On facebook, it seems that some on30 groups self identify as being „serious“ modelers and others do not. Fantasy modelers could slide into being toy guys very easily. Some even populate their layouts with action figures from kids shows and games. Warhammer or whatever.
Generally the On30 crowd goes for realism with two rail trains and scale couplers, cars, and accessories. OGR covers them. Don’t know if MR or RMC do.
Bob Keller
http://cs.trains.com/ctt/f/95/t/145317.aspx?page=1
This thread has some pictures of toy layouts.
Firelock, ok, hi rail does not just mean more realistic scenary than is typical of toy train layouts. It also means being averse to realistic track for the pragmatic reasons you gave.
what i still cannot quite grasp is the aversion for on30 in the toy train community. On30 is O scale cars running on a compromise track. the MR forums deride on30 as being toy-like and say it belongs in the CTT forum. But some in the CTT forum say if it runs on ho track its ho and belongs over in MR. CTT already compromised on track realism with hi rail. Why not embrace ho track as well? They would capture some more readers.
There's also a very practical reason for "hi-rail" versus "O gauge scale" operation.
"O gauge scale" entails use of rail with a much lower profile, and that means O gauge engines and rolling stock with much narrower wheel flanges. Nothing wrong with that but there is the probability of much more frequent derailments and other operating problems. "Hi-rail" doesn't have that problem due to the higher rail profile and much wider wheel flanges.
Also, there's a lot more availability and versatility in "high-rail" engines and rolling stock. The engines are usually a helluva lot less expensive too!
Art, thanks. A toy layout might start as a flat board. Then if the Hobbyist wants to move to hi rail, he might work on the scenery. I get it.
Bob, thanks. If hi rail is a compromise between Toy and Realism then i can see that the increase in accuracy might be in the scenery rather than the train.
Simplicity best describes the scenery on a traditional "toy" layout. It might be nothing more than green paint on plywood, or display a collection of Plasticville buildings (or tin or ceramic), with a papier mache mountain. Other layouts might focus on operating freight cars and accessories to load/unload coal, logs, pipe, etc.
Think of the sort of display one used to see under a Christmas tree.
My take is that hi-railers are more focused on realstic scnery more than realistic operation. We've run contless layouts with realistic scenery, and (in reality) improbably combinations of locomotives and rolling stock. Think the folks who identify as 3-rail scale would be more likely latch onto realistic operation. Just my 2 cents.
As i understand the definitions, hi rail and Toy layouts are the opposite of prototype, modeling, diorama layouts. Structures and other scenery might be a little mismatched in scale. Not sure what else is different.
hi railers/toy train people are more interested in running their trains than in realism or precise modeling of terrain.
Would anyone be willing to share pictures of their hi-rail/Toy layouts? Simplicity has its own elegance.
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