4 feet 8-½ inches… that is the standard “gauge” of a railroad track or the distance between the inside vertical surface of a rail. It is an odd number but traces its origins to horse drawn chariots in Rome. Despite its heritage, railroad tracks have not always been standardized. In the late 1800’s, there was a long battle around the standardization of a rail width. Northeastern railways used the standard; Pennsylvania used 4 feet 9 inches; Southern railroads 5 feet; and Canadian railroads used 5 feet 6 inches.
25 - Decentralized finance
25 - Decentralized finance
25 - Decentralized finance
4 feet 8-½ inches… that is the standard “gauge” of a railroad track or the distance between the inside vertical surface of a rail. It is an odd number but traces its origins to horse drawn chariots in Rome. Despite its heritage, railroad tracks have not always been standardized. In the late 1800’s, there was a long battle around the standardization of a rail width. Northeastern railways used the standard; Pennsylvania used 4 feet 9 inches; Southern railroads 5 feet; and Canadian railroads used 5 feet 6 inches.