The Flawed Fever for Narrow Gauge

This is not a C&S-specific post, but the topic of what caused the demise of narrow gauge railways in Trains Magazine's September 2015 magazine with great interest because of a unique article entitled "Railroading's Biggest Blunders."  Dan Machalaba chronicled an unlucky 13 "faux pas that shaped the industry."  Of particular interest to me and those of us who are fascinated by the C&S, number 8 on Machalaba's list was
the US in general is quite interesting.  I read

"The Flawed Fever For Narrow Gauge."  

Here is the text of that segment:

"Narrow gauge fever swept the U.S. between 1870 and 1885.  The miles of narrow gauge lines in the country peaked in 1885 at more than 11,000, about 9 percent of American rail mileage.  For a brief time it was possible to travel by narrow gauge railroads from Ohio to Texas.

"The craze soon fizzled.

"Narrow gauge lines failed to compete with standard gauge railroads.  By 1900 most narrow gauge lines had been converted to standard gauge or abandoned.

"What happened?

"The narrow gauge movement was based on the faulty premise that small railroads (usually 3 feet between the rails) were cheaper to build and more economical to operate than standard gauge of 4 feet, 8 1/2 inches.  Proponents argued that narrow gauge lines could reduce construction costs compared with standard gauge railroads by using sharper curves, steeper grades, lighter rail, and lower-weight locomotives.

"Agricultural interests wanting cheap transportation and towns bypassed by standard gauge railroads embraced narrow gauge.  Some advocates even tried to put together a network of 3-foot-gauge railroads dubbed 'The Little Giant Line.'

"'The were like religious converts,' says Grant, the Clemson history professor.  'This was the coming

of narrow gauge.'

"The anticipated savings in capital didn't materialize.  Labor costs were similar to standard gauge.  The costs of reloading freight between narrow and standard gauge lines proved to be greater than expected.  The craze was soon over.  Narrow gauge railroads turned out to be a big waste of time and money."

Above photo from Peterson Portal