�Break of Gauge at Gloucester, Gloucestershire, 6 June 1846.

UNITED KINGDOM - AUGUST 04: Plate by W J Linton from the Illustrated London News. The rails of George Stephenson�s (1781-1848) first public railway constructed in 1825 were set 4 feet 8 inches apart. However, Isambard Kingdom Brunel (1803-1859), in his construction of the Great Western Railway, set them just over 7 feet apart. The result was the �Battle of the Gauges�, where passengers had to change between the two systems between Birmingham and Bristol. A comic version of the chaos that ensued is depicted here, showing passengers and luggage being transferred from broad gauge to narrow gauge carriages at Gloucester station, on their way to Birmingham. (Photo by SSPL/Getty Images)