Looking for some suggestions for 3' narrow gauge. First a suitable portal to use with this gauge and second suitable UK locos and trucks to work a coal mine. Thanks for any advise and suggestions.
3 ft wasn't very common in Britain (I can only think of the Southwold Rly but there are probably more), but check out the ING4Trainz site for Irish and Manx locos and rolling stock which look very British. http://ing4trainz.greateastern.org.uk/
I assume you are talking above ground? Any particular location or period?
This is a difficult one as 3ft wasn't commonly used for anything much in the UK, so I don't think there is anything for UK in 3ft for Trainz.
Coal mines underground seem to have used anything from 18 inches to 3ft more usually they were around 2ft or 2ft 6" depending on available space. Used to work in mine surveying for the NCB, a very long time ago.
Narrow Gauge in Coal mines gauge info here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_quarrying_and_mining_narrow_gauge_railways#Coal
and a bit more here: http://www.ingr.co.uk/englist.html
Ireland and the Isle of Man had / have 3ft probably nothing available in Trainz suitable for a mine though.
You may have to source Trainz items from Europe for metre gauge to get anything close to 3ft.
I'd suggest going for 2 ft far more uk stuff available.
Thanks. The only reason I selected 3' gauge was because I want to use the following item: 3 track coal mine 1 by bendorsey <kuid2:210518:10608:1>. I know that this in not a UK item but I kinda like the look of it and as this is a fictional route Im making - well you can see where that train of thought is going. Anyway as part of it it has a 3' gauge track at the top I wanted to include a NG mine scene. I guess the easiest way would be to change the track in the config file for something more UK orientated. With that in mind - What options are open to me?
With the coal mine change in_track to useadjoiningtracktype from 0 to 1, then it will change to whatever you attach or just change the kuid. The main tracks are 1 so will accept anything.
For 2ft, Have a look at http://ing4trainz.greateastern.org.uk/hook norton.htm scroll down a bit and the 2ft iron ore wagons look pretty close to what's needed. If a diesel is required then search on the DLS for 600 mm, quite a few small industrial diesels that look OK in a UK setting. For steam there are quite a few suitable small 2ft UK locos on the same site.
Also the best place for Irish and IOM 3ft stuff. should you want to try 3ft.
The only disadvantage to that method is if the rails are considerably different in gauge from what was there originally the stringers (longitudinal beams under the rails) might no longer be under the rails. Otherwise clam1952's suggestions are spot on (as ya'll say on your side of the pond, ha ha).
