3d printing for the Soller Railway

[MikeTrice]

I have had the privilege of being able to try printing from @298's 3D model on my Anycubic Mono X and it is a real beauty in every respect. Just crying out for me to get the teak paints out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[PaulRhB]

On 27/01/2021 at 14:21, 298 said:

First "successful" print of the Soller Motor, the wagons less so because of the lack of supports and me not accounting for resin shrinkage in their fit onto their chassis. The motor looks too tall but I put that down to not having any differentiation between us the body and the black box frame section below it. I'm still unsure of what scale to use because although I like the idea of 1:100, the pantographs don't and their appearance looks jarring once noticed....

What scale are those, 1/87? The red pantograph looks really good on those. 

[298]

2 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

What scale are those, 1/87? The red pantograph looks really good on those. 

 

1:100 on 9mm track, pantographs are Sommerfeldt TT scale 882s...

Edited January 30, 2021 by 298

[PaulRhB]

If they look a bit big would painting them a darker shade or grey help? 
Without comparing to prototype pictures they look at home to me on there. The prints look great  

[Joseph_Pestell]

Lovely. The prototypes are quite large, probably close to UK standard gauge profile.

 

The teak is varnished quite dark, not surprising on stock that is fairly ancient.

[298]

3 hours ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

Lovely. The prototypes are quite large, probably close to UK standard gauge profile.

 

The teak is varnished quite dark, not surprising on stock that is fairly ancient.

 

The dark teak was certainly the traditional colour with quite alot of variation as equipment faded, but now everything is a fairly uniform lighter (amber?*) colour including the now static luggage vans, thanks to the Soller workshops. 2 and 3 were overhauled with alot of new external woodwork after their accident about 15 years ago and that accounts for some variation in the planking widths. 

 

*I'm not sure what the name for the scale of orangeness is, the Spray tan?

[MikeTrice]

Teak finish applied:

 

 

I really need to change the support settings along the front cab roof:

 

[298]

So as to provide an update to show how my main current modelling focus is progressing, here is a rough list of recent works (inbetween home schooling, work, and trying not to stink the house out with resin):

 

Soller Motor- waist level band moved up 0.3mm as it's position didn't tie in with checks done on known drawings and photographs. It also looks too pronounced so the upper and lower bands will be reduced in thickness. Roof equipment box pitch reduced and square holes added after suitable photos were found or sent to me. Ironwork-gates and brackets still to do, am thinking of making the gates solid to cover the chassis instead of open or even as a brass etch. 77e sideframe has been started, and am currently compiling info for the underframe equipment that will be visible. I've also experimented with adding the raised lettering to the CAD drawing, the theory being that if it was printed in light grey resin the top coat teak could be sanded back to give the impression of the metal numerals and would mean the body wouldn't need additional transfers, etc, it would mean having to alter each drawing for each car or coach.

 

Coach- there was an error in the drawing that made it look like it was bowing towards the centre, and after attempts to save it I've had to start again. I'm also undecided how to fit it onto a chassis but will try a separate frame piece, again with the gates and railings in place. Once finished it should be straightforward enough to modify into the ones with a guards compartment (two end doors) or the ones with the metal sash windows with curved frames.

 

Wagons- Box van now has added bracing inside and all wagons have had their undersides signified to enable them to fit onto the chassis better. Test prints done, although I need to work on support placement instead of trusting Chitubox.

 

Brake van- compiling measurements, Greenmax American pattern bogies on order. 

 

Couplings- Bemo type on order for evaluation, I can't see how an N gauge type could be used as these always seem to be mounted to the bogies, unlike a Kadee type that I'm used to and are body mounted.

 

I'm still undecided whether to go ahead with a Soller layout, at the moment I've found some Kato unitrack to enable test running as I little other 9mm gauge stock, but the earlier years with shorter mixed trains looking slightly run down compared to the superbly finished uniform teak peoplemovers of today. But since I can't envisage needing more than two for a simple layout such as Bunyola, Miramar or Cinq Ponts, it might be possible to have a pair in their current condition and a pair in pre-1990 before the electrical modifications saw the centre side window blanked off.

[Gordonwis]

Are you going to stick with 1:100?

 

If I were you I would make them 1:120 so that they are to one of the 'standard' model railway scales. TT9 (aka TTm) is under represented - even with 3D printing, but is an ideal combination due to the huge range of motorised chassis and parts available for 9mm gauge track, and the plethora of 9mm gauge track systems available. Whilst some of the latter may not be exact scale (sleeper spacing etc) many modellers wouldn't be too worried I suspect (and most exhibition visitors wouldn't know the ins and outs). 

