Station and cattle Dock - scenery transition

[ls91]

Hi all, I've got a micro in progress focusing on the GWR area, around the 50s/60s.

 

The board will have the metclafe wayside station and ratio cattle Dock, what I'm struggling with is how this area would transition from a scenic perspective. I'd imagine the station forecourt would be tarmac? Would the area around the cattle Dock be tarmac too? Would the cattle Dock be separated with a gate? And would there be fencing alongside the track? 

 

A lot of questions I know, and the picture isn't great, I'll try get another closer up with the buildings in situ once some glue has dried. 

 

Any thoughts welcome, and if you know of any suitable photographs please share the links as I'm needing some inspiration. 

[ls91]

[Kris]

The area around the dock may well have been gravel.

[Siberian Snooper]

Possibly cobbles for areas of high use and compacted ash for the rest. There's a good chance that the forecourt would also be cobbles.

 

 

[Haddocksrock]

I would imagine the station forecourt would slope up to the level of the cattle dock to allow cattle trucks to back up to load and unload or for the animals to be driven in/out of the dock. This would also allow the end of the siding to be used as an unloading dock if the level of the cattle dock was carried on towards the bufferstop and formed as a platform face.

[Il Grifone]

Most track should be fenced (a British thing - other countries weren't as fussy).  The GWR were very keen on their design made from used boiler tubes with a sharp point on the top.

There could well be holding pens around the cattle dock. Loose cattle running amok would not be desirable, especially this close to the station building.

By the 50s, the road would likely be tarmac, even if it had been cobbled originally.

A sharp radius crossover next to the platform is likely to give problems with overhang of locomotives and rolling stock. Even the real thing had this problem. IIRC Derby had ramps down and then back up to provide clearance.

[Haddocksrock]

This may help from "Southern Nouveau"

[ls91]

Thank you all for your responses, it's given some food for thought. I'm leaning towards a tarmac forecourt, but will have to blend in towards something resembling gravel as I travel across the board towards a signal box and eventually some greenery. I'll also have to check out some fencing to separate the forecourt and trackwork.