Rail Gauge, was Re: (erielack) Re: EL Mail List Digest V3 #2356

["Paul Brezicki" <doctorpb_@_bellsouth.net>]

I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Like most other aspects of early railroads, choice of gauge in America was heavily influenced by the "Mother of Railways", England. The story about grooves in Roman chariotways being two horsewidths apart has been making the rounds for at least fifteen years. It has the flavor of urban legend but there's probably a lot of truth in it. The gauge was in fact very close to 4'8" and I haven't heard any other reasonable explanation. The first English tramways used iron rails with an outside flange for guidance and had a gauge of approximately 5'. Subsequently the design changed to an inside flange, and the critical distance between flanges was set at 4'8". When these rail flanges came off in favor of flanged wheels, the distance widened slightly to 4'8.5".

The NY legislature did not specify a gauge of 6' for the Erie, only that it not be standard gauge. Erie's chief engineer was impressed with the dimensions of equipment and power of locomomotives made possible by the 7' gauge in use on the Great Western Railway, which had built west out of London. He compromised with 6' gauge in deference to Erie's hilly terrain. Conversion to standard gauge beginning in the 1870's was driven by economic necessity rather than regulatory permission; by then NY state had numerous standard gauge lines, making the original law extraneous.

Paul B

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


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