Should have made TMI!
AMCDave posted:Not realistic???
Neither is the radii of our curves, number of rails, method of fueling of our locomotives, most of our grades are way too steep. We run 1950's era loco with modern auto racks, the dry boilers on our steam loco should explode!! But I'm having fun so I don't care.
Well, if you're going to nitpick, Dave... 
I've never operated a nuclear plant before, however, I did stay in a Holiday Inn Express last night...
It’s okay... not really what I’m looking for. I would’ve liked some new rolling stock releases instead.
It looks okay to me, but not something I'm interested in as I already have two electric companies, Why do I need a third?
rtraincollector posted:It looks okay to me, but not something I'm interested in as I already have two electric companies, Why do I need a third?
To power all of these Menards buildings! Power grid is at its peak.
AlanRail posted:Why isn't the dog and men so close to the core in protective suits?
Maybe they wanted to save on adding LED's and figured that Jack and the staff would have a natural glow from the exposure!!!
Water cooling towers like Three Mile Island, Excellent, Smoke unit inside would be cool, put some skeletons walking around outside. O yea!
Can Mark or somebody please post a video of the nuke plant?
Sorry, I just noticed the "Video here" button
I'm sorry but this one just doesn't do it for me.
Wow, this one is a surprise! Interesting and eye-catching animation effect. I have no idea where I will put it, but I am ordering one - my wife is a consultant who often works on EIS and other studies for nuke plants. Ordered with the free Soo flatcar with two panel trucks. -Ken
Any suggestions as to a smoke unit that might work well in the cooling tower?
Really surprised that Menards hasnt done the Pride of Chippewa
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Second BluelineC4's suggestion--Leinenkugel brewery would be a hot item. Also agree that more rolling stock would be welcome as like several other hobbyist am running out of layout space for buildings--always room for one more piece of rolling stock---keep the party going--thanks
I think I was misunderstood. Gee. How could THAT happen on this forum??
The Menard's Nuclear Power Plant is comical, whimsical and inaccurate. But those are not reasons NOT TO Buy it. The Lionel flat with red blinking radioactive containers is another comical, whimsical and inaccurate depiction, but I own many!!
If you try to find the limited photos of the NPPs I worked on: Byron, Braidwood, Zion, Quad Cities(Clinton), Morris and Dresden all in the Midwest around Chicago, none of them resemble Menards nor do any resemble Lionels version as well.
It's hard to find detailed photos of the interior of nuclear power plant buildings because cameras are not permitted beyond the the three rows of fences. [Except I did have photos taken with security permission because I was reviewing on-going construction. I no longer have the photos.]
First, because there are no detailed photos available to Menards or Lionel or anyone that necessitates a lot of imagination in coming up with a nuclear plant model. Second, the nuclear core is set below ground not high up because should there be a uncontrollable radiation leak ( a class 9 disaster), the radiation is confined to the underground not the air. And it would burn its way to the earth's center not our skies as it did for one experimental plant on the east coast and the one in Chernobyl.
So even if Menard's version is entirely whimsical, it is still colorful, eye-catching, unique and entirely buy-able.
If you were to be inside a nuclear power plant, you'd probably find it pretty boring.
The reactor is encased and shielded.
Rusty
Ken-Oscale posted:Any suggestions as to a smoke unit that might work well in the cooling tower?
Hi Ken-
The easiest, (in my opinion) would be a couple cool mist vaporizers with a laptop fan. I have used these on smoke stacks and they worked great. The layout didn't get covered with moisture like some previous posts may have suggested, and water is both cheap and without any smell. I used distilled water in mine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
For some serious smoke, two is all you need.
rogerpete posted:Ken-Oscale posted:Any suggestions as to a smoke unit that might work well in the cooling tower?
Hi Ken-
The easiest, (in my opinion) would be a couple cool mist vaporizers with a laptop fan. I have used these on smoke stacks and they worked great. The layout didn't get covered with moisture like some previous posts may have suggested, and water is both cheap and without any smell. I used distilled water in mine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00?ie=UTF8&psc=1For some serious smoke, two is all you need.
Rogerpete, could you post a pic of how you set this up? The vaporizer in the link looks like it needs to be submerged in water.
Also one of the options in the link has color changing leds which wouls be fun for this whimsical reactor. I personally think this is a must have for me. Thanks for the idea!
-Nick
AlanRail posted:I think I was misunderstood. Gee. How could THAT happen on this forum??
The Menard's Nuclear Power Plant is comical, whimsical and inaccurate. But those are not reasons NOT TO Buy it. The Lionel flat with red blinking radioactive containers is another comical, whimsical and inaccurate depiction, but I own many!!
If you try to find the limited photos of the NPPs I worked on: Byron, Braidwood, Zion, Quad Cities(Clinton), Morris and Dresden all in the Midwest around Chicago, none of them resemble Menards nor do any resemble Lionels version as well.
It's hard to find detailed photos of the interior of nuclear power plant buildings because cameras are not permitted beyond the the three rows of fences. [Except I did have photos taken with security permission because I was reviewing on-going construction. I no longer have the photos.]
First, because there are no detailed photos available to Menards or Lionel or anyone that necessitates a lot of imagination in coming up with a nuclear plant model. Second, the nuclear core is set below ground not high up because should there be a uncontrollable radiation leak ( a class 9 disaster), the radiation is confined to the underground not the air. And it would burn its way to the earth's center not our skies as it did for one experimental plant on the east coast and the one in Chernobyl.
