Hello gang. I’ve been debating for a couple of months now on what to do with a small open space on my 1950s era N scale layout. One of my ideas was to put in a drive in theater but the expense of having to buy the several or so cars needed for it got that one sat aside. Then it dawned on me - a truck stop!.. I already have several semi trucks with trailers that I’m not using and a small Joe’s diner that I built a couple of years ago but never used, so all I need to do now is make up a sign and driveway and wa la. It gives me a great amount of joy to come up with something really cool like this that doesn’t cost me anything more than what I already have tied up in it…
Anyone else out there have a story to tell like this ?.
If you have all the things needed for a truck stop, it will add an element that can be changed occasionally by moving your vehicles around. Actually a drive in theater doesn’t have many cars, if it is daytime, but that is pretty static unless you have a work crew or some such there occasionally. The one thing I have seen about trucking facilities is that they often have very tight, unrealistic turns. I would think a truck stop would be a bit easier, as it doesn’t require being able to back up to loading dock.
Hello Richard. I think what I’m going to do is put the diner in the center of the driveway and maybe also put a diesel pump island off to one side. Another idea I had was to put in a used car lot but I like the truck stop idea much better.
A truck stop is a fine idea and seems to be rarely modeled (mayby because most of us are more train orientated.) However if you don’t run your trains at “night” you only need cars at a drive-in movie if there is a flea market using the site during the day (usually only on weekends). Also I believe that in many areas drive-ins were/are not open year round.
You can always do the Drive-in theatrer as an abandon site, We have three in the area one is still active, one has since been torn down to built office complex another is just abandon.
If you are going to model a truck stop look on ebay for one of those orange 76 antenna balls I picked one up to use as part of a giant sign to advertise it off the highway.
I used Blair Line’s drive-in kit (HO) and set it up as a background structure. With most drive-ins, all you can see from the road is the back of the screen, the fencing, ticket booth and entrance, so you wouldn’t need cars. You might be able to do the drive-in AND the truck stop.
