Here are three pics of my loading pens. HO scale, set in 1950’s/early 1960’s central Arizona.
It is just about done, I think. The windmill needs to be finished, there will be some cattle in the pens, and in the first pic you can see a hay shed in the right centerr. I have some hale bales which will be placed in there to create the illusion of a full structure. Also, I will probably put some clump foliage in a few places along the outside of the corrals.
Somehow though, I think this looks sort of blah and may have fouled up with the ground cover.
I don’t think it looks blah at all. You have done a great job on weathering the fencing. With the details you plan to add it will be a great scene, especially once there is some livestock present.
One suggestion I would make is that I doubt there would be much greenery left inside the pens if they are still active. I would suspect it would be all mud. Doing the pens in mud would provide some contrast between the pens and the ground outside them.
If you want to get really fussy, there wouldn’t be any greenery immediately outside of pens where the livestock could reach their noses and tongues out to get at it.
I would also move the water troughs closer to the water source but that’s just me being picky. If they were right against the bottom fence they could be filled without having to go into the pens.
Thanks Dave. Originally I was going to have just mud inside, and put down a layer of Arizona Rock & Minerals Earth. But then I scored some photos off the internet that showed loading pens that had vegetation inside of the corrals. At this point I am conflicted which is why I did this post. Remving theground cover in the corrals is no big deal, though, just douse the area with rubbing alchohol and wait and scrape.
Bear, I edited my post regarding the location of the water troughs.
I suppose the amount of greenery would depend on frequency of use. If they were busy I’m guessing the amount of traffic would beat the grass down, especially in front of the water troughs. Maybe just make that area a little muddier.
This is how my stock pen ended up. I chose pork instead of beef as the livestock. This is the way I ended up, with a muddy pen inside.
Earlier on as I built this scene, I used a straw bed instead, but I didn’t like the look and switched to mud.
Other than pictures, I know nothing about livestock pens. I was born in Brooklyn, NYC, and raised on Long Island. I live in the Boston Burbs. So, my modeling is based on pictures and imagination. But, I throw these out for comparison.
I think your scene is fine, and you will like it a lot more once there are some cattle in the pens. Perhaps an era-appropriate pickup truck or some piece of agricultural equipment would add an additional focal point, but I see nothing wrong with what you’ve done so far.
Yeah,live stock areas do look blah with lots of “cow patties” laying about…
These areas are not for those with weak stomachs due to the olfactory aroma from those patties and the brown colored ground. [xx(]
I know this first hand…My father in law kept live stock that he would sell at a live stock auction and I went with him several times after my railroad career ended…
Your earlier pens looked much better then the pig pen with fresh hay.
S, it is a function of the kit that I used, although on another part of my layout there are unloading pens and a packing house. Those pens are constructed similar to the ones you have in the pic you posted.
Thanks Mr.B. In fact, I too, am originally from what is now a Boston burb and I understand your lack of first hand knowledge about corrals. I like your first pic with the mud.
I wouldn’t expect to see any greenery at all. On my trips to Arizona, I don’t recall seeing any green that wasn’t deliberately planted for decorative reasons and carefully maintained.
Carl, depending on fall and spring precipitation, you can get a lot of greenery in the Sonoran desertm including wildflowers. May not last long, but it can be colorful. Of the four great North American deserts, the Sonoran is the most beautiful and least desolate.
As one who has worked with cows over 40 years and been around them longer as an observing kid, I agree with the idea of no greenery in the pens or close by. Those hoofs chew up the soil rapidly and they reach through all they can. Also, the cow patties get the same harsh treatment and don’t retain their form long, so aren’t really necessary (they are more for less crowded pasture scenes). Your ramps would be well stained by many feet tracking the afore mentioned patties up the ramp as they go (or arrive).
Any time I’ve been near handling facilities the scenery is mostly stuff, rather rough looking facilities, boards replaced here and there, broken pieces of fence laying around. I’d leave the boards unpainted, an unnecessary expense. For the facility. Have some boards looking new and others weathered various shades of gray.
As for the water tubs, I’d back them up to ajoining fences so that one line down a walkway could be split and feed two tanks. Also, put them in the middle of the fence so that as many cattle as possible can access them at one time. Those critters take a lot of water.
Muddy pens would not be good, but they certainly happen. Keeping the animals reasonably dry and somewhat clean offers a better product.
IMHO, the stock pens look great. Add a bit of livestock and it looks super. What hampers the overall appearance is the looks of the adjacent track, which requires painting, weathering and maybe a different style of ballst - that pinkish look of it seems not suitable for the location - at least to my eyes.
Well, Sir Madog, the track will be weathered eventually. And while I appreciate your comments on the ballast, it is the ATSF mauve from Arizona Rock and Minerals, which I use on the spurs and sidings, and C&NW pink which I use on the mainline. It’s an attempt to provide some color to the layout, believe it or not, although the ATSF does have a presence in Arizona.
I have seen pictures, though. Very beautiful indeed.
One of my favorite “rules” for a convincing layout is to model the ordinary, not the extraordinary. I would be inclined to go for the way it looks most of the time - the look that would cause most people to think Arizona.
