"Realistic fantasy" layout? Guilty as Charged, I guess.

Well, I guess I'm in the same category, though no one's ever brought it to my attention.  My commercial enterprises include an ice cream stand, 5 & 10, post office, pizza place, grocery store, gas station, sprawling auto junkyard, TV station, firehouse, and the Lionel scrapyard.  I suppose my 1/48 citizens have to take the (frequent) passenger trains to another city for their health care!

Lee,

Remember you are only modeling a slice of the city not the whole thing.  All those mundane buildings are in the part of the city (room) where you stand to see the layout.  Therefore you could not model them...

Yes! That's my story and I'm sticking to it . . .

What appeals most to me about O-gauge is the ability to take artistic license; heck the trains run on three rails. While I appreciate the super-realistic 3-rail train layouts featured in the magazines, its the layouts and articles that have "imagineering" license with respect to creating a world that is "neat" and fantasy-like that I read and re-read the most. I often find myself creating worlds on layouts that I'd want to live in, and those worlds are gonna have plenty of good eating establishments, train stores, and of neat dealerships, like Harley-Davidson MC!

If I ever get my completed it will be really mixed up because if I see a car I like it's bought, a building ,same thing. I don't worry about time periods I just run trains

Brent

Fantasy is what makes model railroading more fun. Don't we get enough reality in the real world?

Actually, Ace, I hate to say it but the real world seems more unreal every day.  Still, I understand and think you put it very well. The trains are a kind of escape from the real world to a place we like - at least for me.  Hmmm - maybe I need seven car dealerships . . .

You could ask "Whats the point of realism when the layout itself is a toy fantasy?" I use the term tin scale to describe mine in that if it looks appealing to me, versus real ( whatever that is ) ..well..no visitor is armed with zoning laws for a non existent municipality is going to fine me ...so I would relax. In real life I have seen some odd mixes of buildings and uses. I don't want an upscale Yuppieville anyway. Think 1950..Pre strip mall..Pre Starbucks..those were the days...No fake backdating, or cutesy architecture, re-purposing blah, blah blah. We could all be nit picked to death if we allow or more importantly give a hoot about armchair generals debating fantasies.

I second that.  Even fine-scale 2-rail layouts are only approximations of the "real world," as filtered through their creators' imaginations.  We all have enough to worry about, without getting into a sweat over making our train layouts pass for historical photographs.

It's a hobby, not a test.  Run the trains and enjoy yourself.

Yeah, you are in the "fun" part of town!  Not the "doctor/plumber/spend money on mundane life needs" part!  Mine has a Coffee Shop, Burger Joint, Ice Cream Shoppe, Brewery/Restaurant, and an empty storefront soon to be populated.

I've always believed that a model railroad should  be an exact replica of reality or something plausible. I try to 'stick' to this belief when possible. See attached.

"imagineering" license"

Yep I have one of those.

X2

I agree, "fun" part of town, "fun" part of life.

That is why I have a "medium rail" layout. 

Compression! A "pretty big" layout of 8 ft x 24 ft scales out to 10 acres in O-scale. Imagine real mainline trains circling around on a 10 acre plot! It takes some fantasy to imagine that as a representation of a real railroad!

My wife calls the layout "Happy Town," I guess the ultra-realism is more in my imagination than anywhere else. 

Ted, really like that idea of "medium rail."

The whole notion of fun is different for each one of us.  My layout is filled with whimsy but I sure do enjoy they layouts of those who are sticklers for realism.

Yup my AEC/Area51. Since anybody who's been there has been sworn to secrecy who's to say what is fantasy or what is 'prototypical.

For that matter. who cares?  

Lee, what's the old saying, it is what it is. If you are happy with it, to me, that is all that really counts. Stop worrying or you will get an ulcer and who needs that.

I'm not really worried about it, just wondering if others feel that way I do: build what you like . . .

I found this thread interesting and thought provoking. I am trying to recreate vignettes of favorite events that mean something to me and my family. But I am also deliberately excluding things that I didn't like, thus creating my own little slice of paradise. One example might be that I refuse to include graffiti, even though I know it is very commonplace. I hate it in real life so why should I include it in my little fantasy world even if it would be more realistic? I guess I want to at least make it look good enough to me that I can imagine it being a copy of a real scene.

Interesting discussion.

Art

Me, too.  I see many layouts with graffiti that is so real it looks just like what I see in the real world when we take the train, but Ugh.  This is supposed to be paradise.

I have a Town, but you won"t find 1 house on my layout.

Totally agree, You can't see the entire town from any one point, you see what is on that street. The missing offices/businesses are on a different street, thus not shown.

I have Farm houses, An "Up the creek Paddle & boat shop" A Forest Rangers Smoke spotting perch, an Open air Sawmill/ Lumber operation, A Slaughter house, a Coal Mine, and several 2 story Railking downtown buildings. I don't have Dr. or dentist offices, ect.

I do need a Hair Salon tho, My sister owns one in my home town. I may modify an existing building to suit.

The Named ones are there for reasons, Owned by Family or Long Time Friends of Family. They also give me destinations for the trains or are Appropriate to the area in general.

Lee...tell your wife that it is life the way it was meant to be.

Love that second photo, Perry. 

I bet those guys in the front row had a comment or two about the action.

MST3K and red rocks - a great combination.

As far as all those uninteresting things in the real world that we don't model are concerned - they are just beyond the edge of my layout - ran out of room!

Jim

I feel the same way you do. If you're happy with it, that's all that's necessary.

Speaking of fantasy . . . I was just playing and did this little temporary vignette.  I'd leave it except it would block my main loop.

Editors and printers from the Union Monitor building across the street join the awed staff of British sports car enthusiasts at Nigel's English Motorcars to stare at the the epitome of English speed, Donald Campbell's Bluebird.  What are chances that the slow freight carrying the world's fastest car home from Bonneville* would have to stop right here to wait for the Super Chief to pass on the mainline up ahead?  In my fantayland: roughly 100%.

-------------------

Yeah, I know - Bluebird actually set the LSR in Australia, but this is fantasyland, right?

I don't know about you guy's but I have to have absolute accuracy!  Yes sir; Rivet counter all the way for me! 

Time for me to get back in the basement and dream

You know Chris, I saw those cows yesterday in a local pasture. I did not realize that you were able to copy them so quickly. Way to go.

This is a great thread. Speaking of threads, pun intended (coming up), my wife said the most interesting thing on my layout was the telephone poles and electrical lines!!!

Lee, the change in the corner parking lot is great! Terry

The fruit cake flat car went by right after the cow shot!

Some of those cows look like they came from the "South Farms" at the University Of Illinois!