One nice thing about having the most completely-scenicked layout I've ever had is the much smaller scope of work still to be done. Without the need to complete huge swaths of scenery, I can focus on micro-scenicking - short projects that add a lot. Such was the case with this little sign added along the CN Hanley Spur, bracketed by Millard & Lumb and Sowards Coal, and visible upon entering the layout room. I've found that such signs I've already placed look good and can be functional - showing where partly-hidden track switches are located. This is a Rapido Bits sign that I glued to a soft-metal diamond-shaped signpost I painted white with a black base.
While I was exploring the area with iPhone in hand, I snapped some views of the nearby street scene: Sowards coal unloading trestle and newly-relocated office/shop at centre, with the Brock Street fire hall, Kingston Milling and the Bajus Brewery all visible. All structures are repositionable, so the street scene is always changing.
I also took the opportunity to improve some scenery in the area: adding foliage tufts, painting some exposed plywood green or black, touching up the Sowards coal piles, installing a fence or two, and repositioning some of Sowards' coal-handling equipment:
A recent read of layout guru Lance Mindheim reinforced that random piles of gravel or dumped fill are an often-overlooked prototype feature. I've added a few by sculpting piles with modelling clay, then adding scenic material held down with white glue.
