Nothing to worry about. New members are moderated, and there is an awkward delay when trying to have a back-and-forth discussion. After five posts (I think), Steve will decide that you are not a threat to the serenity of this forum and will allow you to post in real time. You appear to have two forum accounts. You might want to sort that out.
This is good news. Problematic, but good news. You have made a decision and have a clear path forward.
I’ve researched a little, and I cannot find much on this particular plant. The few photos I found were the same ones you found and they are fuzzy and low-res. I have Google Earth Pro, and I have the same aerial photo and street-view photo showing the plant as it stands today. I found lots of photos of other plants (both interior and exterior) from a similar era, size, and style. That would be good news if you were building a generic plant to place on your layout, but you’re not.
Have you visited the plant recently? Do you have specific measurements? Sketches? Layouts? Arrangements? Do you have lots of closeup photos showing minute details? One way to work out dimensions is to count bricks. Really. Do you have any particular drafting skills or a predilection towards engineering or architecture? There are some here who might be able and willing to help.
In general, are you psyched up to tackle this project?
You will need the step up transformer and coal pile with tracks for trains to bring in the coal and staging for the empty cars to be staged for return to the coal mine.
May need coal conveying system as well.
I do not know the plant you are modeling but have worked in many coal fired power plants.
I have a general understanding how the moderation process works for new forum members, and I give the OP a lot of leeway in his responses and the timing (and built-in delay) of those responses. I am very excited about what he is undertaking, and I will gladly offer any assistance or encouragement.
I do not want to hijack this thread, so I will move any discussions of whatever info and advice I might have to offer to my layout build thread.
I am scratch building a structure that is similar to the OP’s. Here’s a photo.
It is the power plant at the Buffalo Bill Dam near Cody, Wyoming, just a little ways down the road from where I live. It is similar in style to the original plant at Ashtabula and from about the same era. The one thing that both projects share, and it jumps out right away, is that these buildings would not look out of place on any college campus.
On my thread, I will detail all the steps I take and the decisions I make in the process of going from a photo to a reasonably accurate scratchbuild. As I have stated many times, I am pretty fast-and-loose with the rules, but I think the process might help the OP along on his project.
I am definitely motivated to tackle this project. I have visited the plant somewhat recently, but I don’t have very many pictures or measurements. Counting bricks could definitely be possible.
I think I should probably head back there soon and take a lot of pictures on my phone for measurements and details. I think I can also use that drone video online to get a basic sense of exterior detailing.
