Re: (erielack) Re: EL Mail List Digest V3 #2356

[Njricky2_@_aol.com]

The New York State lawmakers in Albany were determined to keep "foreign  
roads" from entering NY. Thus Erie had a 6' guage. That eventually changed as  
Erie expanded. Albany had no choice but to allow Erie to standarize as Erie was  
expanding to the coal fields of Northeast PA and on to Ohio and eventually  
Chicago.
 
Rick
 
In a message dated 4/20/2007 1:53:04 PM Eastern Daylight Time,  
plh5_@_charter.net writes:

Maybe  because Erie liked 6'0" for their gage, however, I am sure they had a
good  reason. Prior to Abe Lincoln telling the UP and CP to use our  present
standard gage 4' 8 1/2" on the continental railroad we had lots of  strange
gages for lots of railroads.  From 2 footers in main to 6  footers on the
Erie and DL&W. 
Fascinating  history.

Pete
- -----Original Message-----
From: Tim Stuy  [mailto:njmidland_@_verizon.net] 
Sent: Friday, 20 April, 2007 1:03 PM
To:  EL Mail List
Subject: Re: (erielack) Re: EL Mail List Digest V3  #2356

So then how did the Erie end up with 6 foot gauge? Big  horses?

Tim

On 4/20/07, Bill K. <pontiac_@_dreamscape.com>  wrote:
>
>
> FWIW, as per a Paul Harvey "The Rest of the  Story" the reason it's 4' 8
> 1/2"
> was simply because that's  just a tad wider than the rearends of two horses
> standing side by  side.   In other words, it was more the horse's anatomy
> that  led to the dimension, than any conscious decision on any person's
>  part.
>
> Coincedentally, this would be a team of horses; so 4  foot 8 1/2" is
> literally a "team track" -
>
> It seems  reasonable that the earliest trains would be built to the gauge
>  of
> the same cart tracks left by the Romans and still used by the  people of
> the
> later time, both for ease in conversion of a  road to rails, and to allow
> the
> use of standard carriages as  cars.
>
>
> And given the management actions of some  railroads to this very day, it
> could probably be argued you'll still  find at least a couple horse's
> rearends between the rails  -
>
>
>
> Bill K.
>
>


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End of EL Mail List Digest V3 #2357
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