This item was placed on the Internet for all to see. Someone spotted it and forwarded it to Footprints. I appreciate those who submitted it. Their names have been misplace for the moment.
The following is not genealogy. I received this at work from our Safety and Quality Assurance
person who works standards and specs (not known for humour). Since PIE shares a common
heritage with the Romans, I thought I would pass this on. -
Rose Albrizio
Live Forever & Become ISO Specs
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
England, and the US railroads were built by English expatriates.
Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built
the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used.
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and
tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Well, if they tried to use any other spacing the wagons would break
on some of the old, long distance roads, because that's the spacing of the old wheel ruts.
The first long distance roads in Europe were built by Imperial Rome
for the benefit of their legions. The roads have been used ever since.
The initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of
destroying their wagons, were first made by Roman war chariots. Since the chariots were made
for or by Imperial Rome they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. Thus, we have the answer to the original questions. The United
States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches derives from the original specification
(Military Spec) for an Imperial Roman army war chariot.
So, the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ass came up with it,
you may be exactly right.
Because the Imperial Roman chariots were made to be just wide enough to accommodate the
back-ends of two war horses.
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