I'll be honest - I'm not much of a scratch-builder, but I don't balk at a bit of kit-bashing or customising from time to time. Recently, I looked at the various standard PIKO brand buffer stops on my layout, and decided that they just looked a bit boring.
In the quest for a more interesting solution, I stumbled across the Peco SL-41 Buffer Stop, which is a cheap, easy-to-assemble kit that I've used for both OO and HO layouts.
One of the things I like about this kit is that it's so simple, it's really easy to customise. For example, I painted the wood, added some grass, and topped it off with some ballast to make the texture and colouring a bit more realistic.
I also came across these Gaugemaster Buffer Stop Lights, which can be added to the standard buffer stop and operate on both DCC and DC. However, be warned that on DC the results are a little variable, since the lights take their power directly from the track. On DCC layouts, they light red at all times.
With these two small additions, you can really add some life to the layout. I'll be posting some step-by-step pictures to show what can be achieved when I'm next in a building mood.
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