Should we oppose the

[smb at research.att.com]

	 Why did virtually all the railroads in the northern U.S. use the same
	 rail gauge BEFORE regulation of the railroads?

Ah -- you specify the ``northern'' U.S.  The situation in the south
was very different.  And even in the north, the Pennsylvania Railroad
was so large (they're the ones who billed themselves as ``the standard
railroad of the world) that other folks had to follow if they came near
the PRR.  It was near-monopoly that created that situation, not any
desire for co-operation.

In Europe, there are still a variety of different gauges, electrical
standards, loading gauges, etc.  (Actually, the latter two are problems
in the U.S. as well.)