Painted rail markings are a quick and easy detail that adds realism and visual interest. There are a number of them adjacent to Sungas. They could be tied to a number of things: clearance points, components related to the grade crossing, or the point marking where the customer is responsible for taking over track maintenance.

Sending a sixty dollar, highly detailed, tank car over the edge of the layout into the great abyss, and ultimately to the floor will ruin anybody’s day. You may be more of an adept operator than me but, speaking from experience, I’m fairly capable of doing this. A tiny tack at the end of one rail keeps cars on the layout without being too disruptive to photography.

I’ve found that small shelves around areas you’ll be working a lot do get used. You may “think” you’ll never tip that coffee cop over that you’ve set on your work surface but…… The number 38 is a milepost number.