All railroad tracks are 48.75” apart.

Why?

Because when they started building railroad cars, they hired horse buggy makers and they used the same jigs as they used with horse buggies, which have a wheelbase of 48.75”.

Why?

Because they came over from England, where they build their buggy wheels 48.75” apart.

Why?

The British roads had ruts in them that were 48.75” apart.

Why?

The Romans built and used those roads with their chariots whose wheels were 48.75” apart.

Why?

Well 48.75” happens to be the width of two horses rear ends.

So?

Well, the company who is contracted to build the booster rockets we put on NASA’s aircraft builds them in Salt Lake City, UT.

So?

To transport the rockets from UT to Houston, they use the railroad system, which passes through a tunnel.

So?

Well, the tunnels were dug to only allow so much space between the cars and the walls. So the size of the boosters have to fit through these tunnels.

So?

The conclusion is that the million dollar rockets NASA sends into space is powered by boosters whose size is directly related to the width of two horses assess.

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USDOT FRA:

What, if any, is the standard gage of track?

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) does not establish construction standards for railroad track. However, the Federal Track Safety Standard, Title 49 CFR Part 213, establishes minimum safety requirements for track that is part of the general railroad system. These standards are more stringent as track speeds are increased. For example, the minimum standards for FRA track class 9 (speeds up to 200mph) are more stringent than track class 1 (speeds to 10mph for freight trains and 15mph for passenger trains).

In regard to track gage, the standard gage for most track in the United States is 4'8 1/2".

The maximum gage allowed is 4'10" for class 1 track, 4'9 3/4", for class 2 and 3 track, and 4'9 1/2" for class 4 and 5 track. Track classes 6 though 9 all have a maximum gage of 4'9 1/4". The minimum gage for all track classes is 4'8", with the exception of class 9 which is 4'8 1/4".

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USDOT FRA