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[SmallCentral]

Shapeways Always ........

[SmallCentral]

Shapeways Always ... is not a forum ...it's a market

[NeilM]

I did manage to get some of my models ready for printing before the weekend was out - but not as many as I would have hoped.

I have two variations of a container wagon which are in for their first print - have high hoped for those so hopefully they will work out!

Also I have recreated my test chassis for a 4 wheel wagon. I had create one before, but lost it after a computer crash. I also created a quick test body for a coal wagon which looks OK in the rendering. I failed totally in my idea to create an 8 wheel chassis as a single model including the bogies/trucks with the chassis. The model allows separate interlocked components, but by the time it had been exported and sent to shapeways it has all joined itself up into a single piece - thus creating a chassis that will not go around corners!

Did not manage to get the building I had in mind done, and the Austin 7 was only partly done, but I still added that to the batch to see how it print with what I have done so far.


My order is due back around 12-Oct, so will report back then how successful I have been.

[NeilM]

I have just got my complete container wagon prints back today. Initial checks are positive, the print looks good and the coach chassis (cut down) looks to fit right in as it is supposed to.

I will not photograph these until I have either washed and primed them, or cleaned them in white spirits, because I have tried this before and the photographs of the raw uncleaned prints just do not show any detail.

Also in this batch was my test chassis, which I will check later when I find where I have put the wheels. As well I did a test print for an four wheel open coal wagon which looks good - alas not part of the chassis test, so this will need the two combining to create a finished working model - so more time needed for this one.

Finally I included some road vehicles, a test print for an Austin 7 plus reprints of my Dodge Charger with added detail - boy, does that Austin look tiny next to the Dodge Charger!

[NeilM]

I am aware that I have not made an update for a while and left you all hanging on the container wagons.

Quick update is that the prints were the right size, in that the chassis do fit and they look OK on the track. I had hoped to get some photos up so that you could see how they looked - initially get the photos as cleaned castings before I started painting them - but as usual I have not even got the initial photos done yet.

I have got the models on Shapeways now in two versions, one with a centre sill so that the profile is prototypical, and one without so there is a space to add the metal weight from the coach chassis. This would all make a lot more sense with photos - I will try and get something loaded up soon.

[NeilM]

OK, as promised, the photos of my latest model, a container wagon with 3 x 20ft containers. Not painted yet, but cleaned so that the prints will at least show up properly. NB the gap between the containers does show up better than it appears in the photo, and I think painting this gap with thinned black paint before painting the containers will create the correct effect.

These were designed to use the 19m coach chassis because that is what I had to hand at the time. I would think that it could use the adjustable chassis if it was similarly cut down, but I have not tested this myself as I do not have one of these chassis to hand.

For Forum - Container wagon 3q.jpg (180.86 KiB) Viewed 10843 times

I made two versions of this wagon. Spot the difference......

For Forum - Container wagon A.jpg (178.97 KiB) Viewed 10843 times

For Forum - Container wagon B.jpg (196.26 KiB) Viewed 10843 times

The only difference between the two is the centre sill. The first photo shows this in place as on the prototype, so the model looks correct in profile. The reason it is omitted on the second version is that this leaves a clear opening through the chassis to the inside of the container, this being large enough to take the weight from the coach chassis, see the photo below for a comparison of the wagons from below, with the weight in place on the rear wagon.

For Forum - Container wagons underside.jpg (179.53 KiB) Viewed 10843 times

My next job will be to get some painted and, after buying more chassis, try and assemble a long train. These models are in my shop now if anybody wants to try them.

The next model I will be working on will be the British 4 wheel wagons that I have been testing (just a test of a chassis so far). This will include some thoughts on how to include a simple coupler within the print. Watch this space - but as always, do not hold your breath because I never seem to get anything done as quickly as I expect to.

[Slarge]

Impressive, loving the models, need to finish my traxx loco to pull a few of those.
Just a thought, if I may be so bold... Have you considered making a 2part print so the central cill can be glued/clipped/fixed in after, this could be aligned by having the bogie mounting as part of the print so instead of chopping up coach chassis you could use the bogies tgauge.com sell as spares?
Will you be making a 30ft tanker container also?
Kind regards
Slarge

[NeilM]

Hi Slarge,

Impressive, loving the models, need to finish my traxx loco to pull a few of those.
Just a thought, if I may be so bold... Have you considered making a 2part print so the central cill can be glued/clipped/fixed in after

I had considered this early on, but must confess I forgot about it later in the process! Making an extra part was just one more thing that could have gone wrong, but I may revisit that and try create the part to add to the existing model without the sill.

this could be aligned by having the bogie mounting as part of the print so instead of chopping up coach chassis you could use the bogies tgauge.com sell as spares?

Again, was just making it the easiest way initially - both for designing the model, and for getting it running once printed. I have been experimenting with creating my own bogies. Nothing as yet on this, but once I have my 4 wheel chassis working then I am hopefully the logic would work for bogies as well. If this works out then I could create a model that would just need wheels and couplers (and have a few ideas on the latter as well).

Will you be making a 30ft tanker container also?Slarge

I think a tanker would be difficult. Not the tank, that would be the easy bit, but the rectangular framing that surrounds it. Because that would have to be so much over scale to be printed I suspect that it would visually spoil the whole thing. A brass etching would possibly be the way to got, but I have no experience in that field.

[Slarge]

All fair points Neil
I still find one of the fascinating things about "Tgauge" and 3D printing is how damn small it is (and how fiddely it is!) I have taken a somewhat liberal view to scale caring between 1:480 (typically length) to 1:450 (typically width and height) given the origins of the original models. After all its context that matters.
Loving your work.
Slarge

[NeilM]

Again, no updates from me in a while, but reading and then replying to the Lack of Motivation thread really should get me moving again...

I am planning to visit Wakefield model railway exhibition at the weekend. That is always a good show, so I do hope to get inspired there. I know this will not be just T gauge inspiration, I do model in other scales and I know that there are 2 good American switching layouts there which I want to see - if T gauge points and couplers were up to the job then I would try on of these in T, but alas that is for larger scales at the moment. (I do have some ideas on couplers which I would like to test out, but I am not going to even attempt to build my own points!)

About all that I have actually done on my layout is make a few more pencil marks on the baseboard! On the 3d printing front I am getting on with an Austin 7. This currently has rear wheels but not yet any front ones. Adding wheels and wings to that style of car is tricky in sketchup, but if I manage to crack it then I will put those for sale as they are one vehicle that would work with the steam outline models that other are developing.

Also pressing on with my plans for 4 wheel wagons. I know these have been done already, but would still like to do my own. I am trying to design in a coupler such that the only extra purchase needed will be wheels. Hopefully I should have a test ready for my next Shapeways order.

Also, still running ideas round my head for a PWM controller. Just wondering about using an Arduino. These support PWM within the programming language, although I am not sure if the frequency will be high enough. They are cheap enough to buy, so I may just order one and try it.

Not much else at the moment, but if I do get the inspiration from the exhibition next weekend then hopefully you may get to see some progress and a start of some scenery on my layout.