England actually had at least one more competing gauge: Brunel gauge. Brunel thought it was silly to keep using the same arbitrary gauge and that a broader gaug

England actually had at least one more competing gauge: Brunel gauge. Brunel thought it was silly to keep using the same arbitrary gauge and that a broader gauge would be more comfortable. Eventually it was decided to use the Stephenson gauge instead, though, and this became "standard" gauge. It's an interesting example of a compromise where having just one standard is preferable to trying to find the perfect standard.