Narrow gauge "Odenwald-Express"

[Laura Beinbrech]

That's really cool stuff, Asper!  One of the reasons for my own interest in narrow-gauge railroads is because my home state (Pennsylvania) was once home to dozens of narrow-gauge railroads, either for hauling coal or timber (or both) out of narrow mountain valleys that were too small for standard gauge railroads to be economically feasible.  Of course, starting about 100 years ago, most were abandoned & removed, but there are three that still at least sort of exist:  The best preserved one is the East Broad Top Railroad & Coal Company, which was recently bought up by a dedicated Non-profit organization, and they hope to re-start tourist excursions (which were suspended by the previous owner in 2011 due to it being too expensive to run as a for-profit operation), and even extend those as track repairs & such are carried out.  The EBT has almost all of its original rolling stock, locomotives & equipment at the main yard in Rockhill Furnace, PA.

The other two are on the "sort of" list due to them going out of business in the first half of the 20th century & most of the equipment being scrapped, sold or lost.  The first is the Waynesburg & Washington Railroad, which was located near Pittsburgh, PA, and currently, none of the original track remains, but the Greene County Historical Society Museum has 500ft (152.4m) of track on site as well as the original #4 steam locomotive, a narrow-gauge Plymouth diesel locomotive & one of the original W&W passenger cars that is currently being restored. 

The last one that sort of exists is the Tuscarora Valley Railroad, for which only a single combination car (railroad wagon that is half passenger, half freight) still exists, but is in poor shape & is currently being housed in one of the East Broad Top Railroad's shop buildings until it can be repaired & restored.

All three of these railroads use a 3ft (914mm) track gauge.  Also sorry to get a bit off topic, but you can see where my passion for narrow-gauge trains comes from, and I find stories about those that still exist in some form to be very fascinating.

[thic_trains]

On 4/7/2020 at 11:52 PM, JopieK said:

Very nice indeed, saw them on 1000steine already. LEGO should release some entire narrow gauge sets I think when I look at your stunning work.  

Ive actually heard that there were plans for a narrow gauge set in march for the 40 years on track thing. Ive heard it was going to have a switch and the straights, which do have a patent. 

[JopieK]

Well fingers crossed that that is not just a rumor then! Would be great.

[ritzcrackerman]

Sorry to bump this: what is the part ID of the inner track piece you are using from TrixBrix? Their site doesn't provide a lot of detail what parts complement the other... and you're using LEGO 3229b - slotted rail outside curves?