3D printing class 25 parts .... Also class 20,37, 2mm and 7mm wagons and 1/32 bogies

[The Nth Degree]

Simon, I found your old Steve Beattie 24 build thread on the previous RMWeb (http://rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38375) but couldn't find a continuation of it here. I was wondering how you had got on with it?

 

I have one of these and may be getting another one so I'm keen to see what you did with yours, and what you've made with your parts to make it better.

 

Cheers, Steve

[simon br blue]

Simon, I found your old Steve Beattie 24 build thread on the previous RMWeb (http://rmweb.co.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=38375) but couldn't find a continuation of it here. I was wondering how you had got on with it?

 

I have one of these and may be getting another one so I'm keen to see what you did with yours, and what you've made with your parts to make it better.

 

Cheers, Steve

Hi Steve, I've not done much on the 24's recently but the class 25 underframe and bogies will fit the 24's. I want to get some more done on these soon as I've got 5 or 6 shells in various stages of completion.

 

I have placed an order with shapeways and should get a delivery next week. Sadly the Tullis Russell PAA was rejected as some of the hopper body supports were too thin (my mistake from when I reduced the model from 7mm to 4mm) the minimum wall thickness is 0.3mm and you can see below I was just under it. I will make the changes and order one withthe next order.

 

 

Also in this order is a 2mm campbells PVB as a test for the 7mm chassis to go under the body I've made. If it prints ok I will buy a N gauge curtain sided lorry trailer off Ebay and use the sides to finish the model.

 

 

I have also ordered a couple of bits for the 4mm 25.3 cabs - I've ordered a set of windows to see if they will fit the resin cab and also a group of headboard clips and lamp irons to fit to the cabs. Both of these are in FUD and the windows are just a test to see if they will be free from marks and be clear enough to see through.

 

[simon br blue]

Latest delivery from shapeways turned up last week.

 

The first couple of pictures show the N gauge class 25.3, this shell has the clips on the inside to allow it to clip on the Farish 24 chassis. It has turned out well and the shell is very clean and seems more see through than previous prints. The sides have been modified so that there is no raised detail to reduce the areas that can be effected by the FUD support material.

 

 

 

Another model delivered was the 2mm Campbells PVB test print. I made the parts just thick enough to make the minimum thickness for FUD, the only problem is I made the model thicker but didn't change the size of the axel box ends so sadly I can't fit any Farish wheels in.

 

 

I've also finished drawing the BIS PAA

 

 

Another wagon I've been working on is a TTB CO2 tank. I've drawn it without the barrel as the diameter works out to 63mm in 7mm and I've just drawn some end caps to put on the end of some 63mm pipe.

 

[Revolution Ben]

Hello Simon,

 

I really enjoy following this thread.

 

Would you be able to produce the Redland PGA in 2mm?  Also, I like your ESC pedestal suspension units on your Campbell's soup van.  Would these lend themselves to being used in a slightly shorter chassis suitable for the Chivers POA scrap wagon body?  Or your own version of the same?

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[SpoorObjecten]

We are working continuously on improving the FUD quality (different cleaning methods )

 

I enjoy watching your models.

 

Mitchell

 

(shapeways employee)

[Pugsley]

We are working continuously on improving the FUD quality (different cleaning methods )

Whatever you're doing is working, I had some FUD parts delivered last week and there was a step change in improvement of the surface finish from the parts I had towards the end of last year.  Keep up the good work!

[Wild Boar Fell]

We are working continuously on improving the FUD quality (different cleaning methods )

 

I enjoy watching your models.

 

Mitchell

 

(shapeways employee)

Hello,

I  agree with Pugsley here, my most recent orders of FUD items have been to the highest standards I have seen of my own FUD prints in the last year. I'm glad they have got any problems sorted as Its important for several future projects, and I have regained my confidence in Shapeways and Frosted Ultra Detail.

Keep up the good work.

Regards,

Wild Boar Fell

[Etched Pixels]

FUD is definitely improving - although some of the wall thicknesses seem to have gone up - the pullman lamps I used to print no longer get through the system.

[simon br blue]

 

Hello Simon,

 

I really enjoy following this thread.

 

Would you be able to produce the Redland PGA in 2mm?  Also, I like your ESC pedestal suspension units on your Campbell's soup van.  Would these lend themselves to being used in a slightly shorter chassis suitable for the Chivers POA scrap wagon body?  Or your own version of the same?

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

 

Hi sadly I don't think I could do the Redland PGA in 2mm as most of it its on the limit with regards to minimun thickness in 4mm so reducing further would need some big changed to make it printable.  In theory once I change the 'back to back' of the suspension I should be able to fit it under any wagon, I have drawn a thicker version of the POA for 2mm and will get a test printed when I've sorted to accpet the Farish wheels. I've given the PVB a coat of primer to show some of the detail up.

 

 

I have also done a bit on the 4mm class 25.3 cab, I've added a set of lamp irons and headboard clips from the recent order (I did manage to break one of the clips when I tried to move it after I glued it in the wrong place).

