Travel oddity
Jun 15, 2010 12:23:48 GMT
Post by Deleted on Jun 15, 2010 12:23:48 GMT
Starting from the ends of the earth, why is standard gauge for Canadian railways 4ft 8 ½ in (1.435m) between the rails ?
Because Canadian railways were built on the same model as the United States to facilitate commerce.
Why is standard gauge on American railways 4ft 8 1/2in?
Because American railways were built the same as British railways by British expatriates who thought it was a good idea, because it allowed British locomotives to be imported to the United States.
Why did the British use that gauge for the railways?
Because the first railway lines were built by the same engineers who built the tramways, and that is the gauge that the tramways were using.
Why did the tramways have a spread of 4ft 8 ½ in?
Because the first tramways were built by the same people who built carts, and they used the same methods and the same tools.
But why was the spread between the wheels 4ft 8 ½ in?
Because throughout Europe and Great Britain, all of the roads had ruts spaced at that distance and any different spacing would have caused the axles to break.
And why were the ruts spaced that way?
Because the first carts were Roman military carts drawn by two horses. The horses trotted side by side and had to be far enough apart not to hinder each other. And to keep the carts stable, the wheels needed not to be directly behind the hooves or too far apart to cause an accident when two carts passed each other.
So, the rail gauge in Canada is based on the size of a horse’s backside 2000 years earlier on another continent.
But that’s not all.
When you look at the space shuttle on the launch pad, you can see two smaller auxiliary fuel tanks attached to the main fuel tank.
The company that makes these tanks is based in Utah. The engineers wanted to make them bigger, but the tanks had to be carried by rail to the launch site. The railway line that goes from Utah to Cape Canaveral goes through tunnels in the Rocky Mountains. The tunnel is just a bit wider than the railway line, and the railway line is as wide as the backside of two horses.
Conclusion:
If you consider the fact that the space shuttle is the most sophisticated transportation device ever built by man, it is very strange that the engineers had to respect a detail from 2000 years ago, being the width of two horses walking side by side.
Because Canadian railways were built on the same model as the United States to facilitate commerce.
Why is standard gauge on American railways 4ft 8 1/2in?
Because American railways were built the same as British railways by British expatriates who thought it was a good idea, because it allowed British locomotives to be imported to the United States.
Why did the British use that gauge for the railways?
Because the first railway lines were built by the same engineers who built the tramways, and that is the gauge that the tramways were using.
Why did the tramways have a spread of 4ft 8 ½ in?
Because the first tramways were built by the same people who built carts, and they used the same methods and the same tools.
But why was the spread between the wheels 4ft 8 ½ in?
Because throughout Europe and Great Britain, all of the roads had ruts spaced at that distance and any different spacing would have caused the axles to break.
And why were the ruts spaced that way?
Because the first carts were Roman military carts drawn by two horses. The horses trotted side by side and had to be far enough apart not to hinder each other. And to keep the carts stable, the wheels needed not to be directly behind the hooves or too far apart to cause an accident when two carts passed each other.
So, the rail gauge in Canada is based on the size of a horse’s backside 2000 years earlier on another continent.
But that’s not all.
When you look at the space shuttle on the launch pad, you can see two smaller auxiliary fuel tanks attached to the main fuel tank.
The company that makes these tanks is based in Utah. The engineers wanted to make them bigger, but the tanks had to be carried by rail to the launch site. The railway line that goes from Utah to Cape Canaveral goes through tunnels in the Rocky Mountains. The tunnel is just a bit wider than the railway line, and the railway line is as wide as the backside of two horses.
Conclusion:
If you consider the fact that the space shuttle is the most sophisticated transportation device ever built by man, it is very strange that the engineers had to respect a detail from 2000 years ago, being the width of two horses walking side by side.
