. . . and pounds past the goods yard and engine shed.

indentSeen from this high up the model can look rather toy-like.  In fact, when sat at the control panel, it doesn't seem so.  True, you can see a long train going in two opposite directions at once but - and here's where genuine reality kicks in - with steam trains you always look at the engine at the front so in fact, strange though it may seem, you really do not notice it.
indentAlso, since the whole 30 foot run is broken up into small, manageable chunks, the eye "flicks" from one scene to the next to watch the train pass through it.  Since it is impossible to see the train constantly all the way round it seems to travel much further than it actually does and so the layout seems larger too.