 

 

 

The 2mm class 25.3 shell has also had a coat of primer and a quick rub down, I've made some more lamp irons for the front and had a quick go at bending the handrail to see what it looks like.

 

 

The window tests I did for the 4mm 25.3 were not very sucessful as the print orientation left a frosted/layered effect on them when printed in FUD, looks like I either need to try transparent or find a differnt method of glazing them.

 

[Revolution Ben]

Hello Simon

 

I take the point about the PGA wall thicknesses.  The Campbell's van looks very impressive.  I think that as you say, once you get the b-2-b sorted those pedestal suspension units will be very useful - they've not been done before in N.

 

A thought on the Class 25/3 cab glazing: Since your parts were computer designed presumably they are an excellent fit.  How about using the parts you have as casting masters to then produce glazing in clear acrylic?  The sort of stuff that paperweights are made of?  That might, initially, be a more labour intensive solution than simply having another 3D print done, but if you are doing other glazed vehicles you could design the glazing parts in at the start for casting could you not?

 

cheers

 

Ben A.

[Etched Pixels]

I had a fair bit of trouble getting the ridiculuously long standard N gauge axles (15mm) into a 3D printed bogie. It's just about doable but the width ends up a bit off. The 2mmSA does 12.25mm axles for N and those plus bearings fit rather better and allow for a fairly decent wall thickness. I have however gone back to brass for my next bogies 8)

 

It's noticable that the newest Bachmann Farish vehicles are also using shorter axles even when combined with very thin plastic sides in order to get nearer to scale.

 

Ben - I'm dubious about using those as casting masters. If your master isn't very finely polished and clear then your copies will also carry the same surface roughness and look frosty.

 

If you can find something with a very similar optical behaviour then it might help perhaps - the same way coating the old Mike Howarth shells inside and out in gloss acrylic varnish does.

 

Alan

Edited February 27, 2013 by Etched Pixels

[Marbelup]

Re the glazing, I did some recently in Shapeways Transparent Resin and they turned out pretty well.

 

They have some minor vertical striations and I will try sanding and polishing them, but the transparency is good.

 

The loco is S scale. The grid on the card in the photo is 5 mm (French "Quadrillee" filing card). (The blue tinge in the centre is due to the iPhone camera.)

 

Edited February 28, 2013 by Marbelup

[bcnPete]

I've said it once and I will say it again...

 

That 2mm 25 is looking very tasty indeed...

[Richard_A]

are the 4mm 25/3 cabs available to buy?

[simon br blue]

Those windows look good, I think I'll try a sample with my next order in Transparent detail.

 

I've done a bit more work on the 25's.  I've had a go at adding some detail to all 3 scale cabs including having a go at some soldering on the handrails.  Lamp irons and handrails are just pushed in at the moment, I won't glue them in as they look a bit delicate and might break when I give them a wash.

 

 

 

 

[HealeyMills]

Hi Simon,

 

The N Gauge rat is looking very good, especially with the extra details added.

 

Looking foward to you giving it a coat of blue to see how the end result looks

 

Cheers

Lee

[simon br blue]

I've managed to give the 4mm 25.3 cab a couple of coats of white primer, hopefully if the weather improves this week I'll be able to get a coat of yellow on it.

 

 

 

I have also drawn up a set of 25 buffers, couplings and multipul working sockets in 7mm for the next order.

 

 

I've modified the 7mm POA into a SSA which I might try with my next IMaterilise order.

 

[bcnPete]

Whilst we will have to wait 18 months for the much awaited Farish retooled 25, I still like the idea of one of these for a 24 chassis

[simon br blue]

As the weather was nice today and the clocks have changed I had time after work to get a couple of photos of the 2mm POA wagon and also got the airbrush out to apply some yellow ends to the class 25's I've been working on (but no photos yet of the brush work). Farish wheels fit into the holes but sadly are a bit tight and don't turn freely so another test print required - the finish isn't great but this is because I didn't give it a propper clean as I'd already discovered the axle problem.

 

 

The final couple of pictures show it next to it's bigger brothers.

 

 

[The Nth Degree]

Hello Simon, I'll shortly be embarking on a build and rebuild of a couple Beattie 24 kits I have and wondered if you've got anything ready for resale/trial/testing? In particular the cabs, grills, bogie sides and underframe components. I'll be building two examples of the first 10 locos.

Thanks in advance.

Steve

[simon br blue]

Another wagon update.

 

I've mad a go at putting some sides on the PVB as a test. I photoshopped an image I downloaded from Paul Bartletts site to square it up and printed that out. At a normal viewing distance it should fine as it's hard to tell that the straps are flush with the body but I have got a N gauge curtain sided trailer I might cut down to fit the body as it had moulded curtain side and strap detail.

 

 

 

I placed another order with Imaterilise and that turned up last week. I ordered a 7mm Y25 bogie and a TTB CO2 tank chassis and end cap.

