HUTCH 7.62 Wrote:
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> Why was 2 ft gauge the choice of Maine railroads
> instead of 3 foot gauge? Although never had the
> chance to visit Maine, The terrain seems flatter
> than Colorado.
>
> Enjoy this video
>
> [
youtu.be]
1) Here's some historical background on why two-feet was selected:
Maine Encyclopedia
2) Colorado has its flat areas - east of the Front Range and the San Luis Valley
3) Most other states have "flatter" terrain than Colorado's mountainous areas.
4) The scenes shown in the video are not necessarily representative of Maine's topography. Maine has its share of rugged landscapes and its tallest mountain, Mt. Katadin, is 5,627 feet in elevation.
5) Narrow gauge railroads were built in flatter areas, too. Examples are the Chicago & Northwestern "dinky" in Wisconsin and the Southern Pacific narrow gauge in California.