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.

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.

Looks like part of the bufferbeam has been cut away on 37250, are you going to model that?

Useful photos, have you got any of the headcode boxes close up?

With a small amount of modifications you can normally change marerial both up and down scales- 2mm FUD can be printed 4mm WSF 4mm FUD can be printed 7mm WSF

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Hi, this is not strictly a 2mm finescale question but is there a way of removing the fuel tanks from a Farish class 24 chassis? And whats behind the plastic - is there a metal chassis or weight?

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.

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.

The way I've drawn the wagon means there are several seperate parts, I decided to make them fit together so they could be printed seperately. As The biggest cost will be printing the chassis and hopper I will try to cast them and then if I want to mke more in the future I can just order a spur of smaller parts and details. If the 4mm goes Ok i'll get a 7mm version printed and do the same with that.

Just a small point I've not seen mentioned yet is that the axle box or drive mechanisms look to be over scale on the Hornby pictures.

Another long gap getween replies but a small update. I've made another mould of the latest class 25.3 cab and I'll get some pics when I get a chance during daylight. 3d modelling wise I've made some progress on the wagon front. I got a copy of the railway modeller with the Tullis Russell PAA drawings in off ebay and used them to draw a 4mm PAA. From that I was able to move onto some Redland PGA's. Ive drawn 3 types often seen together in mxed formations with the differences being worked out from photographs. If any one can see and obvious mistakes please let me know (the PAA pictured has a mistake on it - the door opening gear should only be on one side not both and the PGA below has an extra bracket by teh steps left on from when it was a PAA). The conversion from one type to another wasn't a long process and was quite easy to do after studying several photos ( mostly on Paul Bartlett's site) I've designed the 4mm PAA as a kit so that it could be seperated and printed as parts, with the next shapeways order I'll get a kit of parts printed as a test - I've designed it so it can be printed in WSF or prime grey in 7mm and in FUD or FD in 4mm Next I'll have to convert one to a BIS PAA.

I've got a photo my dad took at Downham Market after 08580 broke a coupling rod when travelling between Kings Lynn and March depot.

That would be great Martin. My latest order was due for delivery today but nothing delivered yet. Never mind I'm sure it will be here some time next week. Another little update, below should be a link to a video of the suspension working. http://s135.beta.pho...CF1338.mp4.html One job for the future is to adjust the clips that limit the travel on the suspension as the real wagons only have a small difference depending on if they're full or empty.

I've done 2 versions, one solid version for WSF and Prime grey and a second working version for FUD. The working version is in two parts with mounts for the springs to be pushed into. I was going to do it all in FUD but I thought that the springs would be to weak and could snap so I got them printed in WSF. Not knowing how strong the WSF springs would be I got several lengths so I could see which worked best. The next pic shows the the suspension mounted on a PAA test chassis with some extra springs still attached. I've now started to draw a BIS PAA wagon. And after that I think I'll have a go at a Tullis Russell wagon if I can find any drawing.

I've had a break from phyisical modelling recently but I've started again last week. I've done some more work on the 4mm 25.3 cabs and hope I can get them done before Christmas but i'm struggling to do much painting outside in the cold and dark at the moment. On the 2mm front I've done some more work but it's good and bad. I spent some time modifiying a 25.1 bodyshell into a net to make it possible to print without leaving the detail overed with support material- Sadly Shapeways changed the orientation and the model didn't print verywell, I contacted their support team and they organised a reprint wit hthe next order but this again was printed in the wrong orientation which again left support material on the model. The pictures below show the support maerial on hte left of the cabfront (as the model was printed on it's side) and on the bodysides the support material is also present. I have had a coupe of goes at sanding this to smooth it out and I'll post some pics if it turns out ok but it is hard work sanding around the detail. I have a 2mm class 25.3 on order at the moment that will hopefully be the final version with modified cab sides as mentioned above in the thread. There have been more developements on the wagon front (almost worth starting a new thread as I've done more work on them recently). For a comparison between WSF and Prime grey I got a 7mm POA scrap wagon printed in Prime grey from Imaterilise (both with FUD sprung buffers and couplings attached). The Price was more than WSF but I hoped the surface finish would be worth it. The first pic shows the 2 wagons next to each other (the WSF version has had a quick coat of white ready for the yellow and blue topcoat). The second pic shows a closer up view. The surface finish is clearly better and the detail shows up well the only annoying thing is the 'pips' from the way it is printed will all need removing - WSF doesn't need this but it needs a coat of primer and a sand to smooth the surface finish. The nly other thing I've noticed is that the Prime grey version isn't as stiff and the top edges of hte wagon have bowed in a bit but I'm sure these can be sorted when the sides are glued in - I might try to distress the sides on this like the prototype. Also as a test to see what the finish will be like I've got a 7mm OCA wagon on order with Shapeways in frosted detail (again more expesive but hopefully the doors and side details will print as one piece. I also have a 7mm OCA (without doors attached) on order in Prime grey and a spur of detail parts for it on order in FUD that will give me 2 complete wagons to compare. I've got a bit more to update so i'll try and do that tomorrow but as a taster this is what I've been working on.

