WOMBAT = Way Of Measuring Badly in America Today FFU = Fred Flintstone Units and now, fresh from the USMA listerv, HAU = Horse's Ass Units (aka Equine Anal Units) kilopascal wrote: > > 2001-07-21 > > This is one of the propaganda stories circulated by the BWMA. In fact it is > almost word for word identical, except for the horse's ass part. And even > if the 4 ft 8.5 in may seem non-sensical to modern users of FFU, the metric > equivalent, being 1430 or 1435 mm (depending on your local standard), is > quite normal. > > Also, I think someone pointed out that the 4 ft 8.5 in used in "modern" FFU, > was actually an even 5 ft to the Romans. At the time of the introduction of > the metric system in France in the 1790's, it was estimated that there were > over 5000 variations on the foot alone still in use in Europe. It is awful > arrogant of Americans and deceitful of the BWMA and others to propagate the > lie that there has always been 1 standard foot since the "beginning", and > that the present hodge-podge of units used in the US has been in use > continuously for millennia with out change. > > Not only can't people work efficiently with FFU, they don't even know its > history. > > John > > Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrtümlich glaubt > frei zu sein. > > There are none more hopelessly enslaved then those who falsely believe they > are free! > > Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832) > > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Barbara and/or Bill Hooper" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, 2001-07-21 15:42 > Subject: [USMA:14523] rail gauges > > > Following are two interesting related messages that got forwarded to me by > > my engineer son-in-law. I thought they were interesting enough to pass on. > > > > Regards, > > Bill Hooper > > > > ================= > > #1 > > > > From: Ray Smith > > Subject: Good engineering stands the test of time > > > > > > > The U.S. standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 > feet, > > > > > 8.5 inches. That is an exceedingly odd number. Why was that gauge > used? > > > > > Because that's the way they built them in England, and the U.S. > > > > > railroads were built by English expatriates. Why did the English > build > > > > > them that way? Because the first rail lines were built by the same > > > > > people who built the pre-railroad tramways, and that's the gauge > they > > > > > used. Why did "they" use that gauge? Because the people who built > the > > > > > tramways used the same jigs and tools that they used for building > > > > > wagons, which used that wheel spacing. So why did the wagons have > that > > > > > particular odd spacing? 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 that was the spacing of the wheel ruts. So who > built > > > > > those old rutted roads? The first long distance roads in Europe > (and > > > > > England) were built by Imperial Rome for their legions. The roads > have > > > > > been used ever since. And the ruts in the roads? The ruts in the > roads, > > > > > which everyone had to match for fear of destroying their wagon > wheels, > > > > > were first formed by Roman war chariots. Since the chariots were > made > > > > > for (or by) Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of > wheel > > > > > spacing. The U.S. standard railroad gauge of 4 feet-8.5 inches > derives > > > > > from the original specification for an Imperial Roman war chariot. > > > > > Specifications and bureaucracies live forever. So the next time you > > > > > are > > > > > handed a specification and wonder what horse's ass came up with it, > > > > > you > > > > > may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman war chariots were > > > > > made > > > > > just wide enough to accommodate the back end of two war horses. > > > > > Thus we have the answer to the original question. > > > > > > > > > > Now for the twist to the story. When we see a space shuttle sitting > on > > > > > it's launching pad, there are two booster rockets attached to the > side > > > > > of the main fuel tank. These are solid rocket boosters, or SRB's. > The > > > > > SRB's are made by Thiokol at their factory in Utah. The engineers > who > > > > > designed the SRB's might have preferred to make them a bit > fatter,but > > > > > the SRB's had to be shipped by train from the factory to the launch > > > > > site. The railroad line from the factory had to run through a tunnel > in > > > > > the mountains. The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad > track, > > > > > and the railroad track is about as wide as two horses' rumps. So, a > > > > > major design feature of what is arguably the worlds most advanced > > > > > transportation system was determined over two thousand years ago by > > > > > the width of a horse's hind quarters! > > > > > > > > > > Don't you just love engineering? > > > > ========== > > #2 > > > > From: Jeff Knighton > > Subject: RE: Good engineering stands the test of time > > > > > Interesting story, Ray. Here's a reply from my wife's father: > > > > > >> That's really good. But here I go again, adding to the story. > > >> Railroads in the U.S. were built with all sorts of different gauges in > the > > >> early days. No railroad wanted to change them, because it would blow > > >> their monopoly in the little short-haul area that was covered by each > early > > >> railroad. So when a train came to the end of the line, which couldn't > > >> connect > > >> with the next one, all the stuff would have to be unloaded and carted > to the > > >> next train. This added another layer of interest groups against gauge > > >> standardization-carters, laborers and local politicians who wanted to > keep > > >> the work for the local boys at each railhead. The Northern railroads > were > > >> being consolidated by early captains of industry by the time the Civil > War > > >> came around, so Northern roads pretty much had adopted a common gauge. > The > > >> Southern states weren't so far along and were still piddling around > with the > > >> local, short-haul, different gauge, "lack-o-system" system. This made > things > > >> tough on a poor state at war, as locomotives and cars couldn't be used > all > > >> over even if they had standardized the gauge (Longstreet's men had to > > >> de-train several times in their rail trip to beef up the troops at > > >> Chickamaga.). But in the end it was Abraham Lincoln who made the > decision > > >> that the gauge of both the actors in the transcontinental railroad > project > > >> (launched during the War) would be the same: 4 feet, 8.5 inches-though > he > > >> probably didn't think in terms of horses' rumps...and because the Union > won > > >> the War, the standard gauge was extended to Southern railways which all > had > > >> to be rebuilt and mostly with Northern capital. > > -- Paul Trusten, R.Ph. 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 USA (915)-694-6208 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
