Thread: 4 feet 8 1/2 inches

Close-ish. There were a number of gauges used until they standardised , much like here. Unfortunately they settled on a stupidly narrow standard gauge here.

Originally Posted by gadgetman

Close-ish. There were a number of gauges used until they standardised , much like here. Unfortunately they settled on a stupidly narrow standard gauge here.

To cope with the twisty hilly landscape in NZ, you can make a tighter bend in the track with narrow gauge.

Originally Posted by Finnwolf

To cope with the twisty hilly landscape in NZ, you can make a tighter bend in the track with narrow gauge.

Engineering wise that makes no sense whatsoever. Narrow gauge on tighter turns would lead to instability. The main thing that would determine the tightness of a turn would be the length of the locomotives between fixed axles and the sideways play that is allowed. The wider the gauge the more play that would be allowed.