hayfield

I must finish this turnout off, as I said I just wanted to build one to my satisfaction Track laying has come a long way from using card sleepers/timbers with flatbottom rail spiked to it. Or using strips of wood with cast metal chairs fitted, and until recently I was firmly in the camp of plastic chairs stuck to plastic timbers The new boy in town is 3D printed track, British Finescale have been selling 2mm & 4mm kits for some time. Templot designer Martin Wynn has evolved Templot from a 2D planning software into a design system for both 4 & 7mm (other scales possibly) to produce files to enable turnouts to be printed on 3D printers, Not only visually accurate but much easier to build than other existing systems. and without any gauges or expensive jigs (filing jigs can be cheaply printed My new printer which will print track bases in 4 & 7 mm scales But this is for another thread

Keith Thank you, but I am not alone. There is a small group in Templot club who have offered me assistance and I brought this machine as Martin has the same one and has offered to assist me with both setting it up and more importantly getting the files in working order. As a last resort one of our neighbours both (husband and wife) are designers at Fords, apparently they have recently brought a 3D printer My plan is first to print a 4mm turnout, then a 7mm one. Finally I want a small test track which can be used to demonstrate the system. What I have not mentioned is that Martin has developed/is developing plain Flexitrack for the system As for the resin printer do watch James's video

Brian Thank you very much for answering the question especially your lightbulb moment, reusing the timbers as you described could also be used to change chairs from 3 bolt (the only version available at this moment to 2 or 4 bolt. Or you could just replace the affected parts as unlike other systems these are push in parts not glued. I tried an idea of gluing an ABS chair to a PLA timber, once the solvent has set its rock solid As for strength. Look at the ABS chairs from the 2 main suppliers, you can easily pull a piece of rail from 1 chair, try doing it with 20+ chairs attached. There is no glue involved with C&L or Exactoscale chair system, yet it is very strong once the turnout is built. I have a section of track from a prototype printing over a year ago, its rock solid, my finger nail would give way before the chairs

Two days early the printer arrived All very neatly packed And with the help of a YouTube video, put together, In practice only 2 screws needed screwing up but the instructions are brief and could be a bit better. Having said this its very easy to assemble Next up is setting the machine up, which entails levelling up the build plate to the printing nozzle, trouble is I have a busy week ahead of me and not much free time I have also ordered a resin printer as it was always my intention of having both as the chair detail is far better in resin in the smaller scales, but it stays in the box until I get the FDM printer up and running printing bases

Keith you are a bit ahead of me, I am about to set up my FDM printer, I have come to the conclusion I must get a resin printer and after watching James video I will order one of the cheap ones as they seem to work well and a good entry level machine, especially as I just want to print chairs

I have had the prototype for over a year unpainted without any ill effects, I have had a painted 3D loco body for a couple of years, again its fine Wayne has been selling his track kits for sometime again without any ill effects Going back 10-15 years people were still saying the same about ABS plastics and they had been around for 25 years Martin has been designing this system for some years and I am sure he had to be certain about the longevity of the materials. That is why 2 systems are in use for the smaller scales, using the best material for the job I must say many of the diehard anti Templotters were changing their tune about Templot once they saw 3D printed track, simply both a show stopper (James was inundated both days) and a game changer. At the start of the plug track I was sceptical about it after my first encounter with a 4 mm scale product on Shapeways. But then I have been using Modelu parts for years. Not everyone will be convinced and as usual happy to plod on as they always have. Momentum is building up and I am happy to go on a journey with it. Not only with 4mm scale but also with 7mm where the detail will really stand out

Ian Please look at the video I posted made by James Walters, your assumptions are totally wrong and (probably my fault with a bad description) have not understood how the system works. Although you can print whole chairs, the system has been designed so than a turnout can be built without threading chairs. Part chairs are put into the timbers The above photo shows the two options, for ease of build part chairs are plugged into the base, the rail is formed and bent into shape if necessary, the secondary plugs lock the rail in place. To maintain the gauge exactly each chair is automatically placed at the correct angle. No track gauges are required other than to check the gauge if you wish to There is an option to thread whole chairs on to a rail if preferred, but this action is one of the main deterrents of why people do not want to build their own track. James is making a second video which concentrates on printing and assembling a turnout in the coming weeks and may become clearer A rather long thread in Templot showing the development of plugged track, it may be worth starting at the latest post or a page half way through as the thread covers laser cutting the timbers from plu and also a option to mill the timbers from sheet material, plus talk on various printers.

