How have you dressed up the corners of your layout?

Corners are a challenge. In one instance I hid the corner with the grain silos. In the other I built a farm off site and put that in the corner

Thank you Terry your efforts produced very nice areas. I like how it takes your eye away from the corner.

Corners are an opportunity to create interesting scenery and structures. The four corners are visible in this photo of my 12'-by-8' model railroad. The lower left corner is a small section of a commercial downtown. The lower right corner has two industrial buildings elevated about four inches above the rails with a rock face next to the tracks. The upper left corner is a cluster of a residence, a store, and a small warehouse. The upper right corner has hill atop of which is a small cabin.

MELGAR

How about making curved backdrop pieces to inset into the corners to ease or break up the hard visual lines your eye gets drawn to?

Terry’s use of the silo as a visual blocker above is very effective too.  

Here's a 90 degree curved backdrop in the central corner of the layout:

Well, my 8 foot square main layout is freestanding, so it has no box end corners as such, but posed a somewhat different set of challenges, which I've chipped away at over time:

The front right corner I've developed into a camping/park scenario, complete with flickering campfire and 'smoke', motion-sensing nature sounds, and animal figures to match the sounds:

Two other corners in the back are covered by the ends of a tunnel I added, upon which I scratch-built a cell tower and work crew at one end, a farmers market at the other, and a renewable energy installation (windmill and solar panels) in the middle (I also added a peephole in the corner at one end of the tunnel, so the grandkids could observe my two Marx 1829 smokers transiting the tunnel!):

That leaves me with just one "unfinished" corner, which (for now) awaits some more inspiration:

That's the plan.......this is what I have so far.......

Have a great and safe week.....

Peter

Melgar, Studedude, Richard, Steve, and Peter thank you for your input. That is very unique Steve to have the camping visuals and auditory. When it cycled to the birds our cat started looking around. I have a rear corner that could use something curved. It’s impressive how Melgar’s bottom left corner doesn’t look like a corner. It just blends into the layout. And Peter, that’s not a layout that’s an empire that’s developing.

Jay

My contribution. I have a trestle bridge below this scene. Thanks for looking.

I did a tunnel in one corner with a cliff face above. Other corner got a roadway tunnel.

I'll post pix later.

@MELGAR posted:

Corners are an opportunity to create interesting scenery and structures. The four corners are visible in this photo of my 12'-by-8' model railroad. The lower left corner is a small section of a commercial downtown. The lower right corner has two industrial buildings elevated about four inches above the rails with a rock face next to the tracks. The upper left corner is a cluster of a residence, a store, and a small warehouse. The upper right corner has hill atop of which is a small cabin.

MELGAR

MELGAR nice job on those corners and I like that you brought that street in at an angle as it makes the scene much more visually interesting.

  This scene is about 34 years old and the first one on my layout.  I built the gas station while we were waiting to move in along with the benchwork. Berkshire Valley use to attend the local shows and I always bought detail castings. I worked at an old school garage so no research was needed as to what should go there. I still add to it every now and then.

Great topic! Lots of good ideas to latch onto. I took shots from both sides of the corner on most of them.

These are all corners:

I have plans for a swamp in one corner, an oil tanks storage in another and recently completed the      In-Laws INN ( extended stays discouraged) on an isolated hill.

5 corners on my layout(1 inside) each with individual scenes.

Gene

Corner # 1 (first scenery on the layout)

Corner #2  This was built as a diorama and then placed on the layout and blended in.

Corner #3 Started as a curve elevating to the upper level but the grade was too steep for most trains to run. I pulled the track out and installed a short spur serving an Ameritown factory building.

Corner # 4 is right in front of my control panel and has a repurposed Sunoco tanker as a diesel fuel tank for the engine facility.

Bob

Jay, here is the one corner I have basic scenery.  I think  you have seen it before, but it's good to post again.

Re done a corner of the layout using 2" insulation board with powder colors and different paints

I could only add a description on the side of the picture - very confusing to me.  Anyway, pictures are all on curved backdrop.   As usual with my building, each scene is incomplete.  They all need something either foliage, people or critters. The pictures are horrible too - suppose I should have someone come over and give me a lesson or two. 

My corners.

@Sitka posted:

Re done a corner of the layout using 2" insulation board with powder colors and different paints

Mark, that scenery above the tracks is innovative and well done, as is the stream scene.  I like the folks sitting on the very edge of the cliff.  Good train watching spot.

All I can say is, “WOW! This is a smorgasbord of outstanding ideas and gorgeous projects. Mark and Bob you guys just need bigger layouts to allow all of your talents to come forth.  I’m going to borrow the idea of using a tanker for fueling the diesels.
Bill Sherry your photos are good and the curvature takes your eye away from the corner.  
Sitka, your corners don’t look like corners but a continuation of the layout and so unique. Pennsyfan Bob, there’s no end to the amount of creative corners you have.  Great use of materials and figures.
Jstraw that’s a fun inn you have. I would guess that the main residence is nearby.  
Avanti, your corners really force the perspective by taking away the edge and making the backdrop look far away.  
Genemed,very nice and a lot of activity going on. Really adds to the size of the layout.  
CBS072, Keith those corners really enhance the overall perspective. The whispy clouds are a nice touch too.  
DaveC, that says it all, subtle and blends nicely. Even though it depicts a bygone era, it doesn’t look 34 years old.

