common narrow gauges - sort of answer

Hi,

A while back someone asked about common narrow gauges. Everyone offered gauges that might have been common or not.

I have been worrying about the problem and how to quantify it.

If the definition is the number of railroads using a certain gauge, I'm not sure yet how to do that.

If the definition is the number of locomotives ordered, I can make a SWAG at it.

I have taken the a computer text file for H. K. Porter builder's records and tried to come up with an answer. The way the information was entered (not by me) had, for example, AT&SF not bein the same as A. T. & S. F. or A T and S F.

It is based on the numebr of locomotives ordered for each gauge. So if B&RB&L ordered 45 locos for its steam powered rapid transit that was 20-30 miles long, it is given more weight than say the Rio Grande which had no locos from Porter and was 100's of miles long.

With these conditions, here is Porter's results from 1867-1869.

GAGE1860.pdf

I have done this for the Porter records through end of production. All but the summary that is first on this PDF.

If there is interest, I'll be glad to post the rest.

As I said, this is not a response to common narrow gauges but it is interesting.

Doug vV