I built another section of wall but this time I couldn't just plop it in the ground goop, because it had hardened. So, I dug out a channel where the wall was to go and then I could recess it into the existing scenery.
For the railroad entrance gates, I cobbled something together using more of the wooden boards that I cut down in height. Instead of framing them with wood, I used some 1/8" wide Plastruct I-beams. They were painted and superglued in place, with more I-beams on the ends that presumably come together over the tracks. For the hinge ends, I glued on some 1/8" diameter brass tubing. I used those sizes because that is what I found in my stash. I later added some more details like railings, scale chain and locking hardware made from office staples.
I then set the gates temporarily on my layout and slipped round wooden toothpicks into the brass tubes. The toothpicks stuck out the top of the tube and I used a small hammer to pound them into the foam base. The gates were then lifted off, the toothpicks hammered in some more, and the gates finally dropped on. Now, they can swing open and closed and are easily removed if necessary for track cleaning.
At the road entrance I built up a steel tube fencing made from some styrene strips. I used my sketches to aid in fabrication, and then I painted them yellow and weathered them. I am not sure if I will eventually replace them, but I didn't want another set of wood doors and I didn't want chain link fence because I plan to use that for my next industry. I might add corrugated metal panels, but for now I am just going to think about it for a bit.
I also glued my second decaled sign to the fence to help wayward customers find the place.
For my track bumper, I took a Gargraves tie and weathered it and then bent it into a "v" shape and glued it over the rails. Because it was already notched for the rails, it went on easy. I then hid it in more weeds and dirt to look disused. I doubt it would stop a fast rolling freight car but that is their problem, not mine.
Every business needed old pallets lying around so I built some following an article in O Gauge Railroading magazine from August/September 2012. It called for using HO scale track ties in lieu proper stripwood because they are readily available. They look good, but the pallets end up about 25% oversize for O scale (5' square instead of 4' squarish). For now, I thought they were fine.
I used my leftover stock of HO ties (some of which were already weathered) and built up a bunch of pallets. I deviated from the article by leaving off the lower row of ties to give them a thinner appearance. By the way, the smaller one at the very top is what a true 1:48 pallet should look like. As you can see, the ones I built are indeed oversize. I may replace them someday, but if I carefully place them their excessive bulk won't be noticeable.
At the same time, I scattered junk behind the buildings and along the walls. Not enough to make the place look like a rundown abandoned building, but enough to suggest a working facility that has existed for decades and collected its share of "stuff" along the way.
Every road crossing needs protection, and I went with some from Tennessee Valley Custom Models. They are nice but very delicate, made with cardstock for the crossbucks. I don't know if they will curl due to humidity or not, but we shall see. I only had room to mount one on the side of the road leading into the facility. Hopefully, customers leaving will instinctively look both ways.
I suspect Harrison will not be permitted to play on the layout anymore. As it is, he enjoys using his toy trucks on the scenery. Who can blame him? Compare my layouts with his (seen behind him on the floor).
For the track leading into the lumberyard I ballasted it with a mixture of Brennan's Superior Sand in the course and fine sizes. The course size is perfect for ballast, and I let it get onto parts of the ties to look a bit run down. The color was great too.
I wanted a vehicle or two but didn't want to use oversize or undersize ones, and there is a real lack of commercial support for 1:48 vehicles that would be appropriate for a 1970s-1980s layout. There are some "Classic" era cars from the 1940s-1950s, and a few modern pickup and high-end sports cars, but no everyday type vehicles. Except an Atlas F-100 1:48 scale pick-up truck that they made in 2019 and sadly is out of stock everywhere. I managed to find one online, so that was included in the scene.
When I got the truck I first masked off the windows. This was important because I didn't want them to get overly weathered. After a light coat of flat finish I removed the tape.
Then, everything on the truck was given a light wash of raw umber was applied, and then excess was clotted off with a paper towel and Q-tips. It remained in the cracks and crevices, and slid right down and off the still-shiny windshield. I left a bit more of the wash in the bed of the truck.
The wheels needed to be dirtied up too, and I figured it logical to use the same brown paint that is on the layout for the dirt base coat. So, some was spread on cardboard and the truck was run back and forth to get the paint into the tire treads. More paint was dabbed into the wheel wells and along the edges of the frame. I also applied and then wiped off some paint on the sides of the tires and the hubcaps.
Have you ever seen a completely empty pickup truck? Me neither. So, a couple pieces of plastic sprue scraps and some scale lumber were loaded into the back. I then sealed it all with flat finish (not bothering to mask the windows which was a BIG mistake. I had to respray them with gloss to try and restore their shine, then mask them, then spray with flat finish again).
My layout's time frame is a little flexible. It may be set in the mid-1970s, in which case this truck shouldn't look abused. But, it would certainly be dirty. If I set my layout in the mid-1980s, then perhaps I will add some rust to it. For license plates, I used a decal set from Microscale (#48-509) appropriately titled "Vehicle License Plates, 1975-1985". Wouldn't you know that there was only one set of plates for New Hampshire and one set for Maine? I used the NH set.
I also purchased an inexpensive generic 1:50 scale forklift from Amazon. Unfortunately, it was mislabeled on the box and was actually closer to 1:29 scale. It was too large for my needs so I had to send it back. Instead, I searched online for #D items and found a "1970s Medium Duty forklift" that seemed perfect for my purposes. I will build that and add it to the scene in the future.
With a scale 56' long Thrall-door boxcar parked in the facility there isn't much room to maneuver. So, I will assume that the boxcars are spotted and unloaded during the weekend when perhaps the business isn't open to the public.
In the future, I will need to take into account the size of structures a bit more when planning. I couldn't have shrunk this down any further and had it be what I wanted, though the fence certainly adds to the feeling of being cramped. Stuffing too much into a small space was a large problem of my previous layout (LINK), and I have to try hard to avoid the same thing here.
I still need to add some trees along the back of scene, but for now I am calling it done.
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