Page "Broad gauge" Paragraph 28

A number of North American streetcar lines intentionally varied from standard gauge.

This may have been to make the streetcar companies less-tempting targets for takeovers by the steam railroads ( or competing streetcar companies ), which would be unable to run their trains over the streetcar tracks.

Pennsylvania broad gauge was used on the former ( defunct ) Pittsburgh Railways and the defunct West Penn Railways () and is still used on the current Pittsburgh Light Rail, on some SEPTA lines such as the Philadelphia streetcar lines and the Philadelphia Market-Frankford subway line ( & ) as well as in New Orleans ().