Turn of the century modeller, Don Ball, has a fantastic layout set in California in 1895. You can check out his blog here. Don is a prototype modeller and his work is exceptional; his layout has been featured in Model Railroad Hobbyist and the Railroad Model Craftsman publications.
Don's Stockton and Copperopolis Railroad features several oil depots and tank cars. Oil traffic was something my layout was lacking. While you can't have it all, I liked the look of what he had done and a few months back I went about adding a scene to the layout.
Don had modelled part of an oil distribution centre on the edge of his layout (see page 10 of the MRH layout article linked above). I had an area at the end of my team track that was underused where I could try something similar, but less detailed. I built a fence around the area for the depot with gates and made a sign, based on the one on Don's layout.
Don had modelled part of an oil distribution centre on the edge of his layout (see page 10 of the MRH layout article linked above). I had an area at the end of my team track that was underused where I could try something similar, but less detailed. I built a fence around the area for the depot with gates and made a sign, based on the one on Don's layout.
The tanks themselves were from MDC old-time tank car kits. I painted and recalled them for the Union Tank Line and mounted them on 30' flat cars. Gloss black paint made good authentic-looking oil spills. Since taking the photos below I've added oil spills on the ground and made the area look a little more 'used'. Overall, I'm pleased with what it brings to the layout in terms of interest and operations.
Modelling only part of an industry or structure can be a good way to make the layout seem larger than it is. Have you used this technique on your layout?
What a great idea for the area.
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