WI: Breitspurbahn actually built?

Could the Nazi-proposed Breitspurbahn (railways on 3000 mm "Nazi broad gauge") actually a) be built and b) work?

What capabilities and what disadvantages would a Breitspurbahn network have - if it went, as proposed, from Rostov to, ultimately, Cadiz and Porto and A Coruna and - likely - from Hammerfest/Petsamo to Istanbul, Patras, Bari, Reggio Di Calabra and other such cities.
 
Well, As far as I can find, there are two caveats:

1: its implementation implies an Axis victory to WWII, at least with regard to the Eastern Front, and
2: As envisioned in the documents unearthed so far, it was never meant to represent more than 1% of all of Greater Germany's track milage, if that.

This is the map most representative of Hitler's vision of the plan. Note that Switzerland is bypassed altogether.
 

Wendigo

Banned
Well, As far as I can find, there are two caveats:

1: its implementation implies an Axis victory to WWII, at least with regard to the Eastern Front, and
2: As envisioned in the documents unearthed so far, it was never meant to represent more than 1% of all of Greater Germany's track milage, if that.

This is the map most representative of Hitler's vision of the plan. Note that Switzerland is bypassed altogether.

Regardless of whether or not it could be completed in a Nazi victory (I don't see why not), a lot of slave laborers are going to die laying down tracks and the like.
 
Remember the UK had a 'broad gauge' of ~ 7 feet for about 50 years ??
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Broad_gauge
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Track_gauge
http://www.didcotrailwaycentre.org.uk/guide/broadgauge.html

Given a stable rail-bed, and freedom to lay new track without concern for subjugated locals, the 3m gauge would have been a wonderful, swift & luxurious way to travel. It would have been the '707' option.

And, given such a loading gauge, it would have facilitated 'intermodal' working, with ample width for complete vehicles, semi-trailers, 3MEU containers to preempt 10ft TEU etc etc.

The other side of such a wide gauge was that it facilitated moving big tanks and other AFVs, just as Roman legions marched their so-straight roads...
 
Since railroads are typically the reason behind size and weight limitations for ground vehicles and other objects, I agree with Nik that a lot of things (notably tanks) are going to get a lot bigger. Since that railroad is about 2x longer, wider, and taller, I would expect everything to grow by that much, and a larger "8-cube" container to supplement the standard intermodal container (if intermodal containers are ever developed). Presumably a standard flatbed car could either carry a stack of 8 containers (a stack 2 containers long, 2 containers wide, and 2 containers high), or a single 8-cube container.
 
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