So even if Menard's version is entirely whimsical, it is still colorful, eye-catching, unique and entirely buy-able.
I lived at Goose Lake and Dresden was only 5 miles away. Its address was Morris, Il. Did Morris get another Nuke plant? I know GE had a storage of spent fuel there also.
Like Ken-Oscale, I would like to know if the mister Rogerpete recommended
need be under a inch or 2 of water? I have several ideas where they could be used
e.g. steaming cauldron in hobo camp.
Finally a spur to route all the gondolas with radioactive waste containers.
What, me worry?
bluelinec4 posted:Really surprised that Menards hasnt done the Pride of Chippewa
That would be perfect. I already have a beer truck ready to go - just need a brewery.
They may feel the need to do the old Walter's Brewery in Eau Claire. Alright, but how about providing some alternate signage for Leinenkugel?!
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Sorry guys, I've been under the weather lately.
I did notice that a couple threads popped up for the Nuclear Power. Thanks @alextwister, @kmacleod @cabinet Bob and everyone who contributed to these threads while I was away!
https://ogrforum.com/...26#77734316083294226
https://ogrforum.com/...40#77734316078253440
Thank you,
Mark the Menards Train Guy
Get better Mark!!!!
Looking forward to Paul Menard in the Woods Bros car this year in Cup.....I did some work with the Woods.
Yeeeeeo Mark, that Leinenkugel's brewery would look Saaaweet on my layout. Can I preorder it???
Hope you feel better soon Mark.
Rusty Traque posted:If you were to be inside a nuclear power plant, you'd probably find it pretty boring.
[image snipped]
The reactor is encased and shielded.
Rusty
Having been inside the Vermont Yankee nuclear power plant in the mid-'90s, I would wholeheartedly disagree. My father, a physicist, was for many years on the governor's advisory panel for VT Yankee. When they had to replace some of the turbines, they offered to the members of the panel the opportunity to tour the plant. My father was the only one who expressed any interest, and he asked to bring family members. So my mom, my twin brother, and I toured the plant.
Since the reactor had to be offline for the turbine replacement, they also refueled the reactor core simultaneously. This consisted of removing spent fuel rods, moving around partially spent rods, and adding the new rods. All this was done with the cap of the reactor core removed, so when we went to the reactor floor, we could see into both the reactor core and the short-term storage tank next to the core.
Let me tell you, that was one of the cooler things that I've experienced. The water in the reactor core was so pure that you could barely tell that it was there. And, because it was de-ionized water, if you were dehydrated, no matter how much you drank of it, it wouldn't rehydrate you. Nor could you be electrocuted in it. Even cooler—Cherenkov radiation was visible from the partially spent rods. Cherenkov radiation—the stereotypical glow associated with radioactive materials—is analogous to the sonic boom, except for the speed of light in a material. It is created when charge particles—usually electrons—are moving faster than the speed of light in that material.
I could go on and on about the coolness of being inside a nuclear reactor. Now, had the plant been operating, then the reactor dome would have been in place, and we would have seen significantly less. Still, I'd like to think that it would have been pretty cool to see. I am positive that it would not have been boring.
Get well soon Mark! 
Wigville RR posted:Mark could email me I can't get thought to Menards about a building I just got today my email is in my profile .
Guy
Guy,
Try emailing guest@menard-inc.com. That is the best place to get help on train questions.
-Mark the Menards Train Guy
645 posted:For those of you still jonesing for Menards to make a brewery here's an interesting real life brewery complete with rail access to the interior:
http://www.railpictures.net/photo/647453/
I like the angles of the structure too - not just a simple box shape here! The large garage door on the second floor is cool/unusual too - has (removeable) safety bars across the opening . Maybe this will inspire Menards to move a brewery up the priority list...
This is what the rest of that brewery looks like and is just about the only one I'd purchase! Fx Matt Brewery home of Utica Club Utica NY
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Thanks for posting the video Mark. Im ordering one!!
Nick R. posted:rogerpete posted:Ken-Oscale posted:Any suggestions as to a smoke unit that might work well in the cooling tower?
Hi Ken-
The easiest, (in my opinion) would be a couple cool mist vaporizers with a laptop fan. I have used these on smoke stacks and they worked great. The layout didn't get covered with moisture like some previous posts may have suggested, and water is both cheap and without any smell. I used distilled water in mine.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/prod...00?ie=UTF8&psc=1For some serious smoke, two is all you need.
Rogerpete, could you post a pic of how you set this up? The vaporizer in the link looks like it needs to be submerged in water.
Also one of the options in the link has color changing leds which wouls be fun for this whimsical reactor. I personally think this is a must have for me. Thanks for the idea!
-Nick
DON'T DO IT!!! You will have a mess! I ordered one from the Amazon link above and it sprays water all over the place and the fog that it does produce immediately flows downward. I tried altering the depth of water per the instructions and it didn't make much difference to the overspray.
My set up works fine-
In my situation, I used a small ice cream container with lid to hold the vaporizer and water. I placed a tiny fan from a laptop on the lid blowing in. I placed a smoke stack in the lid where the vapor comes out. It's enclosed. There is no water splashing out and with the fan blowing in, it positively pressurizes the plastic container and the fog goes right up the stack. I fill the container once placed by pouring water down the smoke stack with a funnel. I don't have to remove anything, the water is contained, and it works like a charm.
I even put an LED inside the smoke stack at the top which adds a bit of light to the fog making it really visible.
The entire set up fits inside the building with the PVC smoke stack.
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