Build a HO scale power plant to hide a concrete pillar

[Bruette]

This is no simple task!

 

[BigGRacing]

The wall had been sprayed a matte clear finish after the hockey game Friday by 10.30pm. It is tacky yet to the touch which frankly seems strange as usually after 8 hours it’s workable again. Anything I planned this morning will now happen tomorrow. I realized that might happen anyway as I noted yesterday. I was hoping but no cigar this morning.

Enjoy the day

Which game?

 

[TLOC]

Which game?

The grandson plays youth hockey, he is 12 and a PeeWee.

 

[TLOC]

Sunday turned out to be a day off as will today. The son and his g/f are up from Austin, Texas. The son and I are working on a slot track he can take back in the truck on the 26th. Built the framework yesterday.

So no progress on the power plant walls

Have a great day

 

[TLOC]

This is no simple task!

Merry Christmas Louis

 

[TLOC]

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

I like that! Thanks for sharing.

At the work session today one of the guys asked if I had time for another power plant! I may in March! I can build your picture as he wanted a brick building. Off to Google Earth and then a text to him

Always happy to help! These all came from Google Earth and street view. Here's some more that might be of help.

This last one is the only decent view I could get of one of the cooling towers.

 

[TLOC]

Always happy to help! These all came from Google Earth and street view. Here's some more that might be of help.View attachment 252680View attachment 252681View attachment 252682View attachment 252683View attachment 252684View attachment 252685
This last one is the only decent view I could get of one of the cooling towers.

The 4 place cooling towers in HO scale came from the Ethanol series Walthers put out years ago. The cooling tower in your picture above and what I found on Google earth a while ago is the spitting image of the kit. Unfortunately the kit is almost worth its weight in gold. It’d be I believe a good seller as a 3d print

Thanks for sharing

 

[TLOC]

Good evening this 12/28/2025. Just a few more days and next year will be this year.

Some work on the west harborside wall of the power plant

Laying out the sign and thevwindows

Decide to eliminate the 2 windows under the sign. These are 2 of wat to many paper signs trying to get a good fit and visual. The 2nd picture where the sign fits between the pilasters is what I decided I liked best. Yes I have to repaint the wall. Mineral spirits is an evil liquid to Arcylics paints, plus I got sloppy with the concrete sponge! The power plant has no name but I needed something on the sign

Just a couple of cutouts 1st on the styrene sheet metal cladding and then through the Black Sintra pvc board I am laminating the sheet styrene to. Those pencil,markings were to locate the windows centered in the bays. The white stripes are going to be concrete colored pilasters.

Glazing for the windows. Created a styrene frame, added the glazing and after the glue dried I painted them black. The next color will be a touch rusted

I have the parts needed for the west wall laid out. Ai generated, it will be a fun one
Next

 

[TLOC]

Lined u)

the windows and vents are lined up

The windows are fine. I don’t like the bolted on look of the vents. While decide if I should make the vents flat to the wall surface I needed flashing anyway. It’s cut and painted black

Should I add a drip cap over the vents?

 

[BigGRacing]

More detail is always nicer for sure!

 

[TLOC]

More detail is always nicer for sure!

Thanks. I think I’ll try the drip cap. Just a slice into the styrene and slip a piece of .060 strip into the slice. I do on a scrap piece to test the look

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

The 4 place cooling towers in HO scale came from the Ethanol series Walthers put out years ago. The cooling tower in your picture above and what I found on Google earth a while ago is the spitting image of the kit. Unfortunately the kit is almost worth its weight in gold. It’d be I believe a good seller as a 3d print

Thanks for sharing

I just had to look at a picture of one of the Walthers kits, and the likeness is amazing. I wonder why Walthers stopped making them?

 

[TLOC]

I just had to look at a picture of one of the Walthers kits, and the likeness is amazing. I wonder why Walthers stopped making them?

I talked to a Walthers rep years ago at Trainfest outside of Milwaukee. He claimed the moulds were shot and not enough sales to warrant making new.

I believe someone with a 3d printer and the skills to make them could do alright selling a bunch

 

[Colorado Midland Modeler]

I talked to a Walthers rep years ago at Trainfest outside of Milwaukee. He claimed the moulds were shot and not enough sales to warrant making new.

I believe someone with a 3d printer and the skills to make them could do alright selling a bunch

I'm sure someone probably could make them. From what I've seen, the printers have gotten so good that you could probably make almost anything with one these days.

 

[TLOC]

I'm sure someone probably could make them. From what I've seen, the printers have gotten so good that you could probably make almost anything with one these days.

Agreed. I’d get one but I really don’t feel like going through the learning curve and for personal projects I’d never get the money back at my age

 

[diesel]

For the station interior, photos fine, but why not make it more 3d by making the walls/back/generators as cardstock cutouts? You don't need the full depth, just a little to trick the eye. Most photo places can print directly to cardstock (or do the lamination to accomplish that).

 

[TLOC]

For the station interior, photos fine, but why not make it more 3d by making the walls/back/generators as cardstock cutouts? You don't need the full depth, just a little to trick the eye. Most photo places can print directly to cardstock (or do the lamination to accomplish that).

The turbine hall will be a picture about .5 “ back from the window curtain wall. The Ai you see here in the initial sketch is now a real backdrop. One of my friends took the image I gave to Ai and created a photo copy. Don’t actually know what he did but he has multiple copies for me. The lighting will be an LED in a diffuser box that will be the ceiling.

I’m not sure I could create what you described, so I’m going the easier for me route

 

[TLOC]

After my last posts on Sunday last week I have walked away from the wall and the whole power plant.

Why, well! I needed a break from it. I was confusing myself which is what happens when I don’t have a strict architectural plan. This is for a friend and I skipped a few steps of my commission routine that I explained previously. That has bit me a couple times. So it was time to move to other things.

I have his 144”aper mill (in another thread) designed and materials laid out following my commission standards. No running out in the middle of a build for styrene parts, paints or adhesives. Plus no major last second changes! I have 3 bridges built and need painting and weathering. I have 14 rail cars stripped and ready to be painted into my personal freelance railroad the Wisconsin Interstate. I also have my commission weathering jobs. So as you can see I have other things. None of them critical time wise except the commission weathering. Those have a production schedule I will follow.

When will I come back to this? Maybe tomorrow but definitely not today! But come back I will

Here are a couple base coated bridges and a sign

 

[TLOC]

I’ve been working on the Harborside wall for the PNW power plant

Put the 2nd layer of pilasters together

Concrete color applied. Laid up against the wall making sure the concrete colors were similar, not matching but similar.

Glued the edges together. I used my jig for trestle bents for pipe racks to keep the pieces straight. Put some wax paper down to prevent the pilasters to stick to the bench

The joints are square and the pilasters are straight. No matter what the photo shows , they are square and straight. The glue joints were deliberately over glued hoping it would squeeze out. Success with that. A light sanding after 24 hours of drying, (another 4 hours) maybe some more “sprue” glue to hopefully minimize the joints. Then a touch up paint and another 24 hours to

glued the concrete coping over the foundation top. 1-2-3 blocks are so versatile, here serving as weights

Dry fitting the pilasters

Added the vents and windows.

Letting things dry. I can start back on this in about 4 hours. This is going to be an interesting weathering project. Next I will laminate the pilasters and let them dry 24 hour. But after about 4 hours I am going to spray a matte clear coat across the whole wall.

The weathering starting probably Friday is going to be done with Pan Pastels and the next Matte clear coat will give the wall a bite that the PP can grab.