This is a good way to use some of your surplus bits and pieces from previous projects. In some kits there are always alternative or spare parts. I never throw these away, but keep them in compartment boxes for "later" use. Some will never find their way out of the box. These are normally hatches, doors, plastic wheelsets that have been replaced with metal ones, brake cylinders and wheels, plastic couplers etc. Some decent weathering with rust and grime powders or washes make them suitable to represent the junk and litter sometimes needed alongside the tracks. Here for my repair shop I mainly needed parts that are needed in such a shop. i.e. all kinds of car parts like shown in the picutre above.
Placed on pallets or racks they give a feel of what's happening there.
The paved area outside the car shop was modeled using wall repair compound. After it had dried thoroughly, I painted it with grey asphalt color. Because the plain grey paint is too uniform, I usually use "Dirt" and "Soot" powders, which I apply by dipping a wide brush into the powder and dabbing it on the surface of the road or area to be weathered.
Applying dust and dirt dulls the color down quite a bit. Then I added some black soot powder to simulate grime and oil.
I also installed a small section of track with two additional rails installed to stagger the wheelsets. These are Athearn plastic wheels with metal axles. I always replace these because they get attracted by the uncoupling magnets. Painted a rust color, they get a new life as spare wheels on my workshop scenes. I glued the brake wheels and cylinders to pallets. These are spare parts and should not lie on the bare ground.
Some other details are stacks of lumber for replacing damaged car floors or sidings. Spare trucks and boxes with spare parts complete the scene.
Different figures from Preiser give life to the scene. The trick is to make them do or contemplate about something.
A Hobo is filing through a trash bin for something to eat.
The first cars have arrived on the repair tracks......
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