I have been out all day and a box was waiting for me Initially said being delivered on Thursday, had message this morning it was being delivered this afternoon Well I will read the instructions and put it together

Ian Thanks for the posting, Martin is off line for a few days but in the absence of more knowledgeable folk I will try and answer. Please note this is way above my paygrade and if Martin was available I would let him answer. What I can say the result is far better than I could build even using Exactoscale's special chairs Martin had designed a system which hopefully is easy to use and needs few if any specialist equipment like various track gauges to build either plain track, turnouts or crossings, looking at a turnout the position of chairs is quite straight forward and having rectangular holes makes life very much easier when fitting the rails, as for the curved stock rails each chair is bespoke and has its own position, so that when the rail is fitted in place it is accurate to the chosen gauge. Having a rotating chair I assume could bring in inconsistences and gauge widening/narrowing. Finescale standards are far more exacting The initial test pieces highlighted this as the chairs for the curved stock rail had not been designed. Resulting in stepping of the rail The design principal is that an average modeller should be easily able to make a turnout or crossing with the minimum of tools to the gauge/scale of their choice. Plus bespoke filing jigs can be printed for both Vee and switch rails, which are both cheap to print and if required reusable. Sorry if its not as detailed as you may require

No need to apologise especially as you are adding to the knowledge bank which for most modellers is a completely new field in the past time Like paper printers which now are common place, 3D printers will become more and more common as time goes by 12 months ago I thought 3D printing was for a small minority within the hobby. I am dipping my toe in the water simply because the turnouts which Templot produces cannot be bettered any other way for its detail and simplicity, now having seen what's possible I am certainly into FDM printing and 95% of the way into resin printing. A whole lot of things have fallen into place at at once. Firstly the developments between Scaleforum 22 and 23 has been a massive leap forward. Secondly the availability and cost of printers is reducing, thirdly Templot software is getting so much easier for the novice to use The elephant in the room for me is resin printing, and many of my concerns may simple bee through lack of either knowledge or understanding With model railway track building there is a great reluctance to change, especially regarding building methods. plus far too many modellers accept standards which are based on what was available 40 + years ago in quality and detail Simply thanks for adding to our understanding

James What a great watch and how informative the video is, I see Geetech also do a washing and curing machine which is again not too expensive and actually removes some of my concerns

Roger As far as I can remember its no. Firstly only 4 & 7mm bullhead rail data has been added to the chair program, the thought being is the chairs would be too small to use In theory I guess you can print the bases to 2mm scale and possibly the chairs, but whether the chairs would be usable is another matter, I have seen 2mm scale chairs in one kit which available commercially

The first of Amazon deliveries arrived, I now have both a kilo of filament and a pack of glue sticks. Yet to be informed exactly when the printer will arrive Wednesday/Thursday stated. I guess I will know more this afternoon once its been packed for delivery This is a link to James reviewing a cheap resin printer

Probably very many more options as there always have been. Certainly in the RTR market usually only a single option I am always promoting building your own but I find tandems/3 ways the hardest turnouts to build, and I bet whatever choice Wayne makes (if he ever does) someone will always want something different. It surprises me how well Wayne seems to cope with all the range options he has to date, I think he runs a very well organised business

I am lucky the local post office is not very far away (a short walk) and often as I like to get things posted I may go round on Mondays twice, also some buyers do for what ever reason wait a few days to pay. As for waiting for the last minute thankfully I never seem to suffer from them, I find a second invoice works wonders. I never put a pay buy period in my listings as I have never found a need to. And I treat all buyers the same however long they take to pay When listing I always list the service I use and clearly state its post and packing. Thankfully to date I have not suffered from troublesome buyers. I guess the ultimate decision is to cancel the sale. I have never blocked a bidder, a couple of times I have had bids retracted. I was neither bothered or took any action. As I have no pressure to sell items I don't care if they fail to sell. Recently I tried selling a loco kit for £40 then reduced it to £30 so after a few un-sold's I split the lot into 3 lots and sold everything for about £40. Do I care not at all if selling spares rather than locos is what the buyers require so be it Let's face it I have no divine right to expect people to buy my items at a price I decide. If I overprice an item then it will not sell, however I am prepared to wait for the right buyer to be found

