3d printing chairs and sleepers for bullhead track

[martin_wynne]

26 minutes ago, Nimbus said:

By now, I'd be really excited if this was for flat-bottom rail !

 

The Nim.

 

15 minutes ago, billbedford said:

BR1 chairs?

 

It's all doable in Templot. Over to you for the 3D printing.

 

You will be able to enter the chair/baseplate dimensions and Templot will create the STL files.

 

But not yet. One thing at a time. Bullhead first, but it will do any scale or gauge or radius you choose.

 

Even now, you could print a sort of "flat-bottom baseplate" if you wished (BH chairs without jaws):

 

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

[AndyID]

6 hours ago, Nimbus said:

By now, I'd be really excited if this was for flat-bottom rail !

 

The Nim.

 

Yes, but which type of clip? 

[martin_wynne]

2 hours ago, AndyID said:

 

Yes, but which type of clip? 

@AndyID

 

OK, I give in. Too many types of FB rail clips. I shall call it 3D Plug-Track instead.

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

[nick_bastable]

12 minutes ago, martin_wynne said:

@AndyID

 

OK, I give in. Too many types of FB rail clips. I shall call it 3D Plug-Track instead.

 

cheers,

 

Martin.

what ever you call it will give it a try in 2mm

 

nice project well done

 

Nick B

[Trog]

9 hours ago, billbedford said:

BR1 chairs?

 

Quite rare in S&C I think I only ever saw one lead with elastic spike fastenings (but they may be more common in places I never visited as that sort of thing tended to vary from area to area) and the one I did see was perhaps not technically BR1 baseplates as they all had the letters LMS embossed on them.

 

ST or Kinetra clips were more common and are still to be seen new on inclined FB items, they might also be an easier shape to print. 

[AndyID]

Pandrol would probably cover most needs but tricky to print. The bases would not be a problem.

 

Might be possible to print bases that accept functional or cosmetic metal clips?

[martin_wynne]

31 minutes ago, AndyID said:

Pandrol would probably cover most needs but tricky to print.

 

But not all. Not invented until 1957 and not in widespread use until the 1970s. Anyone running steam on FB would mostly be looking for the earlier BR designs. Easiest to print might be the SHC clips:

 

 

which usually have the fixing hoops cast into concrete sleepers (see left above). But presumably baseplates were available for use on crossing timbers.

 

Martin.

[Trog]

On 09/07/2021 at 21:06, martin_wynne said:

 

But not all. Not invented until 1957 and not in widespread use until the 1970s. Anyone running steam on FB would mostly be looking for the earlier BR designs. Easiest to print might be the SHC clips:

 

 

which usually have the fixing hoops cast into concrete sleepers (see left above). But presumably baseplates were available for use on crossing timbers.

 

Martin.

 

I have never seen or heard of an SHC clip baseplate, and making one with the goal post the clip slides under (the raised loop next to the rail foot in the picture above) in a cast iron baseplate might be tricky.  The other thing about SHC clips that would make their use in S&C inadvisable is that they are not good in tight radii track, as long six wheel rigid bogies tend to shear off the goal posts that hold the clip down. 

 

The Spring Hoop Clip also known as the Skull Hoop Clip on the WR I believe. Comes in two versions the oblong variety shown above and the swallow/fish tail version where the end of the clip resting on the rail is divided into two fingers, and the other end that rests on the tensioning bar goes to a matching point. Probably saves a fraction of a penny of metal but at the price of making the clips an absolute bast**d to release.

 

The nylon that fits between the clip and the rail foot, makes a really good scraper to get frost off your van window, after a long winters night working on track. Big enough to hold with a nice wide blade and almost totally unbreakable. At one time no PW vehicle was without one.

Edited July 10, 2021 by Trog
Remembered frost scraper.

[AndyID]

When I feel strong enough I might take a shot at Pandrol clips with printed FB rail. (The rail web accepts a nickel-silver head.)

[Trog]

Remember that the earlier Pan1 to Pan5 baseplates take a slightly smaller clip made from slightly thinner bar (PR427a originally was the PR303) than the later ones. Probably so small a difference that it would not show unless you model newly installed track in which case you will need to paint the clips purple instead of red. Do this and watch the rivet counters heads explode. :-)

 

In real life using the larger red PR401a clips in error is quite common, and can be spotted even after the paint has flaked off because the clips sit cocked up at a wrong angle and not quite square to the rail.

 

Also if you represent end grain on your printed sleepers the sleeper should be installed so the end grain looks unhappy, that way rain soaking along the grain of the timber should eventually seep out of the side of the sleeper, rather than puddling in the middle of a sleeper with a happy looking end.

[KeithHC]

Ok here’s one for thought. I have an FDM printer I was wondering about chairs suitable to fit good old Peco code 75 FB I could then use the rail to make fiddle yard in EM it would save me wasting good track.

 

Keith

[simonmcp]

3 hours ago, KeithHC said:

Ok here’s one for thought. I have an FDM printer I was wondering about chairs suitable to fit good old Peco code 75 FB I could then use the rail to make fiddle yard in EM it would save me wasting good track.

 

Keith

I have printed inset pieces for the edge of a traverser on a cheap Aldi  FDM printer. I should imagine that it would be a good idea to slow the print speed down to about 20mm a second and enable retraction (all possible in Cura if you enable the settings), to get anywhere near scale looking chairs in 4mm I would suggest changing to a 0.2mm nozzle as well. PLA might just be strong enough but a slightly more flexible material would be better.

[AndyID]

On 10/07/2021 at 15:00, AndyID said:

When I feel strong enough I might take a shot at Pandrol clips with printed FB rail. (The rail web accepts a nickel-silver head.)

 

I did find this.

 

BTW, if you click on the link for a chair then open the photo in another window you'll see a hi-res image.

 

 

Edited July 13, 2021 by AndyID
more info