narrow gauge

American  

noun

1. gauge15

---

narrow gauge British  

noun

1. a railway track with a smaller distance between the lines than the standard gauge of 56 1/ 2 in

---

adjective

1. of, relating to, or denoting a railway with a narrow gauge

Other Word Forms

• narrow-gauge adjective
• narrow-gauged adjective

Etymology

Origin of narrow gauge

First recorded in 1835–45

Example Sentences

The Talyllyn Railway, where The Rev W Awdry volunteered, is one of Wales' "iconic" narrow gauge heritage lines that have been "battered" by Covid-19.

From BBC • Nov. 28, 2020

“While his competitors were building rail lines east and west, Palmer proposed a narrow gauge from Denver along the Rocky Mountains southward to El Paso, Texas and eventually Mexico.”

From Washington Times • Sep. 7, 2020

You can remind him that people suffer across the world while he studies the history and politics of the narrow gauge.

From Scientific American • Jul. 6, 2020

While narrow gauge railroads were cheaper to build, there was one major downside to a three-foot-gauge railroad: it was incompatible with most other railroads.

From Washington Post • Sep. 20, 2018

Dr. Baker saw the possibilities of the region and, almost unaided, with every difficulty and discouragement, constructed a narrow gauge, with wooden rails, on which strap-iron was fastened.

From The Columbia River Its History, Its Myths, Its Scenery, Its Commerce by Lyman, William Denison