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forgot to say but the posts on the running board are on an embankment so I've allowed extra length for support and to appear above the platform fence as shown on the first CAD images.

Hi, I've just had another set of 3D printing done for the model by Rhys at 3dPrintNScan .. - they are just so nice to work with and really fast making the parts.... here are the next pieces which I think are just amazing... waiting room signs, station running boards, LNWR station direction sign "To the Motor Car Railway" !! - window frames, and doors.... So pleased with the quality of these parts. Cheers Paul

Hi, Thanks for the info on this - I'll probably try again and ask for a one piece seat to see what can be achieved. Cheers Paul

Hi, I would have preferred it in one piece - I was advised that a kit was the best method in this case - I don’t have the expertise at present to really understand the pros and cons. Cheers Paul

Hi, Snells Nook Halt was on the Charnwood Forest Railway near Loughborough, Leicestershire, UK. There are no known photographs so here is an impression of what Snells Nook Halt would have looked like ... I'm going to put this model into a railway simulator but thought it would be nice to help a friend make a O Gauge model of it. So I have decided to get some parts 3D printed and some laser cut. I've just received the first 3D printed parts from Rhys at http://www.3dprintnscan.co.uk - I'm really pleased with the parts and fast service provided by this company- they were very nice to deal with. I'm also going to check out Shapeways to see how a complete seat will turn out in Frosted Extreme Detail. Here are the 3dPrintNscan parts..... The parts are very clean and the detail is very good - the only problem will be me trying to put the parts together since I've not made a model this small and delicate before - I think some sort of jig will be required. I'm getting the main building laser cut by Andy at www.railmodel.co.uk but will have some of the smaller details 3D printed. I'm new to preparing CAD files for 3D printing and laser cutting so I'm sure I'll make errors - 3dprintNScan made the process very easy for me and Andy at railmodel has been very helpful as well - I'm sure lots of other companies will give advice on preparing your CAD files for modelling as well - so my advice is to give it a try if you've been thinking of using these techniques for your models. Hopefully I'll be able to show my progress on this thread and help any novices like myself avoid some of the potential traps and errors. First lesson in Sketchup - do all of your work in 1:1 scale and only when finished reduce to your required scale. Make sure nothing is thinner than about 0.4mm in its scaled state - anything that supports your model such as the seat legs in this case should probably be about a minimum 1mm thick - I bet an heavier structure above would require more - I'm sure others who are more experienced on this forum will be able to offer advice on this - I've had a lot of help from forum members to help get me started which I'm very grateful for. Cheers Paul

Hi, I've just had the LNWR seat printed in the UK by 3D print 'N Scan at http://www.3dprintnscan.co.uk - they've done a very quick service and were very nice to deal with - I'll report back with some photo's once I receive them. Can someone recommend the paints to use please - I want the seat in LNWR colours. Many thanks. Regards Paul

Hi, I've just sent you an email and a STL of my CAD drawing. Many thanks. Regards Paul

Looking forward to this. Many thanks. Cheers Paul

Hi, Will you be doing a O Gauge version (1/43.5)? Many thanks. Regards Paul

Thanks for your insights everyone - it's a complex subject for someone new to 3D printing - I'm going to use a combination of 3D print, laser cut and etched parts to do the whole station building and its details - I'll also be buying some ready made items as well. Hopefully I'll end up with something that I appreciate - I'll report back in 2018 with the results hopefully - I suspect it's going to take longer than I think ! Best Regards Paul

Thanks for the info. The scale thickness of the parts is about 0.2mm which I thought would be pushing my luck - so I doubled it to 0.4mm and made the bench slats 0.6mm - when I tried to go thicker than 0.4mm on the steel supports they looked terrible - perhaps it might not be so bad in reality ? - do you think I could get away with 0.4 and 0.6mm in FUD or FXD ? What are the benefits of WSF ? Many thanks. Regards Paul

Thanks for the info everyone - time to dive in at the deep end - I'll report back on how I get on. Regards Paul

Does anyone know if multiple objects can be put in one file for Shapeways ? For example in my case seat bench,notice board and station sign Thanks. Regards Paul

Thanks for the information. I'll send the file 'as is' and see how I get on Regards Paul

Hi, I'm just preparing my first CAD file for 3D printing of a L&NWR platform seat in O Gauge - do I need to make up my own support structure to stop the bench collapsing while the plastic hardens or does the print company add this to my design themselves ? - even in O Gauge the seat is quite a fine and delicate structure - I have set a minimum thickness of 0.4mm which leaves some parts over scale. What is the best plastic for such a fine resolution ? FUD ? I was thinking of using Shapeways or iMaterialise - Any other suggestions ? Many thanks. Regards Paul

Yes - he was like that ! - however you didn't know the danger you were in - there were five trains a week ! :-) Thanks for the info - much appreciated. Cheers Paul

Hi, If you ever find the photo's I'd love to see them. I know that someone walked the line in late 1963 or early 1964(after closure) and took a lot of detail photo's from Charnwood Forest Junction all the way to Loughborough Derby Road - although the track between Shepshed and Derby Road had been lifted by this time - I was wondering if it was you ? Many thanks. Cheers Paul

Hi, Nice photo's. I've been researching the Charnwood Forest Railway for many years - I see you mention photo's of Whitwick - I wondered if you had taken photo's on your walk to Shepshed ? Cheers Paul

Grace Dieu Viaduct, Charnwood Forest Railway near Thringstone, North West Leicestershire (Photo Ralph Rawlinson ).......... Ticknall Tramway bridge, Ticknall, South Derbyshire ( Photo Graham Hogg ).......... Loughborough, Derby Road Goods Shed, ( Photo Richard Vince )............ Cheers Paul

Hi Andy, The footbridge was on the Shepshed side of the road bridge. The footpath over the pipe wasn't a public footpath - it was just for private water company access so I assume wouldn't have been mentioned anywhere officially ? - strange that they still need a path over the pipe bridge with no trains present !?? Cheers Paul

Hi Andy, The 'temporary' footbridge was either attached to Thorpe Hill road bridge or was at least built right up to it (Probably separate) . It was a later addition to the line - presumbaly when the schools were built on Thorpe Hill - previous to this it was all fields ! The pipe bridge is still there and in good condition. If you go to Google Earth Streetview you can see it - just south of Burleigh Community College, Thorpe Hill, Loughborough. The footbridge was a tubular metal structure with mesh attached on the tubes that formed the side walls for safety. Thorpe Hill road bridge was a 4 arch bridge. There was a central brick column to support the footbridge in the middle. - The brick column was separate from the road bridge. Nice photo - and neat track given the line had been through the war years and would have been little used by 1948. Cheers Paul

Hi David, Many thanks for another shot of the Charnwood Forest Railway - this is taken from Thorpe Hill bridge, Thorpe Acre Loughborough looking west towards Snells Nook and Shepshed. This is from the same place but opposite direction to the last CFR photo. This pipe/bridge still exists to this day - sadly the bridge from which the photo was taken doesn't. Cheers Paul

Thanks for that David - some nice detail shots of the lines remains. Cheers Paul

Hi Paul, A lot of the trackbed still exists there to this day and is now a footpath and cyclepath that goes to the boundary of Garendon Park to the west of Thorpe Acre. Sadly the road bridge is gone though a waterpipe/bridge that went over the railway next to the road bridge is still present If you go to Google Earth satellite view you can see the track and waterpipe/bridge - you can also get a reasonable view in Streetview at.............. 52.769086° -1.239268° Its changed quite a bit since the days of the railway though ! Cheers Paul