You’ll often see the ‘orange army’ and their equipment maintaining the railway. DAN EVASON shows how to build a small maintenance depot in ‘OO’ gauge.
Regular maintenance of infrastructure and equipment is vital to keep the railway safe and in working order, ranging from visual inspections to heavier regimes. Naturally, the staff and equipment they use needs a home, so for this latest ‘OO’ gauge diorama, I wanted to create a modern image maintenance yard.
Having seen something similar at a local model railway exhibition, I found myself really wanting to build an example for myself. I loved the idea of road and rail sharing the same space.
Above: Dan Evason’s latest scenic diorama models a permanent way maintenance depot in ‘OO’.
My plan was to replicate a small working yard with maintenance vehicles, wagons and staff dressed in full high-visibility workwear. Interestingly, whilst researching the subject I also discovered a few products from new companies that would prove to be a perfect fit for the planned diorama. Not only are such facilities a good space-filler; they are often found at stations using long-gone facilities, adding an extra dimension to a layout and further operating interest.
Above: A short rake of loaded MH…
