G'day all,

I yhink one of the weakest points in this little tranche of urban myth is GUEST, Knappo's (or his source's) line " ... that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates designed the US Railroads."

In Australia, almost by definition, "... English expatriates designed the ... Railroads." But - I live, these days, in New South Wales ... where there has ahrdly ever been, despite assorted pressure towards the contary, an rail line of sunstance in any guage but "standard" ... 4' 8½" / 1.435 m. (Some private tram lines on mining sites have been various narrow guages.)

I spent many of my formative years (in music too, I must say) in Tasmania, our Island State ... where they have had Government and major private lines in: 2' 0" / 2' 6" / 3' 6" / and 5' 3" ... and (to the best of my knowledge) never had any major line in 4' 8½"!

Both states were peopled from the common British stock of the day ... both were governed by the same British Military clique ... and the railways look entirely different!

Things are never that simple!

Regards,

Bob Bolton