Rail Tracks

Trains Magazine General Discussion
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RAILROAD TRACKS …



The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. That’s an exceedingly odd number.
Why was that gauge used ?
Because that’s the way they built them in Scotland, and Scottish expatriates designed the US railroads.

Why did the Scottish build them like that? Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that’s the gauge they used.

Why did ‘they’ use that gauge then ? Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they had used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.

Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing ?
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the long distance roads in Scotland, because that’s the spacing of the wheel ruts.
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Viva Roma! Roma aeterna est!

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Just a thought here…Admittedly the Roman’s are still making our lives ‘a merry hello’ .

But the fact remains that railroads still control some air travel…Just stop to think that EVERY Boeing 737 (and its variants) must take the train before they take to the air.

Ergo, the bit about two Rear Ends controlling track width… It could be expanded to note that seats in airliners are controlled by the clearance structures (Those old Roman Horses behinds ) on the BNSF.

So next time you climb into one of those aluminum cigar tubes, and proceed to shoehorn your posterior into an airline’s Economy Class seat of slightly larger than 17" (avg 17.14") [|(] or into a Premium Class seat width of about 20" (avg is 20.46) [:-,] . You will appreciate the roominess of those AMTRAK Seats. [swg]

REF @ Link : **http://www.airlinereporter.**com/2010/11/who-has-wider-seats-airbus-a320-or-boeing-737/

Just thank those old Roman Horses Asses for your discomfort. Just be glad you’re not having to ride in one of those Roman War Chariots! [:-^]