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 trolley gauge was used on the former (defunct) Pittsburgh Railways

Pittsburgh Railways

Pittsburgh Railways was one of the predecessors of the Port Authority of Allegheny County. It had 666 PCC cars, the third largest fleet in North America. It had 68 street car routes, of which only three are used by the Port Authority as light rail routes...

 and the defunct West Penn Railways

West Penn Railways

West Penn Railways, one part of the West Penn System, was an interurban electric railway headquartered in Connellsville, Pennsylvania. It was part of the region's power generation utility.-History:...

  and is still used on the current Pittsburgh Light Rail

Pittsburgh Light Rail

The Pittsburgh Light Rail is a light rail system in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; it functions as a subway in Downtown Pittsburgh and largely as an at-grade light rail service in the suburbs. The system is owned and operated by the Port Authority of Allegheny County...

, on some SEPTA lines such as the Philadelphia streetcar lines and the Philadelphia Market-Frankford subway line

Market-Frankford Line

The Market–Frankford Line is a rapid transit line in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States, operated by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority .-Route:The Market–Frankford Line begins at 69th Street Transportation Center, in Upper Darby...

 ( & ) as well as in New Orleans

Streetcars in New Orleans

Streetcars in New Orleans have been an integral part of the city's public transportation network since the first half of the 19th century. The longest of New Orleans' streetcar lines, the St. Charles Avenue Streetcar, is the oldest continuously operating street railway system in the world,...

  and in Cincinnati .

See also

• Columbus Streetcar for the similar gauge.