of spaceships and chariots

Can't *not* post a link - how apt it is. Regardless of how contorted you might think the reason for something is, it's not necessarily whimsy, even if it has roots in ruts.

I love the idea that it's essentially an average-actual rut width essentially based on the mean of all wagon traffic, with the distribution biased by, but not controlled by, the influence of a "standards organization" like the Roman Empire