Thank you folks this very enlightening.

Jay

all these corners look amazing !

Mountain in one and campground in another.

For a small space, you could consider a wetland area. People who visit my layout are always interested in what looks like real water.  You would need some material to create a cavity for the resin (water) material. You don't need much depth and you could create that with a little sculpt-a- mold. After it sets up, you can paint it with a  ground cover color. I then used while glue to fasten down tube sand for the bottom of the wet area ( Tube Sand,  a material that is sandy in nature with small rocks etc.and found in Loews or Home depot. Its called tube sand because it comes in a sleeve that is then used for weight in the back of vehicles in the winter. Its very cheap and can be used around the layout as ground cover,) Once that is dry, simply follow the mixing instructions on the clear cast epoxy. You will need to judge about how much you need to fill your space. I mixed a little green color in with mine. Then you just pour it in the cavity and let it set up. You can then add some small details like cattails and brush. While I used this on the inside of a curve, it could be just as easily used on the outer corner side. Since it represents shallow water, it can stay transparent. You can add trees, people fishing or more swamp like vegetation. This is also a quick and cheap to do project.

Bill, a little off topic. In your last photo I’m looking at the Gargraves ties. I have some older sections and the ties are varied in looks as far as how they are stained. The new stuff is all very dark. I always preferred the look of the older areas of my layout. With your rails weathered, the choice of ballast color the ties really pop with more of a distressed look.

My "corner solution" may be unique; certainly kid-friendly.

I allocated a corner of my L-shaped layout as a DINOSAUR PARK, with corrals for adult and juvenile beasts. The park is open to visitors, monitored by attendants, and served by a rail siding. A Lionel DINOSAUR TRAIN SET is parked there, always ready to transport them by rail "to their summer feeding grounds," according to my dino-crazed great grandson Matthew (now age 11). Because that corner is near the entry door to the Train Room, visitors always comment about it.

Mike Mottler     LCCA 12394

My layout uses O27 track and most tracks are close to the layout edges therefore the corner areas are small.  I have enjoyed seeing the large corner areas the larger diameter tracks have making the corners bigger problems or opportunities.

Most of my corners are really small allowing only a small building or item.  The layout is an L shape giving 5 corners.

One small corner has a Hobo camp site.

Another small corner has a scratch build Lionel 6-12711 Water Tower

This small corner has a Plasticville Frosty Bar with added lighted Ice Cream Cone on top

The major corner has a mountain with two track tunnels in and four track tunnels  out.  First picture shows two track tunnels IN

Four track tunnels out ( one hidden track Out)

The last corner has a small train station, built by my Dad in 1950.

Charlie

That’s great use of space and I like the two tracks and four out. That’s my kind of math.
Thank you

@Mike H Mottler posted:

My "corner solution" may be unique; certainly kid-friendly.

I allocated a corner of my L-shaped layout as a DINOSAUR PARK, with corrals for adult and juvenile beasts. The park is open to visitors, monitored by attendants, and served by a rail siding. A Lionel DINOSAUR TRAIN SET is parked there, always ready to transport them by rail "to their summer feeding grounds," according to my dino-crazed great grandson Matthew (now age 11). Because that corner is near the entry door to the Train Room, visitors always comment about it.

Mike Mottler     LCCA 12394

That’s ingenious Mike and to have your great grandson involved is even better.

@Bill Park posted:

For a small space, you could consider a wetland area. People who visit my layout are always interested in what looks like real water.  You would need some material to create a cavity for the resin (water) material. You don't need much depth and you could create that with a little sculpt-a- mold. After it sets up, you can paint it with a  ground cover color. I then used while glue to fasten down tube sand for the bottom of the wet area ( Tube Sand,  a material that is sandy in nature with small rocks etc.and found in Loews or Home depot. Its called tube sand because it comes in a sleeve that is then used for weight in the back of vehicles in the winter. Its very cheap and can be used around the layout as ground cover,) Once that is dry, simply follow the mixing instructions on the clear cast epoxy. You will need to judge about how much you need to fill your space. I mixed a little green color in with mine. Then you just pour it in the cavity and let it set up. You can then add some small details like cattails and brush. While I used this on the inside of a curve, it could be just as easily used on the outer corner side. Since it represents shallow water, it can stay transparent. You can add trees, people fishing or more swamp like vegetation. This is also a quick and cheap to do project.

That’s a great option Bill and nicely done. My layout is going to be a permanent Christmas/winter scene. But I’m contemplating gullies between the some rails.

@Richie C. posted:

Mountain in one and campground in another.

WOW that’s a big corner to take care of Richie. I like your fascia too.

added a mountain

Very nice and I like the retaining wall too.

I cut them off.

Excellent solution Joe😄. Plus, your work is on another level.

Jay

@Dave_C posted:

  This scene is about 34 years old and the first one on my layout.  I built the gas station while we were waiting to move in along with the benchwork. Berkshire Valley use to attend the local shows and I always bought detail castings. I worked at an old school garage so no research was needed as to what should go there. I still add to it every now and then.

Absolutely love this corner solution, the road curving in the opposite direction of the tracks and the great details really make this visually interesting to me. The Tucker is a nice touch too.

This is a great thread full of interesting and creative ideas.