Re: Non-standard Standard Gauge?

In the early years of railroad construction in North America there were a number of gauges. The Erie and connecting lines were built to 6' gauge. The PRR and other railroads followed the "Stephenson " gauge of 4' 8'1/2". But others used 4'9" gauge and 4;10" gauge. Congress mandated that the transcontinental railroads were to be built to the same gauge as the PRR -- 4'8-1/2"..

A number of railroads that had been built to 4'9" gauge and tried to hold on to this gauge for years in the post-Civil War time period. Wheels were tried with wide treads to allow for interchange (didn't work well). IIRC. the hold-outs finally changed during the 1880s.

A book that speaks to this situation and problem is The American Railroad Network, 1861-1890 by George Rogers Taylor and Irene D. Neu and pubished by University of Illinois Press. The current paperback edition sells for only $19.95 from the UI Press [Amazon has it for $18.55].

Just about the time that most railroads agreed up a uniform standard gauge of 4'8-1/2" is when the use of 3' be used for cheap-to-build feeder lines!

Brian Norden