Re: Why one narrow guage versus another?

trainrider47 Wrote:
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> Much of it came down to colonial and neo colonial
> influences. For whatever reason, Britain built
> the railways in South Africa to 42" gauge which is
> often referred to as Cape Gauge. The adjoining
> colonies that connected to South Africa kept the
> same gauge, even though Germany in South West
> Africa and Portugal in Mozambique and Angola would
> probably have chosen a metric gauge on their own.
> Rhodesia of course used Cape Gauge.

> New Zealand used Cape Gauge as well, although interestingly,
> Australia seems to have opted for 30" gauge.
>
> Michael Allen

Some oops moments there Michael, a few of the East African Railways were metre gauge, probably as mentioned due to the German influence in that region.
It was only the quaint Puffing Billy Railway in Victoria that used 30", 42" gauge is still the prominent State gauge for Western Australia, Queensland and the isolated Eyre Peninsula in South Australia. At one time (circa 1920) there was more 42" railway in Australia than the broad gauge and standard gauge combined.
The question of gauge choice also came down to the engineers in days long past, South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales started building broad gauge (5'3") railways because of the Irish engineers, New South Wales replaced their engineer with a Scotsman who advocated the change to the superior (his words) standard gauge, so they did, SA and VIC had proceeded to far to change which created the great gauge muddle that burdened Australia for 100 years.

Wayne from Oz.