Construction yards are messy and dirty places, certainly not pretty but they have to go somewhere!
In describing them, they're a fenced plot of hardstand with little else to enhance their appearance. They simply are a semi secure place for parking machinery and equipment, stacking of materials that may at some stage in the future be required - or not and an ideal place to dump those items which generally don't have a logical home.
Speaking of homes, this is a natural fit for that 'out of the way area' on the layout which sometimes can be an odd shape but workable. This yard lent itself to occupy an area accessed from under a bridge and sandwiched between lines of track - it had to go somewhere! The other thing which tantalisers the tastebuds of any modeller, is that it is totally dynamic in terms of content. Some examples of its active content include the ability to change machinery, eg tractor out and truck in and other static bits of equipment can be changed at whim. It's also the logical place to dump those bits of modelling leftovers that can add interest as a backdrop to the area - tyres, steel sections, drums, ballast...the list is endless.
