Why do railway tracks have to be the same distance apart?

Question

Why do railway tracks have to be the same distance apart?

Answer 1

they have to be the same width as the train wheels !

Answer 2

The wheels (trucks) of the train are the same distance apart.  There is no way to move them on the train.  Therefore the tracks have to be the same distance.  

But the reason that the tracks are the distance apart that they are is because when the railroad (at least in the US) was being built.  The distance is the same of that of the wagon wheels.  The wagons would go first (hauling the rails) and they were placed in the "tracks" of the wagon wheels.

Answer 3

Becuase the wheels on the train are the same distance apart.

Answer 4

That is the most stupid Question i have ever read on Yahoo answers!!!

Answer 5

Otherwise the train would fall between the tracks.

Some early morning Mushrooms are magic, some are "Magic" some are poisonous. Take care.

Answer 6

Well David P pretty much answered the question, a standard gauge was adopted so that rolling stock (freight cars etc.) could easily be interchanged from one railroad to another. If you have one railroad that uses the standard gauge of Four feet Eight and a half inches, but another uses say a Three foot gauge. Well those cars and Locomotives can't run on standard gauge track, it's as simple as that.

So if there is a car load of goods that is on a narrow or broad gauge railcar it would have to be unloaded and reloaded to a Standard gauge car for delivery to a customer. It all equals out to time and money.

Answer 7

So the train don't derail itself.

Answer 8

emmmmmmmmmYeahhhhhhhhhhhhh,emmmmmmmmmmmm

na, forget it the questions been answererd, but I have a question for you whats your IQ.

Answer 9

If they were not trains would fall of the track

Answer 10

Nice one.

It will be intersting to see who many people are actually daft enough to reply to your question as it doesnt need an explantion to anyone over three years of age.

Answer 11

While the rest of the country used Stephenson's 4ft 8in gauge the English Great Western Railway used a gauge of 7ft until 1892 though most of the system used double gauge.

In Europe, Spain, Ireland and Russia use gauges of 5ft and 5ft 3in.

India has systems of different gauges.

The advantage of using the same gauge on adjoining lines is to permit through running of rolling stock, that is to avoid changing trains unnecessarily but maximum height and width of rolling stock is also a consideration.

Answer 12

It would be a site to behold, a train going down the track with it's wheels moving in and out, because the tracks are not the same distance apart. You could name this train the see saw express.. I have seen a many of dum questions, but this one takes the cake hands down. Here's your Sign. Let's call it the Red Neck express.

Answer 13

They don't HAVE to be, but things seem to work better when they ARE.

Answer 14

Train tracks are the same distance apart because it was standardized by the English who based it on the width of a standard horse drawn carriage, which was based on the width of the ruts cut in stone roads made by roman chariots. Roman chariot width was established by the needed room to accommodate two horses side by side.

So, to sum it all up. The standard was created, as is normal in this world, by a couple of old, horses @sses.

Answer 15

why qre questions like this always submitted by people like you

Answer 16

Are they really

Cor I never would have known that

Really the same distance

Like parrellel

Two straight lines

Well I never

Marvellous

Technology is a wonderful thing

Answer 17

This is so that trains can have a standard gauge for their wheels.  If there were different widths for different tracks then the same trains could not be used all over the country without causing accidents!

Answer 18

now then mate i think it is all trains are built to that specification the width is able to take the wait of all trains

Answer 19

If it wasn't consistant the tail would derail.

Answer 20

to stop the trains from falling off!

Answer 21

Both rails on one track have to be a constant distance apart, because the wheels on a train are a constant distance apart.  A derailment would otherwise result.

Two or more tracks do not have to be the same distance apart.  This is glaringly obvious when two tracks join at a junction.

In a typical layout, the space between a double track is known as the "six foot", but when there are four or more, the large space between them is known as the "ten foot", even though these measurements may not be accurate in all cases.

The area between the rails of a track is known as the "four foot".

Answer 22

tracks of rail is made up of metal and when rail is move on track then due to friction of track and rail tyer heat is generated and due to heat track metalic track spreade (expand)_and  to avoid accident there is small gap between tracks.