Re: Track Spacing,

Serve customer by going forward. If you don't have a caboose, use a second engine. This is the recent pattern on many lines now in the Standard Gauge world. Engines are on both ends of locals.
Did you know there are studies and intentions to remove all stirrups, ladders and handhold from all the nation's cars except to the hand brake? Just like they took the roof walks off. It is in review status only, but would save millions in weight removal and prevent accidents by riding crews.
Now, my post was about Narrow Gauge cars and lines. They do not serve any customer other than tourist, and no operation needs to have anyone ride on the side of any equipment. If no one gets on or off using any handhold, they can be the original color to look like historic equipment, which is the reason the cars exist-to be historic!
And there is no FRA requirement to have handrails white, yellow or such! Look at Nevada Northern engines as example, all good old black.
And if you don't think I have been in the real world, I put 125 cars away each night for 6 months by myself and a roadforman (management engineer) in a giant chemical plant at Institute, WV. I never rode the side of any car and never used a radio, all hand lantern and never out of sight of the lead end of movement or the engineer. Learn to walk, it’s safer.