3-D printed Coal Fired Power Plant (file needed)

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J

jjames25

Member
Greetings All,
I'm wanting a fairly large coal powered power plant on my layout. I model N scale but have a friend who is into 3D printing and he assures me the scale doesn't matter as he can scale it up or down. I've searched some of the usual sites, Thingaverse, etc and most files I've run across are too simple/toyish. Suggestions needed please!
Thanks!
James
 
jjames25 said:
Greetings All,
I'm wanting a fairly large coal powered power plant on my layout. I model N scale but have a friend who is into 3D printing and he assures me the scale doesn't matter as he can scale it up or down. I've searched some of the usual sites, Thingaverse, etc and most files I've run across are too simple/toyish. Suggestions needed please!
Thanks!
James
Click to expand...
I cant talk long now (Got to go somewhere), but I might be able to help look. Yo also might be able to make you own (Or maybe I could?) in Tinker Cad. Don't underestimate the program, trust me. Talk with you later.
 
Would these photos be of any help? This was one called Martin Drake, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I used to live a couple miles away from it for many years. It's since been torn down, but I had saved these pictures from the internet for a potential layout industry. I may yet do a background painting of it. But, you're welcome to model yours after it if you want. I have additional photos if it would be of help to you.
Martin Drake Power Plant (9).png
Martin Drake Power Plant (10).png
Martin Drake Power Plant (11).png
Martin Drake Power Plant aerial view (1).png
Martin Drake Power Plant aerial view (3).png
 


Colorado Midland Modeler said:
Would these photos be of any help? This was one called Martin Drake, in Colorado Springs, Colorado. I used to live a couple miles away from it for many years. It's since been torn down, but I had saved these pictures from the internet for a potential layout industry. I may yet do a background painting of it. But, you're welcome to model yours after it if you want. I have additional photos if it would be of help to you.
View attachment 245949View attachment 245950View attachment 245951View attachment 245952View attachment 245953
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Great photos. I'm trying to take the lazy way out through 3D printing but these will certainly help if I end up modeling. Thanks!
 
OK, taking a slight change of direction. After great input from you guys as well as some from my local friends I've decided 3-D printing the entire structure of a large power plant may not be the best attack. Instead, I believe designing the "main" buildings in Tinker-Cad and laser cutting the walls and a glue up is the route to take. Cooling towers, complex piping and other things of detail will probably be 3-D printed. It helps to have a friend next door with printers and laser cutters :). Thanks for the input and I will head down the road of learning Tinker-Cad.
 


jjames25 said:
OK, taking a slight change of direction. After great input from you guys as well as some from my local friends I've decided 3-D printing the entire structure of a large power plant may not be the best attack. Instead, I believe designing the "main" buildings in Tinker-Cad and laser cutting the walls and a glue up is the route to take. Cooling towers, complex piping and other things of detail will probably be 3-D printed. It helps to have a friend next door with printers and laser cutters :). Thanks for the input and I will head down the road of learning Tinker-Cad.
Click to expand...
How big is this layout? I ask because a large powerplant could easily overwhelm a typical HCD type of layout.
 
jjames25 said:
My layout room is 24 x 22 and I Model N scale. I have a new peninsula which I just added and it will be used solely for the power plant.
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It's funny you should say that you model N scale, because it just jogged my memory. When I was a kid growing up in Colorado Springs, there was a model train store that had an N scale layout with a scratch-built model of the Martin Drake power plant I posted the above photos of. It's been a long time since I last saw that model, and I have no idea of what became of it, but I believe the main building of the N scale plant (the big blue building) was somewhere around 2 and a half feet long, and about a foot wide. I think the tallest smoke stack was around 2 feet tall as well. But, I may be mistaken. Using the tracks that served the plant as a guide, I wouldn't think that it would be that hard to take the aerial photos of this plant (or any plant you like) and print them to N scale size as a guide.
 
Colorado Midland Modeler said:
It's funny you should say that you model N scale, because it just jogged my memory. When I was a kid growing up in Colorado Springs, there was a model train store that had an N scale layout with a scratch-built model of the Martin Drake power plant I posted the above photos of. It's been a long time since I last saw that model, and I have no idea of what became of it, but I believe the main building of the N scale plant (the big blue building) was somewhere around 2 and a half feet long, and about a foot wide. I think the tallest smoke stack was around 2 feet tall as well. But, I may be mistaken. Using the tracks that served the plant as a guide, I wouldn't think that it would be that hard to take the aerial photos of this plant (or any plant you like) and print them to N scale size as a guide.
Click to expand...
Ah yes, when we were kids......... I will probably have to do some downsizing compared to the size you're mentioning. My total area which will include coal storage will be in the 16" x 30" range.
 
jjames25 said:
Ah yes, when we were kids......... I will probably have to do some downsizing compared to the size you're mentioning. My total area which will include coal storage will be in the 16" x 30" range.
Click to expand...
Maybe one like this would be a better fit for you. This one is south of where I used to live, it's smaller, and even has a track setup that could easily be adapted to a peninsula. I just screenshot these off of Google Earth today.
Ray Nixon power plant aerial view (3).png
Ray Nixon power plant aerial view (4).png
 
How about this one? Mine and power.
Wyodak.jpg

And you thought that those power stations were big. East of Gillette Wy. Suspect that if you map it, there could be some road side images from both I90 and SR51 of which you can pan around.

L8r
 
Colorado Midland Modeler said:
Maybe one like this would be a better fit for you. This one is south of where I used to live, it's smaller, and even has a track setup that could easily be adapted to a peninsula. I just screenshot these off of Google Earth today.View attachment 246517View attachment 246518
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Thanks. I have 2 coal fired plants near me in North Carolina and have been Googling them quite a bit.


ctclibby said:
How about this one? Mine and power.
View attachment 246523
And you thought that those power stations were big. East of Gillette Wy. Suspect that if you map it, there could be some road side images from both I90 and SR51 of which you can pan around.

L8r
Click to expand...
Thanks Todd. That's a monster sized plant. Sitting beside the mine it kind of takes away the need for a railroad.
 


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