge (BG) - This is a wider track width and is measured as 5 feet 6 inches. Narrow Gauge (NG) - This is a narrower track width and is measured as any width below 4 feet 8.5 inches. Mixed Gauge (MG) - This is a combination of both Standard and Broad Gauge tracks on the same line. The track width is also important for the layout and design of the railway as the width of the track will determine the amount of space available for the construction of the railway as well as the amount of space available for the installation of signals switches and other track infrastructure.
== standard gauge is 4 feet 8 and 1/2 inches== == == ==
One result of the effort to standardize the width of tracks was the increase in interoperability and efficiency of train operations. Standardized track width allowed for seamless movement of trains across different networks without the need for costly modifications or transshipment.