 

Taking myself as an example, as an N gauge specialist I have boxes full of track (mainly Kato Unitrack which my last 4 - 5 layouts have been laid with) and a box full of Japanese chassis and other spares for various N gauge projects (including RhB Nm9) - raedy to go for any TT9 projects. 

 

The other advantage of 1:120 is the ready availability of 'TT' scale scenics

[298]

1:100 seems to be the way forward, I discounted 1:120 for a number of reasons including the clearance between the bogie sideframes and the chassis rails, and the width of the chassis meaning the area under the steps ends up being wafer thin. In theory a 12' wb wagon could fit on a 10' chassis, but would be too high.

 

1:100 uses all of the advantages of 9mm and is to scale, the only obvious downside is the pantographs look a little small. Besides, these arrived today...

 

 

 

 

[298]

Not much recent progress with this project as I wait for some seemingly very delayed Peco 009 couplings and NEM sockets to arrive for evaluation, they look like the best option apart from the issue of how to increase the side to side action of the buffer head for curves without going as far as mounting the whole coupling and underframe to the bogie (as per Hornby 90 and Farish Western). One solution is obviously not to use tight curves, but for starters I might build a 4'x2' test track and the Kato set curves show how much of an issue this could be.

 

the first test print is seen here on it's first sucessful test run, some idiot had incorrectly wired the jack plug and somehow due to the design of the Bachmann train set controller this put some dodgy voltage to the rails that burnt out the original Tomytec motor. It's replacement is an identically sized N20 motor from eBay and once the flywheels were swapped over it was fitted to the chassis. 

 

 

Current modelling time is taken up adding rivets to my HO General Electric 50t Steeplecab design that has spent too long on the back burner, but after that has finished (and home schooling) I'll be able to continue with the underframe and bogie sideframes.

[298]

With the Steeplecab nearly ready I've returned to the coupling issue and am currently evaluating a number of options. The current favourite is the 009 type with a Peco GR-102 mounted in Dapol 2A-000-014 pockets. First impressions from the quickly mocked up drawing is the buffer looks too chunky and too low at the standard height, but the loop can be removed from the leading vehicle or quickly replaced since it's in a NEM pocket. 

 

Fitting them to the 4w goods stock shouldn't be a problem as they can be fixed to the chassis, likewise with the coaching stock having them at the 5.5 or 6mm height and fixed to the bogies should also work, the issue being the coupling on the Motors and whether their side play and that within the coupler itself is enough for the tight radii that I propose to use.  

 

 

 

 

Edited March 24, 2021 by 298

[298]

...the next step being of course to test them with a mocked up train, I've yet to finish the end handrails on the coach and do a test print  but from the measurements it's 21.1mm from the pivot centre to the end of the headstock, so the couplings might not be able to be attached directly to the B set bogie.

 

 

[298]

Test run, after filing away the front end as per the cad drawing to fit a NEM socket and Peco coupling without a loop. I had to file the sides away to let the body mounted coupling move from side to side a bit more, but with the height set correctly and some weight behind it, it stays on an oval of Kato r249.

 

https://youtu.be/0WHQaY-UhGw

[PaulRhB]

Looking good, if the Peco couplings don’t work out you could always try the Dapol easishunt in the nem pocket to see how that looks. 

[298]

3 hours ago, PaulRhB said:

Looking good, if the Peco couplings don’t work out you could always try the Dapol easishunt in the nem pocket to see how that looks. 

 

I have some of the dead Kadees for use within set rakes, will try them tomorrow. 

[298]

More work on the basic coach design so it is just about ready to print, this has evolved to have elements from what I gather to be at least two current coach designs, the earlier ones having a rivetted underframe and perpendicular end handrails, with later ones having amongst other differences a welded underframe and angled handrails. I've not completed the truss rods as I'm not sure they'll clear the bogies and would be better made from brass rod as would the end railings that may need extra support or printing separately.

 

There are also the now extinct types with metal window frames with rounded corners that I'd like to model, and of course the coaches with a brake compartment that Mike managed to photograph. No.18 is obviously one but I'm unsure of the others and am trying to conduct a coach survey where the numbers can be identified.

