Last Updated on November 26, 2016 by Dave Farquhar
If you want model fence for your train layout, there’s an affordable solution sitting in your hardware or home improvement store for providing easy model corrugated or wooden fences for train layouts.
16-gauge or 18-gauge brads for automatic nailing guns look surprisingly like O or S scale corrugated fences. You don’t even have to paint them to simulate a metal fence. Paint them white or brown, and then they look like wooden fences, but with minimal effort. The lower the number, the thicker the apparent boards will be.
Brads that are 1.5 inches tall are the perfect size for a 6-foot privacy fence in O scale. For a 4-foot fence, use one-inch brads. In S scale, use 1 1/8-inch brads for a privacy fence or 3/4-inch brads for a 4-foot fence. Finally, in HO scale, a 3/4-inch brad is close to 6 feet, suitable for a privacy fence.
Simply take the brads out of the package, snap them to the length you want, and glue them to the layout or attach them with tacky wax to give your layout’s denizens fenced yards or businesses.
David Farquhar is a computer security professional, entrepreneur, and author. He started his career as a part-time computer technician in 1994, worked his way up to system administrator by 1997, and has specialized in vulnerability management since 2013. He invests in real estate on the side and his hobbies include O gauge trains, baseball cards, and retro computers and video games. A University of Missouri graduate, he holds CISSP and Security+ certifications. He lives in St. Louis with his family.