PIKO Refinery Build on three baseplates

[POLO_Train]

Hello everyone, I hope everyone is doing well and being safe.
I am currently building the full PIKO Refinery for my future layout. I am trying to test fit all the peices of the cracking, burn off plant, walkways, and pipes on three base plates (I will square everything when ready to glue down). I have not found much, and I am curious if anyone else has any nice pictures of the refinery builds?

Also, I want to add as much lighting to the refinery on the different platforms, but the PIKO lights don't look good or scaled on the upper levels and I am settling on the three street lamps for now. Has anyone found any smaller light fixtures in gray that I could add to the different platforms?

I am also testing all my glues because the center of gravity of those two will need the glue to really hold it down. I will post it up on my previous thread.

 

[dunnyrail]

Ouch just had a look at the collective price of the two kits from Topslots probably the best value one can get in UK. Ouch!

 

[idlemarvel]

Ouch just had a look at the collective price of the two kits from Topslots probably the best value one can get in UK. Ouch!

Yes I was just looking at the PIKO gravel loader as my grandkids would love playing with that but the price is a bit beyond a nice idea, even from topslots.

 

[POLO_Train]

Thanks guys,
The tanks are up next, but I am going to need to buy some more base plates as they sit on 6 of them for



I shaved a little too much off the pipe base connector, but it should do.



Also test fitting the ladder to align with the top fence:

 

[Paul M]

Vats looking great!

 

[PhilP]

It may be expensive, but it is making-up into a seriously large model!

 

[POLO_Train]

I messed up, the PIKO Fixit glue bubbled the paint on the PIKO tank. I am going to need to rethink the glue for the rest of the tanks, but the refinery is coming together. I also forgot that I had extra-base plates, but now it is coming together.

 

[dunnyrail]

It may be expensive, but it is making-up into a seriously large model!

One (all 3 kits) would look great with my fuel train siding plus I guess that I could justify one on the basis of ‘you cant take it with you’, but by the looks of the size of it I doubt I could fit any part of it in.

 

[zman50]

That looks like a lot of weight on the tank. What are you holding down that needs that much weight? Looks very nice.

 

[phils2um]

Also, I want to add as much lighting to the refinery on the different platforms, but the PIKO lights don't look good or scaled on the upper levels and I am settling on the three street lamps for now. Has anyone found any smaller light fixtures in gray that I could add to the different platforms?

Beli-Beco make some nice fixtures. I've used some of their 1 gauge lights for exterior building lights. I like the scale of them better in many situations, pun intended. The one in the pic is a #122561. The labels say 3V but they come with the resistors and a diode to use them with 16V ac. These are black but could be painted. Also take look at what's available in O gauge. You might find something there.

 

[POLO_Train]

Sorry for the delay, I have been tied down with work and home projects.
Thank you for the lamp ideas, but I am not sure if any of their products will fit. They look great and better for the scale and I booked marked them for future builds. I still have no idea how to light up these bastards.
The past two nights I was only able to complete the high silo.
I wanted to get the rails to line up with the ladder, and it took some time to get to them aligned while cutting away, also I had to saw off a 1/4" off the bottom of the pipe to get it to fit.

I am curious, how I could make the 6 baseplates for the silos rigid so that I could move them from the build space to the layout.

 

[dunnyrail]

Sorry for the delay, I have been tied down with work and home projects.
Thank you for the lamp ideas, but I am not sure if any of their products will fit. They look great and better for the scale and I booked marked them for future builds. I still have no idea how to light up these bastards.
The past two nights I was only able to complete the high silo.
I wanted to get the rails to line up with the ladder, and it took some time to get to them aligned while cutting away, also I had to saw off a 1/4" off the bottom of the pipe to get it to fit.

I am curious, how I could make the 6 baseplates for the silos rigid so that I could move them from the build space to the layout.

View attachment 270237

View attachment 270236

Do you mean what with or where should the lights be? I just googled ’pictures of oil refinery at dusk’ and got lots of pictures, appears that they have a lot of lights!

 

[idlemarvel]

...
I am curious, how I could make the 6 baseplates for the silos rigid so that I could move them from the build space to the layout.

How about some small nuts and bolts joining the facing sides of the base plates? Glue probably wouldn't hack it.

 

[PhilP]

I think with the size / weight / number of baseplates..
You will need to notch the joining edges to get some reinforcement across the plates? - Timber, or possibly better, Aluminium-angle should do the job.