Electric sub-station

[ezdays]

I want to put a small sub-station on my layout. Does anyone know of someone that makes a sub-station in N scale? I can probably make most of it from scratch if I had to, but I would like to find a chain link fence if nothing else.

I would even settle for a power generating station if someone made one.

Thanks,

Don

 

[Tyson Rayles]

Don I'm guessing you don't have a Walthers N/Z catalog. In answer to another thread of yours about kits that have the windows etc. seperate from the walls and what have you, yes they make em' , but the usually cost more. On page 226 of the current catalog Con-Cor has the Cambria electric substation. Part # 222-690, msrp $17.98. Page 239 Model Power has the State Power Substation, part # 490-1568, msrp $15.98. There are pics to go with the part #'s. Don you can get a catalog at your local hobby shop, anything that's in it that they don't have they can order for you and get in a few days. The catalogs cost about $17 as I remember and come out once a year. I highly recommend em'. Hope this helps you!

 

[jon-monon]

IMHO: on chain link, you're better off getting the finest mesh metal screen you can find, turning it 45 degrees so the squares are positioned like diamond and cutting a strip at the proper height. There may be a better product out there, but what I got for HO was dissappointing; plastic mesh, 2 dimmensional, 6" holes. Screen isn't chain link, but it's 3 dimmensional and looks better than a flat clear plastic mesh. There may be better products out there than what I got.

 

[Tyson Rayles]

The substation kits appear to have some type of chain link fence included. However Jon's suggestion is a good one, also craft shops carry material like wedding veil that when turned 45 degrees will also work. The trick in N scale is to find a small enough mesh.

 

[absnut]

The Cambria City substation kit is a nice one. The "chain link fence is, indeed, window screening but it's not cut "diagonally" but rather "with the grain". From a distance it doesn't look bad.

Green Max also makes a decent substation kit, though not as "involved" as Concor's.

Dick

 

[ezdays]

Thanks, I will be in town tomorrow and stop by a shop and pick up a catalog. I've seen the The price seems reasonable enough on the sub-station, but if they include a picture then I can see what I'm buying before I order.

As far as kits with separate windows, I do have one or two and they're a lot easier to work with. I'm sure that's why they cost twice as much as the other ones. I am willing to spend a few more dollars to get something that will turn out better, but this is part of learning. Remember, I still have to wear "NEWBIE" on the back of my T-shirt for a while yet. I just wear a jacket over it when I go shopping. I just hope I can get rid of it before it get to 100 degrees here or I'm gunna look as funny as Columbo wearing a jacket or coat in the Arizona summer.

Oh yeah, from all your comments, I'm assuming the Wather's catalog lists product other than their own, or is Con-Cor one of theirs as well?

D N

 

[jon-monon]

Originally posted by ezdays

Oh yeah, from all your comments, I'm assuming the Wather's catalog lists product other than their own, or is Con-Cor one of theirs as well?

D N

They are the walmart of model rail, except the prices are often beat elsewhere as their many distributors, on-line and LHS often pass the discount oin to you. Everything in their cat is on-line:

Walthers

and most of it is available from the many on-line hobby shops as well:

1st place

 

[absnut]

Here's the Concor substation as I built it. It was quite a challenge to bend all the wire installed, so I didn't do all of them, just enough to make it convincing enough for me.

Dick

 

[ezdays]

Dick,

Looks good, that's about what I wanted. This gives me two three phase circuits, just what I planned for my transmission towers. My other choice was to scratch build a half dozen brakers and mount them on pads, but I still would need the fence.

Jon,

Would you check your link to 1st Place Hobbies? It does not work.

Thanks,

Don

 

[Wyomingite]

Hi Don,

Model Power also makes a sub station kit and it looks just like the Con Cor one. Enjoy those ninties as its snowing here in Wyoming. It looks like golf balls coming down. Ron

 

[belg]

close enough

I don't know if this will be well received but at some point don't you just have to say it's close enough.Especially when it comes to something as small as a chain link fence. I know that I'm probably in the minority when I say this but on certain items its just about impossible to make it any smaller without it disintagrating.Don't get me wrong when the detail is there to be had it should be installed.

 

[jon-monon]

Yes, belg, you are 100% right. And when to say enough is enough is your choice, because it's your railroad. The smaller the scale, the harder to get the same detail, but you get a heck of a lot more stuff. The only problem with my philosophy is people like absunt and Tyson come along and do as good in N as I can do in HO!

When your happy with it it's right.

 

[eightyeightfan1]

Some good suggestions on sub-stations.
Alloy Forms(are they still in buisness?) used to sella chain link fence kit in N scale. Gave you about 80 scale feet worth of fence.

 

[ezdays]

I was just wondering about trying the chain link fence from scratch, maybe even the sub-station although I have to admit, buying a kit would be a lot easier. I'm getting the idea from hanging around here that a lot of putting a layout together is making something out of a few bucks worth of material, or scraps and winding up with something that looks realistic and that no one else has. It's a lot about pride.

I bought four square feet of metal screening for about a buck and a half and have plenty to experiment with, and if I'm sucessful, I can fence in my whole layout I did check one LHS today and they didn't have any of the kits mentioned here, but I'll keep looking just in case.

Don

 

[jmarksbery]

Hope this helps

Here are a couple of shots, one is the Cambria sub-station cut down and modeled to fit my space also with a fence, the other is a kit-bash of a pumping station with fence. Both are N Scale. Hope this helps you view. Jim

 

[jmarksbery]

2

fence

 

[ezdays]

Hey, thanks for all the pictures guys, I'm getting some good ideas. I was thinking in terms of making some simple single phase breakers, but I like the three phase ones with the Cambria sub-station. Anybody have the footprint dimensions? I was in and out of the hobby shop this morning before I realized I did not pick up a Wather's N scale catalog. These pics here are a big help.

Man, what a dilemma, do I go out there and keep laying track, or do I stay here and do some structures

D N

 

[absnut]

My sub-station is 7-1/8 x 2-2/8 inches.

Dick

 

[philip]

I'm convinced!

Dick and J : I feel my hair standing on end!

philip

 

[ezdays]

Originally posted by absnut
My sub-station is 7-1/8 x 2-2/8 inches.

Thanks, I have plenty of room where I want to put it and a nice strip to put my HV transmission towers.

Doing this is not a unique as I first though, and that's great 'cause I get all this help from you guys that have been there.

Don