If you need to fill an odd corner of your layout, or simply want to create a diorama to show off your local authority vehicles, then a Council Depot could just be the project you're looking for. These can be any size, and more importantly, can be for any era. In fact, some of the older, long-established yards have buildings which are now designated as having a Heritage status.
Before starting on your own yard, it might be helpful to to define the purpose of the depot you want to model. There are various functions that the council undertakes, and not all depots will cater for all of these:
- Waste Management: Collection and sorting of refuse, recyclables, and organic waste.
- Road Maintenance: Storage of vehicles, tools, and materials for road repair and maintenance.
- Fleet Management: Garaging and maintaining the council’s fleet of vehicles.
- Housing Maintenance: Storage of vehicles, tools, and materials for council tenants' accommodation repair and maintenance.
- Storage of Equipment: Secure storage for various tools, materials, and equipment used by council workers.
Depending on the size and shape of your available area, you might also want to consider office spaces, parking and how traffic will use the yard.
A Small Council Depot
We've created the corner of a small yard, in a 6" (15cm) square. Even in this small space, we've included an office, a storage container and piles of materials and equipment, plus left room to add people and a vehicle.
We started by creating a floor of concrete sections. This is simply a piece of MDF (card could be used) with groves cut in at 38mm (1½") centres. This was sprayed grey, then weathered with browns and whites to highlight the grooves and lighten the more used pathways. At the entrance, we added a strip of thin card as a kerbstone.
We added LX007-OO Chain Link Security Fencing to three sides of the yard, using the gates at the entrance. The posts were painted in a light grey, to represent concrete and the fence and wires were given a wash of brown to indicate rust.
We placed a KX068-OO 20ft Portakabin in one corner, with enough space to place some LX060-OO Ladders behind. the container was painted a dull blue, with the locking mechanisms picked out in silver. The ladders were painted in matt yellow (to satisfy 'Elf & Safety).
We used a LX180-OO 20ft Container at the back, placing it so the door makes it appear the yard is larger than the actual modelled area.
Lots of other details were added around the yard:
- LX074-OO Temporary Road Signs
- LX369-OO Folding Roadworks Barriers
- LX509-OO Crowd Control Barriers
- LX009-OO Hydrant Signs
- LX350-OO Manholes & Drains
- AX063-OO Real Wood Pallets
- LX194-OO House Bricks
- LX098-OO Scaffolding Planks
- LX082-OO Small Cable Drums
Other items you might wish to include are:
- Barrels (18 different choices !)
- LX231-OO Large Cable Drums
- Palletised Loads (6 different choices)
- Skips
- Road Cones (although most of these will probably be out on a road somewhere…)
To get you started, we've created some bundles of useful items:
- SMS-BP-9 Building Site Detailing Pack
- SMS-BP11 Modern Street Detailing Pack
- SMS-BP12 Council Depot Detailing Pack
Let us know what you've made
Whatever you do for your own Council Depot, please send us photos as we'd love to see what you've created.