Qutrit Clocks and Colour: Local Constructions and their Limits

Can a network of three-state quantum systems carry protected information, obey local gauge constraints, and coordinate a clock transition with the transport of colour? This paper studies finite Hamiltonian building blocks, distinguishing exact algebra from effective interactions and numerical transport benchmarks. A three-qutrit triangle separates into a logical qutrit and two syndrome qutrits. Gauge-dressed hinges preserve local Z3 constraints, and an anchored clock restricts returned transitions to collective port operations. Auxiliary qutrits generate three-body pins from two-body terms. Encoding a neutral clock inside a cluster of fundamental SU(3) qutrits provides useful exchange constructions but introduces leakage and competing virtual returns. The strongest transport benchmark, 99.965%, belongs to a fitted permutation surrogate. The corresponding physical cluster carries an antitriplet and requires singlet contractions rather than colour swaps. At unchanged coefficients and time, the corrected allowed transition has probability about 0.55%; the original target is forbidden by charge conservation. High-fidelity physical transport and finite-energy representation selection remain open. A conditional metric appendix explains why the construction does not establish emergent gravity. The preprint includes eleven TikZ diagrams and cites the separately archived verification code and data. This is a finite-model research preprint, not a peer-reviewed or complete matter theory.