A bit more progress- Firstly I gave the wagon a coat of primer and then added the plasticard sides to the POA. I also fitted some new wheels with the correct disc brakes. I have also got the sprung buffers working, in a stroke of luck the little springs from Graham Farish couplings fit perfectly and give the buffers a realistic soft spring. If the weather is good at the weekend I will try to give it a coat of white primer. Does anyone know the correct shade of blue and yellow and a supplier of 7mm transfers? I've also done a little work on the 2mm class 25/3 body. I've given it a coat of primer and added some front detail (although it's not glued on yet). Looking at the model I now think that it needs a little mod to the cab side area - I think a previous mod has left the cab sides compressed comapred to the rest of the bodyside?

Just remembered I never uploaded the video of the working suspension - can't see how I can get it to play on the forum but if you click on the pic below and it should open in a new window. I've given some of the parts a coat of primer and will try to get some more pics up soon.

Another long delay between update but more progress to report. Firstly I've had another N gauge class 25/3 body printed. This is again in FUD and is a bit longer than the last, it seems to fit the Farish 24 chassis better and looks like it will be OK when the chassis has been modified. This version doesn't have all the detail on the bodyside - I've removed the hatches and the covers over the bodyside steps as when they were printed they left support material above/ below which was hard to remove and make smooth. I'll have to wait and see what it looks like when it's had a coat of primer but I'm hoping this will be the final version. Next off the printer was another 4mm class 25/3 cab, I did cast some cabgs from the last 4mm print but it wasn't perfect so I ordered another one. This cab looks like a better quality print than the last one (but again I'll be able to tell better when it's had a coat of primer) and it doesn't have any marks on the cab front where the support material was as on previous prints. Also this print looks very clear compared with previous prints which sometimes were very 'frosted'. Again hopefully this will also be the final version of the cab. The next part in the order was another 7mm OCA chassis test. This is basically the same as the previous version but with modified buffers with more clearance to allow them to move more freely and hopefully work better if I can find some small springs to fit in them. I have also added some more springs to the print, there are 3 types each with a different amount of spring/angle set into them to give more spring when fitted to the chassis. Another part I've added to this is a scale version of an instanter coupling with can be set into the long or short version, I'm not sure how strong it will be in FUD but as I printed three of them along with three hooks I might try a destructive test to see how much wait one will take. The item was the one I was most interested in getting printed - a 7mm POA. The model was drawn using a 4mm Bachmann mdel as a guide. It uses the suspension I made for the Campbells soup wagon with a couple of changes as the POA has disc brakes ( the picture shows three hole wheels as I've not got any disc wheels). The whole thing was printed in one part in WSF with holes left for the FUD buffers and instanter couplings to be added from hte OCA test print. The sides were left open as this would have more than doubled the price of the model if 1mm thick sidewalls had been added. I plan to add some thin plasticard walls to the model as these can be scale thickness and can easily be bent and scraped to match the prototype. The wheels and bearings fit quite well and were put in place as the chassis has some flex in it as it's printed in WSF, another benefit of ebing made from WSF is that the ladders should be harder to damage. The second photo shows the FUD hook, coupling and buffers added. As always comments and observation welcome.

Roughly the parts cost- bogies - £25 each printed chassis- £20 bufferbeams - £5 each printed cab master - £35 original resin body £15 set of etched grills £15 + wheels I've got several bodyshells so I should be able to spread the cost of the masters over them all. I'm going to try and cast the inner bogies in resin and only print the sideframes for the other models. Below is a couple of pics of the N gauge class 25.3 I've had printed sitting on a 24 chassis. At some point I'll have to bite the bullet and cut off part of the bufferbeam and fuel tanks but i think I'll wait until I've given it a coat of paint to see if it looks ok.

Another update, Below is a pic of one of the springs showing the four seperate ends that were printed 0.1mm apart. The next couple of pics show the class 25.1 with one of the new cabs blu tacked on and the new 'all in one' underframe with all the details on and the mounts for the bogies and fuel tanks. I just need to get round to drawing a class 25.1 cab interior and bufferbeam (and need to cast another cab). The bogie under the cab is also a new print with a bit of extra detail on the front including an AWS unit. The next pic is of the 2mm class 25.1 that was pictured earlier in the thread, I've cut a bit of mesh out and just pushed it in place to see what it looked like. I think it should be finer, can anyone recomend a supplier that sells extra fine mesh that could be used for the side grill and also the cantrail grills on a 2mm class 25.3? I've got some Steve Beattie 7mm class 22 bodies that have been in the cupboard for a couple of years but seeing pics of the Dapol oo version and the JLTRT 7mm kit made me decide to dust one off. The bodies were purchased off ebay and didn't have any underframes or bogies so I had a go at drawing some bogie sideframes that would fit onto the inner bogie I had printed for the 25's (they won't be as good as the JLTRT sideframes but will hopefully help to get the three shells up and running). Sadly I've tried to get one printed with the last couple of orders but each time the file gets accepted when uploaded but gets rejected after the order has been placed. I'll modify it again and try it with the next order.