Re: Some Questions

[mauried@tpg.com.au (Maurie Daly)]

I just wonder On Thu, 19 Oct 2000 09:25:35 +1000, "Dave Proctor"
<daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote:

>"Neil Gerace" <geracen@wantree.com.au> wrote in message
>39ede549$0$7105@motown.iinet.net.au">news:39ede549$0$7105@motown.iinet.net.au...
>>
>> Dave Proctor <daproc@spambait.ozemail.com.au> wrote in message
>> j4kH5.62027$bI6.2224958@news1.giganews.com">news:j4kH5.62027$bI6.2224958@news1.giganews.com...
>> >
>> > Sort of correct - all three colonies (NSW, Victoria and SA) had agreed
>on
>> > standard gauge - then NSW got an Irish engineer, who convinced NSW to
>> change
>> > to 5' 3" - the other colonies changed suit as well to remain compatible.
>> NSW
>> > then got a new Scottish engineer who convinced them to change back to 4'
>> > 8½" - but by then, Victoria and SA had ordered locos and rolling stock,
>> and
>> > refused to change back.
>>
>> Why does SA also have 3'6"?
>
>To save money.
>
>Dave
>
>
The above story is what we have all been taught , but I just wonder
how true it really is .
Just what were the politicians of the day doing .
One is being asked to beleive that a relatively lowly official ,(an
irish rail engineer) simply decided that NSW was to go BG and so all
the NSW pollies agreed,just like that .
And then later they all just changed their minds again when they got a
scottish engineer.
Unlikley.
It would be akin to a lowly engineer in Victrak unilateraliy deciding
to guage convert all of Victoria to SG without bothering to ask the
Premier or Treasurer.
It doesnt explain the situation in SA , where both BG and NG were
built .
If cost was an issue ,then SA would have gone all NG as did WA and Qld

and we would simply have had a guage change at Serviceton.

I suspect that the real answer lies more along the lines of the
colonies not wanting to cooperate with each other in regards to rail
as they dont co operate today.

Think about the outcome this way.
Apart from the BG line from Melb to Adelaide , all of the other
interstate connections required a break of guage , ie we ended up with
almost the worst outcome possible .

MD