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How do you show dual gauge track?

Started by armchairmodeler, March 08, 2019, 11:00:31 PM

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armchairmodeler

I would like to know if there is a way of showing dual gauge track as our club is thinking about adding a narrow gauge line from our logging/mining branch and the thought is having it run down a portion of the mainline to another branch the has our sawmill complex.  There is two possible routes it could take and I'm tasked with doing the drawing for a comparison of the length of the routes.

Tom Springer

What specifically are you looking for?  Are you trying to put NG track "along side" SG track ("down a portion of the mainline")?  Or are you using something like the Micro Engineering Dual Gauge track (with the 3 rails) and want to mix that with/connect to SG track (for a true dual-gauge track section)?
Tom Springer

(Unintentional Pyromaniac)

armchairmodeler

I'm trying to show all three rails on the mainline and in the branches.  I looked in the track libraries and not sure if any show what I want.

Tom Springer

Are you using Micro Engineering track, the 12-110/12-112 3-rail HOn3 flex track parts?  I don't think they are in the Micro Engineering track library, but @David can verify this.

What 3-rail turnouts are you using?  I ask because I don't know of any ready-made ones, and custom ones (user-made track parts) can't yet be done in AnyRail.
Tom Springer

(Unintentional Pyromaniac)

armchairmodeler

I personally don't want narrow gauge on the club layout seeing it is a 3 level layout and the talk was using the top level.
So I think I going to beg off the project and tell them the AR program won't allow me to draw what they are asking for.  I really appreciated all your help you've tried giving me.

Tom Springer

I've always hoped someday to have N-scale dual-gauge track and turnouts to be able to do the DRGW Montrose-Salida connection. I was soooo hoping that you had found HO dual-gauge turnouts so I could speculate on trying to build an HO version of that connection as a diorama... if, for no other reason, that I could someday actually see a real dual-gauge layout.  Plus, I wanted to see how your club "solved" the problem of using SG and NG cars coupled together.  Real-world dual-gauge couplers are fascinating as a piece of engineering; so far, I've only seen them in museums.

If you want a reason to kill the club project, don't lay it at AnyRail's feet, just ask (1) where are the turnouts coming from and (2) where are the dual-gauge couplers being made.
Tom Springer

(Unintentional Pyromaniac)

The Track Planner

To Tom...
Slightly off topic, but if you ever get to Northern Colorado, I'll take you to a narrow gauge/standard layout based on the general area your talking about. A very close friend of mine, he lives less then 5 minutes from me, has the kind of layout your talking about. He has hand built all turnouts, both narrow and dual gauge. All the track is hand laid. He runs Blackstone K-27's and op sessions are a blast.

armchairmodeler

After doing some thinking and looking at AR, think I found a work around that might satisfy the club.  I took a 'N' scale track and laid one rail outside rail over the top of the HO outside rail leaving the other N scale rail sort of in the middle, then created both as sections and colored coded each differently this showing a somewhat dual trackage.  Starting to work now seeing how it will work with switches.

David

Tillig provides dual gauge track, and it's available in AnyRail :)
David Hoogvorst. Founder and Owner of DRail Software. Creator of AnyRail.


Tom Springer

Quote from: David on March 09, 2019, 03:15:59 PM
Tillig provides dual gauge track, and it's available in AnyRail :)

Thanks for dangling this in front of me when it's not available in my scale ...  :P
Tom Springer

(Unintentional Pyromaniac)