<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,102)">I think this should put the issue in perspective!</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,102)">
<br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:large;color:rgb(0,0,102)"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5inches . </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">That's an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge used? </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates built the US Railroads. </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Why did the English build them like that?* </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Because the first rail lines were built by the same people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge they used. </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Why did "they" use that gauge then?* </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building wagons, which used that wheel </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">spacing.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel spacing? </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Well, if they tried to use any other spacing, the wagon wheels would break on some of the old, long distance roads in England, because </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">that's the spacing of the wheel ruts.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">So who built those old rutted roads? * </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"></span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Imperial Rome built the first long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions. The roads have been used ever since. </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">And the ruts in the roads?*</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots were made for Imperial Rome , they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing. </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">chariot. <b>And bureaucracies live forever.</b></span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">horse</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">'s </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">ass</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Imperial Roman army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends of two war </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">horses</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> ! </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">Now, the twist to the story</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">site. The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains. The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you now know, is about as wide as two </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">horses</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">' ass.</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two </span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">thousand years ago by the width of a </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">horse</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">'s </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">ass</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">. </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">- And -</span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> </span><br style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">**You thought being a </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">HORSE</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">'S </span><span class="" style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">ASS</span><span style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px"> wasn't important!</span><div class="" style="color:rgb(34,34,34);font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.499999046325684px">
<div id=":1eu" class="" tabindex="0"><img class="" src="https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/images/cleardot.gif" style=""></div></div></div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 7:42 AM, Crispin Pemberton-Pigott <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:crispinpigott@gmail.com" target="_blank">crispinpigott@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div lang="EN-CA" link="#0563C1" vlink="#954F72"><div><p>Dear Erin<u></u><u></u></p><p><u></u> <u></u></p><p>My First Edition Mechanical Engineering Handbook (1916) from McMillian has a section on wire sizes used for telegraphy. Given the specialised nature of their need to hold wires up in the air with wooden poles, the wire sizes are given in units of 'Ohms per ton-mile'.<u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p><p>I think that qualifies as 'non-standard', right? <span style="font-family:Wingdings">J</span> <u></u><u></u></p><p><u></u> <u></u></p><p>Regards<br>Crispin<u></u><u></u></p><p><u></u> <u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p><p>I'm delighted to have stove reports in all units, including non-standard ones (if you include some conversion information). We do need some precision and standards, but conversion between units isn't too difficult as long as we're doing our best to accurately measure in the first place. I'd rather have everyone reporting in the units they are comfortable and confident with, and then doing poor conversions or worse - not reporting in the first place. <u></u><u></u></p>
<p><u></u> <u></u></p><p>list admin,<u></u><u></u></p><p>Erin Rasmussen<u></u><u></u></p></div></div><br>_______________________________________________<br>
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<br></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><font face="arial, helvetica, sans-serif" color="#330099">Nimbkar Agricultural Research Institute (NARI)<br>Tambmal, Phaltan-Lonand Road<br>P.O.Box 44<br>Phaltan-415523, Maharashtra, India<br>
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