Just One Little Sign

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.

The Sowards sign is taken from an archival photo of the actual office.

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.