![](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/mra/content/uploads/2021/06/07115238/Allen-Keller-Power-Plant-Image-1.jpg)
My friend Dave needed a power plant to go with his new Apache paper mill that he was adding to his Apache Railway branch, so I offered to combine his power plant kit with some leftover parts I had from an earlier version of the same kit.
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As always, I didn’t want the finished model to look like the art on the kit box, so I made a quick mock up with the spare parts using masking tape and learned that I had enough material to double the size of the plant. To be on the safe side, I also decided to enlarge the main doors to accommodate a railroad car.
![](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/mra/content/uploads/2021/06/07115236/Allen-Keller-Power-Plant-Image-3.jpg)
The secret to this project’s success was combining the extra parts I had with the kit parts. This involved a bit of cutting and fitting, and finally splicing clear styrene strips on the back to reinforce the joints. I worked carefully to ensure that all the new larger sides were the same height and length.
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Of course, there were visible seams where I had combined the different parts. My joints were carefully fit, but several lines were still apparent where the new parts had been incorporated, so I decided to hide them with clever details. Here you can see a ladder and some ventilation ductwork I created to camouflage the seams. This worked very well to solve the problem.
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Here is what the seams looked like before I added all the nice details to hide them. I used liquid cement to combine all the pieces. Also, notice how much larger the railcar door is now.
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Here are a few of the extra pieces that will cover the seams and become roof details. On industrial buildings, you can never have too many interesting details.
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The building received a coat of paint the color of concrete for the foundation, and after it dried I masked the area and sprayed on a layer of blue paint. Painting the building one solid color makes the parts appear more cohesive, but the seams are still clearly there. We’ll take care of this later.
![](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/mra/content/uploads/2021/06/07115255/Allen-Keller-Power-Plant-Image-8.jpg)
To make the building more interesting, I cut extra pieces for an annex and glued them into place. This is a great way to make the model more unique so that it will not be identical to what someone else may have on their railroad.
![](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/mra/content/uploads/2021/06/07115214/Allen-Keller-Power-Plant-Image-9.jpg)
Here you can see how all the seams have magically disappeared. By the way, the tubing between the vertical ducts is actually the packaging from razor blades painted gray. I always save interesting parts like that for use on my buildings. If you look at the windows, you’ll see I ran out of kit window material, so I substituted screen wire to represent vents. They look pretty good after an application of rust color!
![](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/mra/content/uploads/2021/06/07115219/Allen-Keller-Power-Plant-Image-10.jpg)
I sprinkled gravel on the roof using a spoon and brush for exact placement, then dripped diluted white glue on the gravel to permanently bond it. Before applying the glue, it’s always a good idea to “wet” the area with isopropyl alcohol. This allows the glue to spread out and adhere better to the surface.
![](https://d2culxnxbccemt.cloudfront.net/mra/content/uploads/2021/06/07115224/Allen-Keller-Power-Plant-Image-11.jpg)
Here is the completed building with all the details added. Notice inside the door there is a blue wall which suggests that the inside is not completely empty. It’s now ready to join the paper mill on Dave’s layout.
Useful article, thank you.
Great workmanship !
Looks good.Paul R.