[298]

New update! The Elegoo Mars has been joined by a Mercury Plus, as I was never that happy with my old methods of washing and curing. I've also tried printing the revised Motor and coach with their added details, with mixed results from the water washable Elegoo resin- the models seemed to warp more willingly and the uncured resin is very floppy....

[298]

I'm still not sure what has caused the warping, apart from a too short exposure time (8 seconds, Elegoo water washable grey resin, Elegoo Mars Pro). Despite that tho I'm fairly happy with the coach and the next steps are to finish the Soller Motor's sideframes and underframe.

[298]

Rough first versions of the Motor's underframe (Soller platform side) and Brill 77e sideframe- pretty much all from Mike Trice's photos.

 

I did think I could fit all of the underframe details on separate rafts to be mounted to the Tomytec chassis, but some nearer to the sides had to go on the body drawing. I do have drawings and dimensions for a 77e but the Brill catalogue doesn't cover such narrow gauges and I believe these were made under licence in France. The infill in the sideframes is to give it strength, although I might be able to cut a few holes out to represent the brake rigging. Every so often I have to remind myself exactly how small these bits are at 1:100 and the limitations of strength and printing capabilities, even though they are longer than my HO scale 1:87 Steeplecabs.

[298]

A couple of photos with the sideframes in place, I couldn't decide whether to keep them as open as possible or infilled for strength so am trialling a couple of each. They have been printed with my still misbehaving water washable Elegoo grey resin that still leaves flexible thin elements despite increasing the exposure time. The final ones might be infilled but with extra raised relief to show the brake gear behind. They seem to have passed the bogie swing test, one reason for compromising with smaller pantographs at 1:100 scale is to use the Tomytec chassis at the correct gauge, I did consider 1:120 with the same pans and 9mm track but couldn't find a relevant chassis, and even if I did there would have been clearance issues between the sideframes and the underframe sides. As it stands at the moment the chassis looks to still be capable of some tighter radii than the body mounted coupler swing could allow.

 

 

Edited July 12, 2021 by 298

[298]

Getting there with the roof details, I'm still undecided whether to add cables (and there are quite a few) or even to add them or do them separately- having all of the lights on would be impressive as each layout proposal have tunnels on them but might be a step too far (even from someone who has fitted over a dozen surface mount LEDs to a HO switcher, including illuminated MU stands). Once again Mike's detail photos have proven to be invaluable and I have to keep telling myself how small the models are and the limitations of 3d printing.

 

The top centre headlight is currently shown with a flat glass lens, but I'm currently working out how to show the detail inside, including the smaller headlight.

[298]

Underframe elements now detached from the main drawing, they are designed to plug into the Tomytec chassis and needed splitting to provide enough relief and depth, the bits left on the main drawing add strength to the truss rods. I'm still not convinced it is best to try to add all of the details instead of have them separate, wasn't that something that a certain manufacturer tried not so many years ago.

 

I've also added the headlight within the headlight, and think it should be solid enough to print, the problem is for each bit that is completed I keep seeing additional bits with sketchier details, such as the roof conduits and cabling.

 

I've still got the VHF aerial to add, and hope to measure one next week when I have to have a break from modelling and hobbies to go boating on the Broads next week, perhaps the RNLI or Coastguard will have one I can measure? The nest test print will have to wait.

 

 

Edited July 21, 2021 by 298

[298]

Test prints are continuing, mainly to use up the Anycubic grey resin that I don't like at all. One success was to include NEM pockets to clip the Peco GR-102 directly to the goods stock instead of glueing GR-103 pockets in place, although if these fail then the coupling could also be permanently glued. I'm less likely to want to do that with the Motor coaches as the body mounted couplings on those definitely need to swivel in their Dapol boxes. I'm planning the layout with a minimum radius of 300mm and designed the coach frames to go down to 220mm so there should be something in reserve.

 

I've also conceded that the nice looking ironwork that the coach gates are made from don't really scale down well and would be prone to damage, so infilled the space under the gates and railings and beefed up the end handrails and they now seem to be alot more durable. Likewise, although it might be possible to print the truss rods, they would inevitably have support sprues on which would need removing, so would be better added after from brass wire.

 

Edited September 23, 2021 by 298

[ttst2]

Do you have any outline dimensions of the prototype? Or have you scaled it all from photos knowing the gauge? I’m going to make a micro layout of soller and want to 3D print my own rolling stock, just looking for prototype drawings to get started. I’m going for with 4mm scale on 12mm or nn3   Any help appreciated.