Dual three rail track

[Richard_Dodge]

I am looking for dual track consisting of three rails. The outside rails should be standard gauge with with a third rail inside the main rails set to three foot gauge. Also should be able to insert turnouts at any point along the track.
I am running TRS 2006 with SP1.

I have researched the DLS for the above subject but no luck. There is a MAN6 dual gauge track which is not suitable.

Any help or suggestions on where to look for the above subject will be greatly appreciated.

Have a good day and thank you.

Richard

 

[motorbreath]

All I could find besides the MAN6 was 4 rail dual gauge. What's not working for you with the MAN6?

 

[teddytoot]

As far as I know this cannot be done as the visible track is centred on the invisible logical track. This means that even if you made a three rail track the NG train would still be in the centre. The only way I know to solve this is to lay the SG track and then lay a second NG rails only track over the top of it using shift-click so that one side coincides. I have tried this on a short length of track but would hate to do it for a complete route.

 

[motorbreath]

The MAN6 seems to have been set up with 2 centers, but I haven't tried it yet. Did you get all of the different MAN6 tracks? There are several different ones such as connecting track ect. I don't have time to experiment right now, but I will try later unless someone comes up with better answers, which is likely.

 

[deeelare]

As far as I know this cannot be done as the visible track is centred on the invisible logical track. This means that even if you made a three rail track the NG train would still be in the centre. The only way I know to solve this is to lay the SG track and then lay a second NG rails only track over the top of it using shift-click so that one side coincides. I have tried this on a short length of track but would hate to do it for a complete route.

And then one runs into problems creating a junction .
I have yet to find three rail track that has junctions ?

--- ,DLR

 

[RPearson]

Yes can be made in a couple of ways. I'm pretty sure shortline2 has made some. I know there are other versions around. I have my own but have never uploaded any. You can see some of it in these screen shots: http://forums.auran.com/trainz/showthread.php?p=128594#post128594

1)It can be done as bridge track with 2 invisible splines for the attached tracks. The bridge mesh is made showing ballast, ties and all 3 rails. The centers are set up in the config so the invisible tracks carry the trains at the correct position with respect to the rails in the bridge mesh. This is the easiest way for most peolple to work with and lay but needs special attention at junctions which require single spline track as in the next suggestion.

2) Regular spline track is made using mesh exactly like the bridge mesh above showing 3 rails. The narrowgauge track is layed as a separate invisible spline. The difficulty is in accurate spacing of the invisible spline points from the spline points for the rendered track which shows all 3 rails. Working with spline points so close together is difficult in surveyor and one of the reason bridge and multi track splines were made available.

The dual gauge track shown in the Mt Union yard shots above were all made with separate 3 rail mesh and invisible spline for ng track due primarily to number of turnouts in the yard track. My invisible track splines are rendered as yellow lines in Surveyor. I use my own program to create the trk file from cad drawings I make so I don't have a problem with keeping the spacing correct. But doing it manually is a challenge hence most people use the bridge track and only resort to the separate splines at junctions.

Bob Pearson

 

[S301]

There's a 3rd way Bob. If you take a look at my VR 'MRT' track (5ft3in and SG track set), it uses a similar method to your second one. Except, it is actually a little easier to place. You use a 'standard' broad gauge track first. You then 'overlay' (same way as the invisible track in your second method) a 'DG Common Rail' track to it. This 'DG CM Rail' track has the 'SG' rail in full detail, and then a simple 2 poly plane running down where the center of the 'common rail' would be. Still not easy to lay down, but it is much easier than trying to place invisible track correctly.

On another note, and I know people will hurt me for this

In TS2009 we can now set the threshold for spline points on fixed objects. This allows us to now build 'dual gauge' fixed track pieces. Which will make either 'method 2' (Bob's post) or 'method 3' (this post) much much easier Even if you do delete the fixed piece immediately after laying the track, it still makes life easy
Zec