Gilman is the only location on the layout that is outside of NH, though future potential layout extensions could someday include Portland, Maine and Wells and other Vermont locations. Gilman was chosen for the operational interest and modelling opportunity presented by the large paper mill that use to operate there. The paper mill was in operation under various ownerships until 2002. This location also was a better physical fit to the room configuration that attempting to model a portion of the St Johnsbury yard would have been.
This current google earth view of the mill shows most of the buildings and track configuration that will be almost entirely modeled. Unfortunately, the view no longer shows part of the track configuration in amongst the buildings that existed as recently as 2013 nor some building areas that appear to have been more recently removed. The long building extension at the far right end will be excluded and the north/south direction and therefore length of the diagonal building will be compressed. But potherwise most of this facility should be able to be included at close to scale.
The photos below were taken in 2013 of the mill that was closed but being partially used for one or two smaller businesses that did not use the old equipment nor require any rail service. The first set of photos provides some broad views of the mill from various distances and positions west of the mill.
The next series shows various views towards the loading bays at the westernmost end of the building complex.
The following photos look more towards the center of the facility.
This photo may prove to be particularly important to me, despite the skewed camera angle. It is this area of track and the angled corner building section that appears now to be gone in the google earth view.
Finally are several shots of some detail elements starting with a view in towards where the tracks enter one of the building extensions and then some shots of various fixtures. I am unclear what the red fixture is shown in the third and fourth photos below, but it appears to control some sort of flow. I am thinking it may be a shutoff valve for some utility such as water or natural gas.
I also found the fact that the post holding the handicap parking sign is both bent and inside of the fenced area. I need to determine if the fence perhaps was not present in the 1960s or if the now weed-grown area inside the fence actually might have been a drivable area that was unpaved inside the fence. Of course the handicap parking sign itself likely would not have existed in the 1960s.