I'm starting a new thread on building a medium-sized substation to feed my town and industries on the train layout. This project will be involved enough to warrant its own thread and not over-complicate my layout build thread any more than it is. I've been doing research and on the other thread talked about finding something that can simulate the large, high-voltage insulators. As for the power transformer, I'd like to use the Mike's Train House (MTH) transformer that's on my UP heavy duty flatcar, but I don't want to use that transformer. I put an inquiry into MTH's Customer Service Dept, but they responded that they CANNOT sell me the transformer separately without an exchange for my old one. So scratch building is the way I'll go. In that case, some of the low relief molded details can no be fully worked out.
Here's a typical, big power-transformer. Notice all the stuff hanging off including the cooling fans. In fact, if you didn't know better, you'd think it was some kind of large engine.
For cooling fans, the only thing I could find was a Precision Scale Co. brass cooling fan grill and fan. It could work. I did a major search for other diesel details and came up empty. If anyone knows any please let me know. I'm thinking of buying a beat up HO EMD engine and cutting off the fan shrouds and using them. If I had photoetch capability, I make my own, but I don't so I won't.
In addition to the power transformer, there's lots of other pieces. The basics include bus frames and insulators bringing power leads from the high tension poles, and then carrying three-phase power to the other apparatus in the substation. This included circuit breakers, and re-connectors.
Here's a typical plan layout. I will have to compress distances since real stations are fairly large plots.
Notice that the distance from the incoming bus poles to the transformer bushing is 48 meters. That's 39" in O'scale which is a lot of layout real estate. There's some compact designs that can be applied. I'll share the drawings I produce as we go on. The horizontal bars on top of the bus frames running perpendicular to the power flow direction I believe is a lightening protection grid that's grounded. The substation surface is gravel which is chosen since it provides the least path to ground for operators when standing near the equipment. Under this gravel (and unseen on any model) is a complex ground grid that extends past the perimeter fencing. Everything is grounded through this "earthing grid". There are good sources of scale chain-link fencing, but in all cases, I'll have to add the barbed wire extensions that are on top.
Meanwhile, for the last week my laptop is behaving very badly. It's constantly crashing in an unrecoverable manner. The mouse pad is forgetting its settings, loading and unloading files is very slow, and it's just operating badly. If I can't figure it out, it may be time for a new one. It's over 4 years old and I've worn the covering off the keys, so it's had plenty of use. But getting a new one is a pain in the butt since I have lots of programs that will have to be reloaded by hand, including lots of updates. Also, I'm not a big fan of Windows 8. We'll see. My wife is trying to convince me to buy an Apple. New Apple machines run Windows which lets me run my normal graphics suites, plus my RRTrack layout design program.
Here's a typical, big power-transformer. Notice all the stuff hanging off including the cooling fans. In fact, if you didn't know better, you'd think it was some kind of large engine.
For cooling fans, the only thing I could find was a Precision Scale Co. brass cooling fan grill and fan. It could work. I did a major search for other diesel details and came up empty. If anyone knows any please let me know. I'm thinking of buying a beat up HO EMD engine and cutting off the fan shrouds and using them. If I had photoetch capability, I make my own, but I don't so I won't.
In addition to the power transformer, there's lots of other pieces. The basics include bus frames and insulators bringing power leads from the high tension poles, and then carrying three-phase power to the other apparatus in the substation. This included circuit breakers, and re-connectors.
Here's a typical plan layout. I will have to compress distances since real stations are fairly large plots.
Notice that the distance from the incoming bus poles to the transformer bushing is 48 meters. That's 39" in O'scale which is a lot of layout real estate. There's some compact designs that can be applied. I'll share the drawings I produce as we go on. The horizontal bars on top of the bus frames running perpendicular to the power flow direction I believe is a lightening protection grid that's grounded. The substation surface is gravel which is chosen since it provides the least path to ground for operators when standing near the equipment. Under this gravel (and unseen on any model) is a complex ground grid that extends past the perimeter fencing. Everything is grounded through this "earthing grid". There are good sources of scale chain-link fencing, but in all cases, I'll have to add the barbed wire extensions that are on top.
Meanwhile, for the last week my laptop is behaving very badly. It's constantly crashing in an unrecoverable manner. The mouse pad is forgetting its settings, loading and unloading files is very slow, and it's just operating badly. If I can't figure it out, it may be time for a new one. It's over 4 years old and I've worn the covering off the keys, so it's had plenty of use. But getting a new one is a pain in the butt since I have lots of programs that will have to be reloaded by hand, including lots of updates. Also, I'm not a big fan of Windows 8. We'll see. My wife is trying to convince me to buy an Apple. New Apple machines run Windows which lets me run my normal graphics suites, plus my RRTrack layout design program.
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