In my haste to post a reply in a thread, I "assumed" (DANGEROUS word) that I was in the 3 rail forum, which is where my following line of thought would be most appropriate. Spent too much time on the post to trash it... so thought I would offer it up here on the idea of hobby-related "infatuations" that you find mentally tempting. That said, here goes...
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In regards to 3 rail, my infatuation is an entire layout concept...
* Industrial/city type setting. (To justify the heavy mainline traffic and switching confines.)
* Around-the-wall layout design to minimize layout intrusion into the available space. (Allowing the extensive use of photoflats on the backdrop.)
* Lionel PW-type steam ONLY (i.e traditional size).
* "Traditional" type rolling stock in boxcar reds, black, etc, ONLY. Red cabooses okay, however, any hi-sheen cars to be given a coat of dullcoat.
* Use of GarGraves "Phantom" rail sectional track and switches. Outside rails painted a very dark color (like charcoal black) along with the use of "cinder type" ballast. To save space, smallest radius would be 042. (ONE of the reasons for limiting my idea to traditional sized equipment.) Any crossovers would use larger radius than 042 switches so as to enhance the visual look of such a crossover move.
* With above being my given's, then it's "no holds barred" in regards to "realistic" scenery: Go with the best I'm capable of creating: There won't be any shiny equipment or shiny silver track to interfere with the illusion.
My thinking was that by using the dark color on the rails and cinder-type ballast, the third rail would be minimized to my eyes. The use of ONLY traditional size equipment could result in tricking my brain into being okay with it being 3-rail. Past experience indicates that my mind would say "Okay, these are toy trains, therefore that 3rd rail is okay." Shying AWAY from bright colored rolling stock, and dull coating any shiny ones, keeps the trains congruent looking and more realistic to my mind. By staying with primarily PW steam engines, it's conceivable that the end result could be interpreted as a "late steam" effort. Okay... there COULD be some of the early (cast frame) Lionel Erie FA sets involved... because those fit well with traditional sized steam engines and rolling stock... AND they look so darn cool! However, the presence of FA's would immediately place the layout's "setting" in the 1940s.
Over the years, the few pictures I've seen of such an approach indicate it would be a viable path for my tastes to take.... BUT... given that years ago I gave up on 3 rail and returned to HO scale, this idea would now have to be later in life when I simply can't do the small tedious work any longer and still have the urge to create, as well as watch trains run. Thus I finish out my years with 3-rail. Here's a couple of pictures from within my 3-rail "concepts" type folder that illustrate what I'm trying to express here. (With apologies if I don't remember the sources correctly)
First up: Note the broad radius curves, note the weathered track to mute its size and that 3rd rail. Also note how that the engines have rolling stock trailing behind them that do not betray their traditional size. In addition, note there's not any truly "bright" equipment in the trains that are being focused on. Lastly, note the scenery is quite believable...
And then there's this picture posted a long time ago by a chap named "Christopher" (I think). Also take note that this is a little steam engine that many consider a true "toy train". That said, now focus on just the immediate foreground for a moment (to keep in focus my thoughts above): Note how the setting, the (weathered track, the dark ballast that helps mute the 3rd rail, the signal box, the signal itself, and the ground cover) suddenly make the "toy train" look pretty stinkin' good! And just think what a light coat of dull coat would do for that little engine!
And lastly, here's an example from my own efforts right as I was in the process of blowing it with my 3 rail experiment:
Change out the diesel (which was too big for the traditional sized rolling stock, anyway) with a nice looking PW Berk pulling a good looking train like I described above, replace all the scale-size equipment with traditional-sized equipment*, spray paint/weather the track with charcoal black... add cinder ballast and "yard type" ground scrubble/cover... and you've got where I SHOULD have headed with my 3 rail experiment. But, it was just not to be at the time.
* When I began placing scale-sized equipment among my traditional equipment, the presence of same jarred, and ultimately caused the demise, of the "illusion" the traditional sized equipment was supplying for me.
So there you have it... that's my "what if" infatuation that I've mentally entertained myself with over the past few years IF the time should come that HO modeling is too small for my hands/eyes.
All fer this 'un!
Andre