 

 

The TTB tank chassis was printed in Prime grey. The end was printed in Polyamide which I think is what they call WSF. I have the other end printed previously in WSF and I'll post a pic showing them together at some point. I will give the ends a coat of primer, smooth them down and make resin castings of the ends so they can fit into the 63mm pipe I've got for the barrel. The details on the chassis came out well and the bolt detail looks good, I do like the finish from prime grey but the cheaper price of WSF is probably the way to go in hte future if I get another printed - it should work out as a cheap model to make as the barrel would have been the biggest cost if printed but luckily the diameter works out to just over 62mm and you can get 63mm plastic pipe which I think is close enough not to be noticed.

 

 

 

The Y25 is again printed in Polyamide and I'm pleased with the result. The wheels fit well and the spring detail looks Ok, I'll have to see what it looks like when it gets some paint on it. The brake rigging has printed well and is flexible enough that it shouldn't break, the bogie also rdes well as there is enough flex so that the wheels tough the ground on an uneven surface but it's strong enough that it doesn't bend when weight is on top of it. I drew this for WSF with a 0.7mm wall thickness but it printed fine even though the Polyamide has a minimum thickness of 1mm. The bogie will be used under TCA tank wagon as this has the same 63mm diameter tank and i found some drawings in a old railway modeller.

 

 

I've also modified the Y25 into the disc version with the longer wheelbase that goes under the BAA/BBA and I've drawn one but I can't get the file to upload to Shapeways, only half the body at a time - might be to do with the amount of faces in the deck.

 

[simon br blue]

After another long gap, time for another update.

 

I've cast some ends from the printed masters for the CO2 tank ends and test fitted them to the pipe to see what it looks like.  I've also made some marks on the tank barrel with a pipe cutter to represent joins in the lagging.

 

 

Following on from the CO2 tank and the Y25 bogies the natural progression was a TCA tank wagon as the tank barrel is the main part of the wagon and only needing to print the bogies and chassis would make it a large wagon for a low cost.  I drew the chassis and ends in the same manner as the CO2 tank and got them printed in WSF.  The chassis has quite a lot of flex in it but it should be stiff when fixed to the barrel.  The tank end wasn't that smooth and required several series of sanding and painting to get smooth but I think this was because of the way I drew it in blender rather than a limitation of the printing process.

 

 

The brake rigging was all printed as one part with the chassis and even though it was on the minimum recommended by Shapeways it's turned out well. 

 

 

 

I also gave the Y25 a coat of primer to see what detail showed up.

 

 

Continuing with the tank wagon theme I've also drawn a TTA ICI Caustic Soda wagon.  This was a modification of the CO2 tank chassis but using a smaller barrel which worked out to be about 51mm so I used some 50mm pipe for the barrel.  This was a bit harder to draw as it had some top hatches and a mesh walkway.  I found it hard to find pictures of the wagon from above but hopefully the retails are correct.  For the mesh walkway I decided to draw it to the limit of FUD - 0.3mm minimum wall thickness.  A bonus of getting it printed rather than using an etch is that the mesh has some depth in it like the real mesh/grating used on the wagon, I could have done it in WSF but that would be thicker 0.7mm minimum thickness and that looked too thick, the only problem with FUD is that it is a bit delicate so could be damaged easily where as WSF has much more flex in it - the access ladder are WSF and will flex rather than snapping.

 

 

The end was made the same way as the other ends but I had to put some wings on the end  to represent  the end of the barrel mount that sticks out of the end of the lagging.  The walkway in the photos below is a bit out of shape and has bent up a bit but I should be able to straighten it using some warm water. 

 

 

 

The final wagon update for tonight is the Campbell's PVB,  I got a chassis and ends printed in 00 gauge in WSF.  I've bought a couple of Hornby bodies off Ebay and will check to see what's needed to fit the two together.

 

 

 

[Pugsley]

Proper, 3D printed, air brake wagon porn!  Great stuff 8)

[simon br blue]

Well a bit more for you -

I've got a 7mm chassis and hopper for the Tullis Russell PAA on order at shapeways as last week they had an offer of 10% off WSF.  I hope that the hopper can be cast in resin and just the chassis ordered from shapeways as the cost would be reasonable and could be made available for sale if there's interest.

I've Been playing with the BAA but I still can't get it to upload for printing with a complete deck.  I can get it to upload with some of the deck removed and a set of cradles attached.

Another wagon that I've drawn but not had printed yet is a TUB Phosphoric Acid tank.  This was modified from the soda tank with a different suspension added and resized ends from the TCA.  The image below shows the wagon part way through conversion with parts spread out.

 

One final wagon that I've recently been working on is a PAA Grainflow wagon.  I did try to order one recently but it was rejected after I had ordered it as a couple of parts were separate.  Like the tank wagons I've drawn the chassis and body separate and I will try to get the hopper printed as a frame and add plasticard like the scrap wagons.

 

 

 

 

[BrushType4]

Simon,

 

I'd love to purchase a few of those PAA's