Re: Suburban densities and rail service (was Re: Putting light rail in subway)

[David Barts <n5jrn@ricochet.net>]

Bill Bolton wrote:
> [...]
> Its not like everyone selected the same gauge to start with there
> either, with different areas initially electing to go with a gauge
> that suited their local view of things.  It was the US Civil War
> experience that really started the push for gauge standardisation in
> the US.

I've also heard (though never taken time to verify the fact; feel
welcome to correct me) that some of the same individual(s) responsible
for the first railroads in Great Britain were also heavily involved
in early US railroads; hence the US standard gauge is the same as
the British (4' 8.5").

Many railroads in the Western US used narrow gauges so as to allow
for sharper turn radii (a big plus in mountainous areas).  I believe
significant amounts of narrow gauge lasted until 1960 or so (such
as the Denver and Rio Grande Western).  Two segments of the latter's
narrow-gauge trackage survive as tourist railroads.

-- 
           David W. Barts (davidb@scn.org) / http://www.scn.org/~davidb
                               Oakland, CA, USA