Build a Power Plant(The Question)

[leighant]

I drew a powerplant in Photoshop and printed it out.

I built the boiler assembly for a more modern plant put of plastic structural parts and lots of "stuff"

[preceng]

I am starting one soon using the DPM Powerhouse (#356) kit. I also ordered additional modular sections to expand the size and shape of mine

[JGphins]

I'm using the following structures from Walther's:

 Northern Light & Power (933-3021 Main Bldg), NL&P Substation (933-3025), Overhead Travling Crane (933-3102), Transmission Tower (933-3121), Transformers (933-3126).

Other items include: Boleys - Utility Truck Power & Light Co & the Bucket Truck Power Co., GE's Depressed flatcar (for transformer delivery), telephone poles, chain link fence, Woodland Scenics - City Workers...

The items listed above are not too expensive and make for a great power plant scene with just a little work and weathering. Hope this list helps spark a few ideas for your project.

Good luck & happy railroading!

JGphins 

[camaro]

I scratch built my power plant for my old layout only because I couldn't find something with a large foot print that would meet my needs.  The closest thing I could find, but couldn't purchase was a Korber HO scale powerplant.  I see that "Just Trains" has one in HO scale for 125.00. This is large plant complete with conveyors and dump shed. I ran into several years ago at a train show in Michigan, but the price was 95.00 at the time.  When I went back the following year it was sold.  Korber has since started producing them once more.  I include a photo of my scratch built plant from gatorboard complete with Walthers smoke stacks and conveyors.  The coal sheds were by Tichy Train Group. I built it as an external skeleton building, so the concrete support system was on the outside of the structure.  I also found the website for Just Trains and have included that.  I have included a photo of the Korber Power Plant for your evaluation.

 Larry

 

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www.justrains.com

 

[Seamonster]

The craft mill from Walther's Cornerstone Superior Paper Company looks a lot like a coal plant in our area. Like someone said, a big boxy structure with few windows. Some piles of coal, a conveyor belt, and a rail siding with hopper cars and you've got it. Everything, but everything is covered with a patina of black coal dust. Oh, and steam plants use a lot of water so they're built beside a good source of water like a river. The pipes are usually underground. If you're got room, add a couple of outbuildings for the maintenance staff and a parking lot for the employees.

[maxman]

NSdreamer

I didn't know that a rayon plant was any different from a power plant.

The rayon plant is a manufacturing facility.  I can't tell what was actually in the model, since it was shown as a night scene.  However, many such manufacturing facilities use steam in their processes.  For the steam they will need a steam boiler.  What some enlighten souls discovered along the way was that if they had to have a boiler they might as well add a turbine and generator.  So now they have a small power plant on site.

What happens is that they make steam in the boiler to drive the turbine, which in turn drives the generator.  The generator output is used to provide electricity to the facility, and any extra gets sold to the local power company.  There are connections at various points along the steam path in the turbine where steam is removed or "extracted" at different pressures corresponding to the various requirements of the manufacturing process.

The difference between this type of power plant and the one providing electricity to your house is that electricity is the product at the local utility company's place, whereas steam is the desired product at the manufacturing place and electricity happens to be a valuable by-product.

[NSdreamer]

Okay. I didn't know that a rayon plant was any different from a power plant. Thanks for telling me." href="BLOCKED SCRIPTinsertSmiley('');">

 NSdreamer

[nucat78]

I haven't read that issue yet but if you're building a modern plant like we have around here, it's not too difficult. The main building(s) is typically a multistorey, steel sided box. Add a huge coal pile outside with a converyor into the building, a couple of tall smoke stacks and your substation and you're done. The plant I'm thinking of has coal delivered by barge also so you could work in a water scene if space permits. There is no rotary dumper. And there's a couple of front end loaders that move the coal around the pile to the conveyor.

[novicerr]

I just received the Northern Lights Power Station I ordered from Caboose Hobbies. Cost was 24.74 plus shipping. They did not have the interior, but neither does walthers. Havent ordered the substation yet. SKU number for power station is 09333021. Looks like a fairly simple kit to assemble. Footprint is 10.25 x 6.50 inches.

[maxman]

I don't remember seeing a power plant in the June issue.  Are you talking about the rayon manufacturing facility on page 36?  There's a big difference between this facility and a power plant.

I don't believe that you'll find any exact model structures or plans to build something like this.  Most of the models such as this are made using portions of commercially available structures, a lot of scratchbuilding, and a lot of imagination on the part of the modeler who generally has some working knowledge of the prototype.

[BerkshireSteam]

I have to go back and look at june 09 issue, I don't remember a power plant in it . Buuuuuuut....oh wait it just came to mind. Anywho Walthers makes a nice kit, two actually, of an older coal fired plant, made of brick more 40's 50's style, and a seperate kit for the transmission station, where the juice was 'amped' up. Sorry, I know, bad pun. I know someone made a natural gas powered power plant kit, can't remember who but it was like Volmer or Faller, one of those foreigers. I remember seeing it in the last Walthers monthly mail out. And, as stated in the Walthers Superior Paper mill kit, the kraft mill is based on a modern concrete building that can be used to model a power plant. And to a certian point it does resemble that of the local coal fired Pulliam plant. It's special because for some reason there has been a pair or two of hawks in the past few years that thinks the power plant is a good place to raise chicks. I still have never seen them flying around with my own eyes, but I've seen them on news video. I can look around more too, I'm sure there's plenty of power plants, just don't know about them.

[NSdreamer]

Does anybody know how to build a power plant like the one in the June 2009 issue? If so, can I get a list of structures, kitbashing how-tos, and scratchbuild parts? Thank you.">