Richard Like all things as you become more interested in a subject, who would think buying a pair of 00 gauge roller gauges, would lead me to having various gauges (0ver50 different ones) in N gauge, TT gauge, 00, 00SF, DOGA fine, EM 18mm & 18.2mm, P4 Scalefour, 0 32mm & 0 33mm, not to mention Filing jigs various and tools for ply and rived building method and a rolling bars for rail. Not all brought at once in fact collected over 50 years many acquired cheaply or for free And to answer your question yes once I have mastered the FDM printer, which will be of use for many other applications I see from your shop you seem very talented in the design field, I assume you may have asked Santa for one 😀

I think there will be some who spot a gap in the market where they can provide a service for payment, a bit like those who design etches and send them off for printing, but firstly there has to be a market Thankfully Martin and a few other members are going to assist me to get going, as far as this technology I am a complete numpty. Thankfully Templot sorts out the files required to print the components, but there is a process to learnt. My plan is initially to learn how to set up and use a FDM printer, then progress to a resin printer. The fact is I will spend less than one of the top of the range locos to buy both printers. In fact a cheap resin printer is not much more than a Peco bullhead double slip. Building even a small layout with Peco trackwork these days is expensive, so is building hand built track using existing methods, Financially its much the same If you are going to build a medium to large layout, then it would be cheaper, plus you have machines to make many other items cheaply However its not about costs !! Its about build scale trackwork far more detailed than is currently available either in ready to run or kit/scratch built. The added benefits are plug track is easy to build, few soldering skills are required other than is used by all, no need for expensive track gauges or jigs and the cost of either resin or filament used is in pence not £'s. Easy to use bespoke filing jigs cost a £ or two and can be reused Find a modelling partner(s) and share the cost

In the short term no, as I have had offers of assisting me by supplying the chairs After seeing both James's video and the latest Chanel 4 program plus water soluble resin and the cheapness of resin printers I will be getting a resin printer sooner rather than later What surprised me at Scaleforum was the number of people who either had or have access to 3D printers, soon I expect some enterprising traders will be offering to print these designs At the moment we have a small but growing bunch of enthusiasts having a go and I am really surprised how many new developments are coming along. Many larger model railway clubs already have the latest technology, and or their members have it

Martin Thank you and as usual both you and James have the knack of showing how easy things are. For others benefit have you a couple of photos please of the latest items

Having been into track building for many years and a constant user of Templot I have been watching the development of 3D built track. For some time I was hesitant about this method first coming across some early work via Shapeways, then some Excellent work by Off the Rails in 7mm and Modelu in 4mm. Finally building a British Finescale EM gauge turnout Last year around the time of scale forum (2022) Martin Wynn sent me some early prototype prints (These are test prints from an old (then) unfinished piece of work) These are test prints for both plain and turnout bases, very much under development The sleepers and timbers have rectangular holes which the chairs fit into A close up of the plain track and ballast will cover the raft which holds the sleepers and Timbers A selection of both standard and bridge chairs and their plugs Not quite the best photo but it shows the detail Slide chairs This is me playing with some test pieces as at the time not all of the turnout chairs had been designed However it is useful to show the concept. plus if required how easy it is to build double track. This photo shows chairs threaded on to rail, but the system has moved on. Now you can fit the chairs first, then lay the rail in place and clip it in A closer view A different view Now there has been a short video produced by James Walters (Bexhill West) showing how the latest version works, at Scaleforum (2023) it was a show stopper https://85a.uk/templot/club/index.php?threads/plug-track-video-series.771/#post-8839 As for me I have a shopping list of items I need to get up and running

