4 feet 8.5 inches ... is called standard gauge.
There are still narrow gauge trains of both 3 feet and 2 feet operating, but only as tourist attractions these days.
Gauge refers to the spacing between the rails. In the US that's 4'8" and any track spacing that's wider is called "broad gauge".
Don Ball has written: 'Portrait of the rails' -- subject(s): Railroads, Locomotives, History 'America's railroads' -- subject(s): History, Railroads 'Railroad!' 'Portrait of the rails' -- subject(s): Railroads, Locomotives, History
This is difficult to answer because depending upon the area and the railway, and era, the answer is different. The early railroads used wooden rails with steel straps on top, which was followed by iron rails. Initially, these were built on stone "sleepers", but later were built on wooden sleepers or ties. In the Southern US, many railroads were built on "stilts", essentially bridges because of the wetlands/swamps they travelled through.
The railroad term "gauge" refers to the spacing between the rails. A "narrow gauge" line or train is therefore one where the spacing between the rails is less than the "standard gauge" of 4 feet 8.5 inches.
Iron allowed the rails to be built and the trains themselves to be designed.
Good steel became cheap. Trains run on steel rails. Miles and miles and miles of them.
lifted and set heavy iron rails into place.
The iron rails that formed the railway tracks.
They crashed off the rails in 1955
To keep the rails at a certain spacing, and to spread the weight of the train over a wider area.
To keep the rails at a certain spacing, and to spread the weight of the train over a wider area.
Railroads use a LOT of steel. The Bessemer process reduced the cost of making good quality steel. That meant that railroads could afford to buy the rails to build more tracks to more places.