Or, maybe "HAW" as in HEE HAW? But, that's just a plain ass. kilopascal wrote: > > 2001-07-21 > > HAU = Horse's Ass Units (aka Equine Anal Units) > > Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.......... etc. Extremely humourous. I LOVE IT. It is > even better than my name, the FFU. > > Is that pronounced like 'how"? > > John > > Keiner ist hoffnungsloser versklavt als derjenige, der irrt�mlich 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: "Paul Trusten" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: "U.S. Metric Association" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Saturday, 2001-07-21 23:28 > Subject: [USMA:14532] Re: rail gauges > > > WOMBAT = Way Of Measuring Badly in America Today > > > > FFU = Fred Flintstone Units > > > > and now, fresh from the USMA listerv, > > > > > > > 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 irrt�mlich 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] > > -- Paul Trusten, R.Ph. 3609 Caldera Boulevard, Apt. 122 Midland TX 79707-2872 USA (915)-694-6208 [EMAIL PROTECTED]
