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Why three feet?

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Kevin S.

August 13, 2007 10:11PM

Registered: 16 years ago
Posts: 282

Why was three feet the most popular narrow gauge used in North America?

I am fully aware that there were countless other gauges that were/are narrow gauge.

But why was 3 ft. the most popular? What was it about this gauge that made it the gauge selected when, once the decision was made to build a narrow gauge railroad, the engineers picked the gauge of three feet?

Why not 30 inches? Why not 3'6" in less mountainous terrain?

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Subject	Author	Posted
Why three feet?	Kevin S.	August 13, 2007 10:11PM
Re: Why three feet?	kwilcomb	August 13, 2007 11:57PM
Re: Why three feet?	SteamDonkey74	August 14, 2007 12:37AM
Re: Why three feet?	bcp	August 14, 2007 09:13AM
Re: Why three feet?	Ron Keagle	August 14, 2007 10:49AM
Re: Why three feet?	SteamDonkey74	August 14, 2007 11:07AM
Re: Why three feet?	DickSnider	August 15, 2007 07:33PM
Re: Why three feet?	Herb Kelsey	August 16, 2007 02:35PM
Re: Why three feet?	DickSnider	August 16, 2007 02:53PM
Re: Why three feet?	Brian Norden	August 15, 2007 08:24PM
Re: Why three feet?	DWBrown	August 24, 2007 03:18PM
Re: Why three feet?	DWBrown	August 24, 2007 03:19PM

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