02-16-2009, 11:48 AM
jglfan Wrote:Wow, it is really coming along nicely! It's great that you are posting photos of the process you are using, it helps me to see that the complex nature of the plant is more easily understood when you successfully break it down to many subassemblies. When I look at photos of these prototypes, I've had trouble seeing them clearly enough to discern the individual components. Yours sure are going together nicely, great work!
Gary
Thanks Gary, I'm glad you like it! Does this mean you are thinking of making something similar? If you are, or if anyone else is, I'd be glad to also point out all the mistakes I've made along the way.
I'm lucky to have some amazing photo documentation of this structure from the HABS/HAER website.
<!-- m --><a class="postlink" href="http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/">http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/habs_haer/</a><!-- m -->
It's from the Thomas Coke By-Products plant in Alabama. I'd post a direct link, but it doesn't work, because it's a CGI search script. But, if you do a search for it, you'll see that the part I'm modelling starts around photo #87. The beauty of this photo collection is that it's basically a "walkaround", with shots from all angles. This really helps figuring out where things go, especially all those pipes!!!
If there's a downside to the photo's it's all the details that are so clearly shown. I've had to use "modeller's licence" a lot in deciding what level of detail to include. For just one example, the plates, or whatever they are on the oil condensers are actually studded with rivets. I just did not have the patience to attempt to make them.
When I started this project I thought it would be a lot easier. This is how I trick myself into things, hehe. At first I thought the brick building could be slapped together with Walthers modular parts, and that I would just have a bunch of tanks, with a bunch of random pipes, and not worry too much how the real thing went together as long as it had the "look" of a benzol plant.
The first thing I found out was that I could only use the modulars for part of the building: the sides. Looking at the photos, I realized I would have to modify the middle storey's windows, and the next thing you know, I'm buying Walthers brick sheet, cutting my own window openings, shortening the kit windows, cutting down the peaks....
That's the downside of having such good reference, but it's also very satisfying. Three weeks ago, I'd never even heard of benzol, now I'm gradually beginning to understand how the whole by-product process works. It's fascinating. And also, it's a pretty small footprint structure that produces oil and other things (toluene, xylene, ammonium sulfate) that generate rail traffic.
Okay, I'll stop blathering now.....
cheers
Val