History lesson
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Senior Member
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From: Houston and Lil ol' England
History lesson
Here's your "history" lesson for this week.
Does the statement,
"We've always done it that way" ring any bells? ...read to the end...
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches.
That's an exceedingly odd number Why was that gauge used?
Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates helped to build the US Railroads.
Why did the English build them like that?
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 then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that
they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel 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's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first
long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions.
The roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to
match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots
were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived
from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
And bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ****
came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman
army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends
of two war horses.
Now the twist to the story
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two
big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank.
These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs.. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at
their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make
them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory
to the launch site.
The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains.
The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.
The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you
now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the
world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two
thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ****!!
Does the statement,
"We've always done it that way" ring any bells? ...read to the end...
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches.
That's an exceedingly odd number Why was that gauge used?
Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates helped to build the US Railroads.
Why did the English build them like that?
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 then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that
they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel 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's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first
long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions.
The roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to
match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots
were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived
from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
And bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ****
came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman
army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends
of two war horses.
Now the twist to the story
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two
big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank.
These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs.. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at
their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make
them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory
to the launch site.
The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains.
The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.
The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you
now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the
world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two
thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ****!!
Thanks for the History lesson Adam!! 
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 739
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From: Houston and Lil ol' England
Hi Karen,
My company transferred me to back to Holland from Houston.
I don't get as much time on the boards as I don't even have the internet at my crappy new apt. over here.
I still lurk now and again though and seeing as today is Friday, I can't be arsed to do much work hence my reappearance here
My company transferred me to back to Holland from Houston.
I don't get as much time on the boards as I don't even have the internet at my crappy new apt. over here.
I still lurk now and again though and seeing as today is Friday, I can't be arsed to do much work hence my reappearance here
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2001
Posts: 691
Likes: 1
From: Gulf Coast
Adam that's interesting but you forgot some. The Romans had to keep fighting to rid themselves of the older horses, as some of us know the older you are the fatter you get. Some of the Emporers did nto know this and decided to quit fighting everyone, resulting in a bunch of fat horses. Now these horses rather large posteriors would not fit into the harnesses for the chariots, and could not make it to the battles, when they were attacked by the barbarians.
The moral: Rome was built by a bunch of horses ***** and was destroyed by larger horses *****.
The moral: Rome was built by a bunch of horses ***** and was destroyed by larger horses *****.
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 387
Likes: 0
From: Somewhere near the back of beyond
Originally Posted by EnglishAdam
Hi Karen,
My company transferred me to back to Holland from Houston.
I don't get as much time on the boards as I don't even have the internet at my crappy new apt. over here.
I still lurk now and again though and seeing as today is Friday, I can't be arsed to do much work hence my reappearance here
My company transferred me to back to Holland from Houston.
I don't get as much time on the boards as I don't even have the internet at my crappy new apt. over here.
I still lurk now and again though and seeing as today is Friday, I can't be arsed to do much work hence my reappearance here
Forgive me if this has been asked and answered, I was out of touch for a few months while we moved. Check out my new house in my gallery!!
Thread Starter
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Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2003
Posts: 739
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From: Houston and Lil ol' England
The HD is on a boat from Houston to (not so sunny) England as we speak and will arrive on Oct 29th.
I always intended exporting it if I got moved.
The only problem is I will have to get used to paying $7.50/gallon for gas in the peoples Republic of Europe.
I always intended exporting it if I got moved.
The only problem is I will have to get used to paying $7.50/gallon for gas in the peoples Republic of Europe.
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From: 34.509°N & 114.326°W
Originally Posted by EnglishAdam
Here's your "history" lesson for this week.
Does the statement,
"We've always done it that way" ring any bells? ...read to the end...
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches.
That's an exceedingly odd number Why was that gauge used?
Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates helped to build the US Railroads.
Why did the English build them like that?
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 then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that
they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel 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's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first
long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions.
The roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to
match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots
were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived
from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
And bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ****
came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman
army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends
of two war horses.
Now the twist to the story
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two
big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank.
These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs.. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at
their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make
them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory
to the launch site.
The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains.
The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.
The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you
now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the
world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two
thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ****!!
Does the statement,
"We've always done it that way" ring any bells? ...read to the end...
The US standard railroad gauge (distance between the rails) is 4 feet, 8.5 inches.
That's an exceedingly odd number Why was that gauge used?
Because that's the way they built them in England, and English expatriates helped to build the US Railroads.
Why did the English build them like that?
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 then?
Because the people who built the tramways used the same jigs and tools that
they used for building wagons, which used that wheel spacing.
Okay! Why did the wagons have that particular odd wheel 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's the spacing of the wheel ruts.
So who built those old rutted roads? Imperial Rome built the first
long distance roads in Europe (and England) for their legions.
The roads have been used ever since.
And the ruts in the roads?
Roman war chariots formed the initial ruts, which everyone else had to
match for fear of destroying their wagon wheels. Since the chariots
were made for Imperial Rome, they were all alike in the matter of wheel spacing.
The United States standard railroad gauge of 4 feet, 8.5 inches is derived
from the original specifications for an Imperial Roman war chariot.
And bureaucracies live forever.
So the next time you are handed a specification and wonder what horse's ****
came up with it, you may be exactly right, because the Imperial Roman
army chariots were made just wide enough to accommodate the back ends
of two war horses.
Now the twist to the story
When you see a Space Shuttle sitting on its launch pad, there are two
big booster rockets attached to the sides of the main fuel tank.
These are solid rocket boosters, or SRBs.. The SRBs are made by Thiokol at
their factory at Utah. The engineers who designed the SRBs would have preferred to make
them a bit fatter, but the SRBs had to be shipped by train from the factory
to the launch site.
The railroad line from the factory happens to run through a tunnel in the mountains.
The SRBs had to fit through that tunnel.
The tunnel is slightly wider than the railroad track, and the railroad track, as you
now know, is about as wide as two horses' behinds.
So, a major Space Shuttle design feature of what is arguably the
world's most advanced transportation system was determined over two
thousand years ago by the width of a horse's ****!!
