APA Micro Layout (Part 13) - Detailing the Fiddle Yard (Part 2)

For the background I opted again for a mix of half relief structures and box art images from Walthers kit boxes.

I've cut the box art pictures out and placed them against the blue backdrop.

They blend in well with the "real" structures. To hide the seam between backdrop and scenery, I glued a concrete fence between the brick structure and the engine shop. 

The engine shop received a first coat of black wash.

I scribed the styrene sheet to represent expansion joints and painted the whole area with Floquil (Yes, I still have some left) Concrete color. To give the area a weathered look, I also applied a black wash. 

 

The background building was a leftover from another layout. I covered the middle and lower window openings with brick sheet as well as the entrance.

I applied a couple of decals and gave the structure several coats of black and concrete washes.

 The box art images give an amazing 3-D effect

The structures and basic scenery are installed. Now it's time for the final detailling of the scene.

APA Micro Layout (Part 12) - Detailing the fiddle yard (part 1)

 The rules for the micro layout contest required that the fiddle yard could not be larger than the actual layout. It also didn't have to be scenicked. As I plan to operate it at shows, the bare fiddle yard was no option. So I decided to fit in a couple of structures and to add scenery.

 While I was shuffling around with the components at hand, I quickly realised that the addition of a cassette outside the box would give me additional switching possibilities. So I cut an opening to the rights side wall as well.

 The left side of the box was concealed with another highway bridge which represents the opposite direction of the two-lane overpass

 The right hand exit/entrance would be hidden by a two-stall engine house from Rix Products

The two tracks diverging from the crossing will act as runaround track for the layout. I also may change motive power or rolling stock with this connection.

 The engine house will only have half its length.

 To the edge of the layout, I glued Evergreen styrene sheets to represent a concrete unloading area.

I used one of the spare wall sections and cut a loading door opening. I lined the opning with Evergreen styrene angles to represent the sash.

I test fitted all the components before gluing to see how the finished scene would look like.

 

A loading ramp from the scrap box would complete the structure.

Stay tuned for the next step in finishing the scene.