Paxton Yard - a new OO photo plank...

Paxton Yard? You've never heard of it? 

My OO gauge photo plank was getting on a bit and I wanted to try out some ballast, scenic and weathering techniques on some track work so came up with the idea of laying a couple of tracks to give a different sort of photo plank.

I think I succeeded - obviously this is still a work in progress! It's built on 24mm ply (so should be warp free) and the P4 Track Co, Exactoscale 'Fast Track' with steel rails has been used. The two tracks at the back are wooden sleepered bullhead rail and the front is concrete sleepered flat bottom rail, ballasted with Woodland Scenics fine grey ballast (not quite got round to gluing it down yet!). The track also has cosmetic fish plates fitted and has been sprayed with Humbrol 98 (Matt Chocolate) to tone down it's plastic appearance.

So what do you think? Next I'll be gluing the ballast down before adding some grass and overgrowth to the front edges and between the rails. It's going to be a great tool to use to photograph my detailed ready-to-run locomotives, and use wagons as a backdrop. Inspiration for this idea was drawn from Weston Road (the P4 diesel depot layout).

I'll leave with favourite - 33019 parked up - my favourite Crompton (that still needs it's second side finishing).