roythebus1 We are going off in a bit of a tangent, but as the op is taking the trouble to use wooden sleeper and timbers it is very much in line with what they are doing Firstly how many modellers actually look at the track ? let alone turnouts and crossings. If they did they would not accept the majority of of RTR products all with a dislocated end timber after the vee/common crossing. On the other hand Peco's new 00 gauge bullhead turnout to most peoples eye looks wrong with equalised timbers, we all have been brought up expecting straight turnouts with timbers square on with the straight line of the turnout Here is the old chestnut in that are turnouts straight on the prototype, may be on the latest high speed lines, but not on period settings. the same goes for symmetrical Y turnouts. As for timbering apparently equalised timbering was far more common than square on. Same as chopping the ends off sleepers when joining to turnouts and crossings, they should be interlaced or longer timbers used across both lines As you say with Finetracks kits, they are a super product very well priced. 3D printing is now leading the way and its great to see both P4 and EM gauge societies embracing them, 00 gauge is not forgotten with both standard (if there is such a thing in 00 gauge) and the finer 00SF with narrower flangeways. On the Templot Forum Plug track recent Zoom meeting we briefly discussed ballasting and good old cork ballast was suggested Likewise last night on Little Trains and Big Names Peter waterman discussed modern baseboards with Francis Rossi. He was using a grey foam as the baseboard, no idea of either the make or availability, but it looks very useful idea https://www.channel4.com/programmes/little-trains-big-names-with-pete-waterman/on-demand/74077-003

roythebus1 First off yes please re the K's parts, Perhaps I can do a swap ? as I am about to order a FDM 3D printer mainly to print turnout and crossing bases (and filing jigs) I will be dependant on others to get chairs printed so I cannot abuse others assistance. The 3D project is very interesting, the design is for an easy to use system to build turnouts, crossings and plain track, even flexitrack!!! most scales from TT upwards in any of the gauges supported by Templot. 3 ways, crossings and slips are still work in progress, as are 2 & 4 bolt chairs. But the progress Martin has made this year has been breath-taking. On the other hand its still going to take a lot more time to get everything up and running. With crossings and slips, I do think in the short term I may have a work around for crossings, which in some ways is just as exciting. With my EM gauge layout (Bodmin) I need to build the formation into the engine shed which includes a double slip The system is designed to easily fit preformed rails then clip them in place. In some ways very much easier than existing building methods, but some may feel its a bit fiddly (you cannot please everyone) It had its first real outing at Scaleforum this year and was a show stopper, poor old James was swamped both days. What was even more surprising was the reaction from many who in the past claimed Templot was unusable, plus I was shocked at the number of modellers who have access to 3D printers

Its surprising how much the benefits add up to, starting up in mid year gives you a good Idea of what to expect. Our system was fitted in September so the first six months was in the poorest time of the year. Your usage is very good if you are using 2/3rds of your production, I assume you are using batteries it will be interesting to see how they perform in the winter I don't know how much lower rates will drop and the next quarter may even see a rise in rates. We got so used to cheap energy as a country we failed to plan as well as we could for the time fossil fuel becomes expensive. I thought Rolls Royce was developing mini nucellar reactors, but this has gone very quiet, plus too little has been done on wave energy . Clearly we need alternatives to coal and gas, but the biggest issue is the cost of heating in the winter if we are weened off gas

October started with a bang and finished with a whimper. Performance was well below last years 170 kwh down to 139 kwh but above 2021 at 134 kwh We used more power this year but last year we were on holiday for 10 days, so to be expected, however we used less electricity than 2021 and much less gas (2/3rds) As it happens we spent £9 more than last year on electricity, a good part of which could be down to being on holiday which in one way is surprising as exports were down by £6, used 8kwh less of our own production and imported 43kwh more, the drop in unit helped to keep our costs down But whilst last year the value of our production was £33.58 this year fell to £27.39 its still a very good return (12%) on our investment Now we are coming into winter, last year in November we produced 47 kwh, the previous year it was 63 kwh. But when we ordered the system we were expecting a average financial return of £17.04 pm. I think even in November we will not be far behind. After 10 months our total benefit has been £449.73, where as we were led to believe we would receive £224 on average for the first 5 years, so in year 2 we are getting twice the benefit we expected. Still nearly 3 years on from the first posting attitudes to solar power have totally changed

Bringing everything up to date. For us there was a large crowd of us as we had a team of 6 working On Tuesday I was asked to carry on with the benches, one seat needed a bit of wax filling then it was sanding the front and top beams to a nice uniform curve after cutting the pegs flush, ready for staining Having a very sharp chisel helps with the plugs, you can also see the curve in the raw A quick photo of the legs showing the detail, the white filler at the bottom of the leg was removed and wax filled