What?, another survey!

Classic Toy Trains Forum
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Well, yes. We all are “into” classic toy trains, “a given”. I’d be interested in finding out about your layout.

Our “O27” layout features postwar trains with Lionel accessories (stations, bridges, crossing gates, light towers etc) and a couple of Marx towers.

Also, Plasticville (cars, buildings, trees, people, signs etc)

It has been built to look like a “toy” layout.

Question: Is your layout, like ours, a “toy” layout, is it a “model” layout (natural scenic components) or is it a “blend”?

As always, many thanks.

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TOY!

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My Layout is an American Flyer layout with lots of scale and scatchbuilt rolling stock on “hi-rail” trucks and modified Plasticville structures as well as scale and scratchbuild structures. It looks like what you might see in Model Railroader when you saw an HO layout in the late 1950’s (because that was the look that inspired me as a kid and that was the look I was trying for when I built the layout). A lot of the industries and towns have “gag names” as was the norm on HO layouts in the 1950’s.

I would call the look “Hi Rail” but some might dispute that! I would suspect that in art terms you could call it an impressionist version of a railroad, not quite a toy layout like you would see in a Lionel Catalog in the 1950’s, but not a realistic “scale” rendering either. Certainly you would not see anything like it in Model Railroader in the last 20 years.

LittleTommy

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My postwar Lionel 027 layout is a BLEND. For the past several years I have been more interested in a TOY train layout, so if I had to do it all over again, I would be trending toward toy. Here is a video:

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Toy! If I was interested in scale modeling, I’d do HO or N. (I’ve done both with my sons)

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Mine is open grid with no scenery yet. It sure takes a lot longer than a tabletop, but most of my track is going up or down so maybe not.

My goal is Hi Rail, as real looking as I can make it but using traditional 3 rail trains. I don’t have great faith in my artistic and scenery capability.

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David: It’s been a pleasure to re-visit your layout. Must admit, I’ve borrowed some of your ideas in the past. Thanks for sharing.

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Thanks to all for your replies. I’m pretty sure that our O27 will remain “toy”.

Side note: We do have an HO layout that will remain a “model” project. It’s nice to be able to have the space to operate both.

Thanks, again.

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Referencing your side note, I also fall into having both, Mine are sort of backward though - My HO scale layout is the larger one and my 027 one is smaller. At least for now. Wayne

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My layout is very toylike with painted plywood, Plasticville, oversized signals, and way too much track for the space.

J White

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Mine has 3 loops of track, all of 027, on unpainted plywood on the floor with Dept. 56 buildings… Not much more toylike you can get

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A few more pictures. The second one is of the HO layout.

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I guess the pendulum is a-swingin’ back for me, from High-rail to more of a Postwar appreciator. My future effort will concentrate on encorporating more “fun” into a layout, but I will still want beautiful scenery.

Some guys face mid-life by purchasing a Corvette convertible. Me, I ordered a Lionel Boat-Loader…