My layout will use Gargraves track.
Thanks for posting those plans!
So for the fun of it I pulled some stuff out to do a compare and contrast between a Lionel General, Thomas Industries Shawnee, and a Rivarossi Genoa just to see how they looked next to each other.
I really like the Thomas engine just from the standpoint that they fit the motor in without having to make a massive extended cab to cover it and it is pretty darn scale for a late 1870s-1880s loco.
I also wanted to see if the oversized flanges on the Rivarossi 4-4-0 would work on different types of 3 rail track. The engine and tender worked great on Atlas, GarGraves, Ross, and looked like it might work on O tubular as well.
I even pushed the Rivarossi through a Ross multipoint yard switch and it looks like it would work, the tender ran through with no problems. I’m not sure how it would do on Atlas or GarGraves switches.
One thought for a layout using GarGraves would be to have an independent loop with no switches with a power routing switch that would let you run AC 3 rail, or flip over to conventional DC using the outside rails as in 2 rail track so you could run the Rivarossi engine without having to convert it.
The Genoa in these photos was found for right around $200. For scale rolling stock BTS makes kits and I’ve also found Bachman ON30 freight cars scale out almost perfectly to early standard gauge equipment. I buy Hawthorn Village pieces, cars from holiday sets and “collecter” sets for a fraction of retail on the Bay and use 91% alcohol to strip them down in prep for converting and repainting to early stock.
I also took photos with an MTH 19th century 34’ box car and it is massive compared to 1860/70s equipment; it scales out to 34’ long but seems much too tall to me.