I have a spot on my layout in between some industries and the railroad.(The bare wood) Now I need help, I don’t know exactly what to put there. I was thinking of putting some long grass with the Noch static Grass Master, but don’t have one. I was also thinking about putting junk in there, but it was pretty close to the streets. So what do you guys think I could put there?
EDIT: If you want to know the industries here they are. The building on the left is a Heavy Machinery facility where they make large electrical generators and large machinery. The building on the right is a Fabrication Shop where they make things out of sheet metal.
Well there is something to be said for the “less is more” approach…all of us have the tendency to jam as much stuff into a layout as we can. However there is something to be said for empty spaces even if they are small.
I would make it a gravel covered space or a weed covered lot with a bit of litter, maybe a little junk in the high weeds.
But if you want something there, perhaps a Walthers transformer (933-3126) surrounded by high chain link fence?
Or maybe a good place for a hobo jungle?
Might be a little weird, but old old abandoned cemeteries show up in some strange places…just a few old tombstones, maybe surrounded by a small rock wall.
I’d fence the space in with a chain-link fence, but with an open gate. I’d put a propane tank next to the small building (the “office” from an Atlas roundhouse, right?) and maybe a dumpster somewhere else. Park a couple of cars in there and you’ll have most of the space filled.
Depending on what those industries are, this could be a good place for storage of repair parts for machinery or for storage of raw materials. Put a fence around it, either vertical boards or chain link one. A solid fence is also a good place to advertise the industry. In the examples below, the fence is made from strip styrene, with individual sheets of Campbell corrugated siding glued in place. This was built in place, in order to follow the uneven ground, then lifted out of its mounting holes for painting and weathering.
Yes, The bare wood. The industry on the left it a Heavy Machinery facility that makes electrical generators and large machinery. The industry on the right is a fabrication shop where they make thing out of sheet metal.
Go with parking for the employees, either mud & gravel or old asphalt. Walmart has HO scale cars and trucks from Malibu International and MotoArt for about 2-3 bucks each. Metal shops always have a large trash dumpster just for the scrap metal, you can make one easily or find several available at Walthers. Scrap doesn’t take long to build up, so it wont be rusty. Tear up a buch of wrappers from Hershey’s Kisses to fill the dumpster.
All of the above would be just fine. You could have some old weathered concrete footings for a now gone water tower with weeds growing everywhere around it. How about a lubricants shed? Utility pole surrounded by 20 sq yards of weeds and a gravel parking lot. Propane tank(s) on short footings? Fuel tank on stilts surrounded by chainlink fence…include them lubricants in a small shed, too.
So that it won’t be crowded, make this a dirt lot with 1 to 2 company trucks (a flat bed and perhaps a boxtruck like Athearn’s Ford C series) as some metal shops provide delivery service. Add a forklift truck as well. I deal with a sheetmetal shop here in my city. Their forklift is quite scratched up and weathered.
Instead of a gravel lot, a dirt lot with a light layer of gravel would be helpful for the forklift to drive around in. [;)]
I would suggest the chain link fence. Maybe a propane tank to fill fork trucks, and some pallets the industry could use to ship out finished goods. If you could find a fork truck you could position one driving around the lot and maybe a pallet or two of wood the industries could use to enclose goods that they dont want to rust. This could be on gravel or tar.
But One Track Mind’s suggestion of a small transformer strikes me as really good for this industry.
But Space Mouse’s Idea of parking is compelling, on further thought there is no place to put a bobtail or a semi truck briefly while dismounting and running into the main office or docks to determine which dock to get into or out of.
Gravel lot fenced in with chain link. I would think that with a track right there, perhaps a flatbed truck, small crane or loading ramp and a some materials that were fabricated by the shop. Am I to assume this industry is served by the rail right next to it?
how about just putting some kind of loading dock type area there… even if its a small sheetmetal pressing shop, whos to say they dont need things by rail every once in a while. or maybe the previous tenant used the rail service…
considering the building is by the spur, make use of it… otherwise, why is it there?
