Stumbled onto the web site for Shaun O'Boyle photography, which features his series of ruins photographs. He has some really good interior and exterior shots of places like the old Bethlehem Steel plant in Bethlehem, PA, Carrie blast furnace near Pittsburgh, a railroad shop, coal crackers, and a power plant. All are abandoned facilities, and the photos are moody. It's worth a look - you may find inspiration for a model, or at least get some ideas of the textures of rust and peeling paint that he lovingly records. He sells fine-art prints.
I liked his work well enough to purchase the Bethlehem and Shipyard books. The Bethlehem plant hold special interest for me, as it was the view from my appartment window when I attended Lehigh University. Back then it was a working steel plant with lots of rail traffic to watch.
Main link to the site: http://www.oboylephoto.com/ruins/index.htm (http://www.oboylephoto.com/ruins/index.htm)
Link to a page with Bethlehem Steel images: http://www.oboylephoto.com/steel/beth_steel5.htm (http://www.oboylephoto.com/steel/beth_steel5.htm)
Mark