curgoth

Comment Threads

• errolwi commented on World building 201: Heuristics
  Interesting discussion of aviation-related terms in various Englishs: http://www.warbirdinformationexchange.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=43512...
• Greg. Tingey commented on World building 201: Heuristics
  And ... If railway gauges are more than 6"/15cm apart, you can interlace/mixed guage the track. What has turned out to be important recently is the LOADING gauge. US track is the same width as ours and Europe's. Look at the different train-szes ........
• Moderator Alan commented on World building 201: Heuristics
  Yes, so. But why did they pick (well, some of them, we'll ignore all those narrow gauges, and foreign places, and IKB) the rail gauge they did? More to the point, what made that gauge exist to be a candidate? The answer is pretty much a case of it being an existing solution to various pressures. Not too narrow (unstable, difficult for horse pulling in the beginning), not too wide (trackways take up more space, tunnels are more expensive, etc.)....
• Greg. Tingey commented on World building 201: Heuristics
  TGhere were two "standard" Tramway gauges pre-1825. $ft & 5ft. Tramway rails (As then understood were flanged on the outside, with flat iron wheels running inside them. Gradually, in ther period 1816-25 the idea of "edge" rails originated, with the vewhicles running on top, and flanges on the wheels, on the inside. You can make the rails tougher, and points/switches are a LOT easier with edge-rails. Start from 5" outside gauge, and you end up with 4'8.5" edge-rails. Game over....
• Moderator Alan commented on World building 201: Heuristics
  The article on Wikipedia indicates that (a) the majority of Canada always drove on the right anyway, including Ontario and Quebec, and (b) the remainder switched back in the 1920s. Make that 'a few Canadians', and you might be closer. As for the oxen problem, well, that's the difference between switching in the '20s and doing it in the '60s....