ins man , ▁Per kins , ▁Smith , ▁and ▁Tod ; ▁newly ▁elected ▁were ▁Charles ▁L . ▁Rh odes , ▁former ▁agent ▁for ▁the ▁Cleveland ▁and ▁Pitts burgh ▁Rail road , ▁and ▁Henry ▁W ick , ▁a ▁prominent ▁Cleveland ▁bank er . ▁Per kins ▁was ▁elected ▁president . ▁ ▁G au ge ▁and ▁fund ra ising ▁As ▁the ▁company ▁prepared ▁for ▁construction , ▁it ▁had ▁to ▁decide ▁on ▁a ▁track ▁width ▁(" g au ge "). ▁The ▁track ▁width ▁has ▁been ▁character ized ▁as ▁both ▁narrow - g au ge ▁and ▁standard - g au ge . ▁It ▁was ▁neither ; ▁the ▁gauge ▁was ▁a ▁highly ▁unusual ▁. ▁At ▁the ▁time , ▁nearly ▁all ▁rail ro ads ▁in ▁Ohio ▁were ▁built ▁with ▁a ▁ ▁gauge ▁( the ▁" Oh io ▁gauge "). ▁The ▁direct ors ▁of ▁the ▁new ▁rail road ▁chose ▁the ▁slightly ▁nar ro wer ▁gauge ▁because ▁they ▁believed ▁it ▁would ▁allow ▁the ▁road ▁to ▁also ▁ha ul ▁standard - g au ge ▁rail c ars . ▁The ▁confusion ▁about ▁the ▁C & M ' s ▁gauge ▁likely ▁st ems ▁from ▁the ▁fact ▁that ▁the ▁Atlantic ▁and ▁Great ▁Western ▁Railway ▁( a ▁broad - g au ge ▁railway ) ▁and ▁its ▁owned ▁and ▁le ased ▁subs idi aries ▁( which ▁included ▁the ▁C & M ) ▁converted ▁to ▁standard - g au ge ▁on ▁June ▁ 2 2 , ▁ 1 8 8 0 . ▁ ▁The ▁Cleveland ▁and ▁Mah oning ▁Rail road ▁initially ▁sold ▁stock ▁to ▁raise ▁construction ▁funds . ▁In