Was driving around the island collectible hunting the other day when I stumbled across something I never thought I'd see that being the Small Gauge Line rails mapped out for quite a hefty distance for something you can't travel too far down. As most of you are aware by now there's just a story book down there but surely if they have gone to the effort of mapping them in game must mean they are planning something with them in the future right... Right?
If the narrow gauge is planned, then I believe standard gauge is the main focus for now. Not just because people want more lines like Brendam and more engines like Edward, but because I don't think Dovetail have dipped their toes into territory of unique engines like narrow gauge, mountain engines or smaller engines like the Arlesdale before. All work differently to standard gauge, like you'll just have to enter Mike's cab with the sit option as they are too small. The narrow gauge station at Crovan's Gate will need to be modified for engines like Skarloey, the platforms are currently too high for anyone to climb aboard engine or carriage.
Since Dovetail went to the effort of including the Skarloey Railway tracks in the game rather than completely omitting them when designing Croven's Gate, I have no doubt they will eventually add the narrow-gauge fleet. It would be incredibly cruel to include the tracks but not the characters. However, I believe they will, understandably, focus on the standard-gauge fleet for now. That fleet is quite sparse and needs more characters to make the railway feel complete. I think people understand that the narrow-gauge engines will arrive eventually, but it will be a long time from now, as the priority is the standard-gauge engines. Hopefully, they will come soon. If Dovetail has already secured the rights to all the characters, who knows? We might even see them as a Christmas or New Year's gift. We can only hope.
For now, I see the Skarloey Railway as set dressing for Crovan's Gate. A simple sight to see as we're rolling through, a placeholder that lets people know this is where the narrow gauge is. Besides just that, the rails can be used (if Diesel thinks he can manage a smaller engine's job) but likely because they are the same source as the standard track. It would be nice to see the sheds updated to the Season 4 look, which is more accurate to the RWS. I wonder about locations that weren't in the RWS like the Wharf, which I don't know how they could cross the Mainline down to South-East Ballahoo. Unlikely we'll see RWS's Wharf at Crovan's Gate either.
