So too is knob & tube wiring. We lived in an historic 1857 house with wiring from the 1920s, all in good condition. Then one May we got a letter from our insurer that we wouldn’t be renewed that coming August unless it was all replaced. $10k later we were good to go, I guess with good reason, but all the same.....
I fail to see why a live steam layout, even 15”, would be an issue unless you invite the public and hold special events there. And even if finding an insurer, the cost will be another issue. I wonder if there’s a group of similar operators would give you a line on their insurers.
Cheers,
Ralph
“My heart is warm with the friends I make, And better friends I’ll not be knowing;
Yet there isn’t a train I wouldn’t take, No matter where it’s going.”
- - - - - - - “Travel”, by Edna St. Vincent Millay