Narrow-gauge railroads in the United States
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See also: Three foot six inch gauge railways in the United States, 3 ft gauge railroads in the United States, 2 ft 6 in gauge railroads in the United States, and 2 ft gauge railroads in the United States
Standard gauge was favored for railway construction in the United States, although a fairly large narrow-gauge system developed in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and Utah. Isolated narrow-gauge lines were built in many areas to minimize construction costs for industrial transport or resort access, and some of these lines offered common carrier service. Outside Colorado, these isolated lines evolved into regional narrow-gauge systems in Maine, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Iowa, Hawaii, and Alaska.