Living in west central TX requires four things on a layout that models that area: agriculture, cattle, oil and trains. Our layout is a fictitious representation of the QA&P, the Orient Line (which became AT&SF in 1924ish) and the other roads that ran through this area. One of the things I've tried to incorporate is to have industries and businesses named after friends in this area. The grocery store is named after a friend at church who used to own the local grocery store (when there was a grocery store here). The welding shop is named after a neighbor and friend who farms and welds. The oilfield service facility and pipe yard is named after a friend who farms, runs a rural mail route and maintains oil wells. About a month ago the signs were completed and installed. A couple of weeks ago I finally completed the little lean to that serves to (mostly) keep rain off of things that need to (mostly) stay dry. The good thing about living here is the number of resources for information about the real industry. Quite a few people I know work in the oilfield, and most are old enough to remember how things were done several years ago.
