apl31

As mentioned in "whats on computer" I am completing some half finished designs. This is LNWR dia 16 Brake van built 1870-1901. It was built from an excellent article and drawings in Cumbrian Railways Journal (Vol 7 -8 2002) by Peter Ellis. Guy Wilson of CRA also supplied a drawing of a Dia 17 van as I could not find any photos showing the inner Cabin wall. Many thanks to both. The body is printed in one piece with separate Axlebox springs (fitted temporally in photo), brake blocks and handwheel. The print uses Society rocking W irons W1003. The print is " as printed" condition with a coat of primer to highlight lumps and bumps. Considering I used recycled resin its not a bad finish. I have decided to only use new resin when Im happy I have got everything sorted. I produce a lot of scrap. Rob has kindly offered to print a copy for a second opinion. If that's OK , it will be available for S scale members who would like one.

Thanks Jim very helpful

Rob, You may be able to help with a question. Which of the society W iron etches would best suit this I'm not sure what differences are . They are ~3 foot wheels.

When I get the underframe sorted I'll send you the file .

While waiting for parts to get on with Furness Tank engine project. I thought I would finish a few old drawings I had started. This is a LNWR D16 brake van. I'm going to order some W iron and wheels then print it when Ive checked fit.

Rob, Nice wheels. Are these (and the black ) wheels still made with the water washable resin?

The Firebox and dome should be, they are your design

I thought it may be of interest to update my progress with printing the FR tank engine. After 4 drawing revisions I am getting there, but still need some changes. I mentioned at the recent zoom meeting I was intending to print separate parts footplate/smokebox, boiler/firebox , tank/cab etc. I got as far as printing the footplate/smokebox (back of photo) but too many things warped when cured. I redesigned as a complete body (except roof) trying to connect parts as much as possible for strength eg the (half) boiler is connected to the inner tank wall which has a connecting rib to the outer tank/cabside. The resulting printed body came out very solid. The main issue is a slight bellying out of the footplate between the wheels. I think I can sort that by completely boxing in around the wheels. The back bunker also warped but I can increase walls and hide them with coal. The top of the cab above the door opening also warped slightly, but probably this can be overcome when fixing to the roof. The main problem is the steps which splay outwards I snapped off front step on this body. I may have to print these and tank balancing pipes separately. The print quality was reasonable considering I am using recycled resin plus cold weather concerns there are a few diagonal print lines are visible, but on the plus side all the rivet detail printed well. The body fits nicely on Timbers chassis, which I modified slightly. So hopefully Revision 4 changes will give a successful print I am even going to buy some new resin!

Those are good photos. I wonder how Hellfire Jack keeps his uniform so white.

Very nice Rob. Something I will want in future for a Furness 2-2-2WT . What are you planning to make with these?

This question started here before moving onto the wider 3D thread for discussion, so I thought I would record here the result of importing STEP files into Freecad. STEP files import directly into Freecad. They can be easily rescaled and reoriented if necessary. The STEP file can be split into constituent parts/bodies as shown in screen shot. The boiler is Timbers original boiler with a spigot added for new smoke box, the nameplate was also removed. The resulting part was saveable as a STL file. The chimney is made from Timbers base with a new barrel on top. So Fusion STEP files can be editable in Freecad. Thanks Timber.

This is interesting if anybody else is trying to import STEP files in freecad

Timber, Thanks for the STEP Files. They imported straight into Freecad. I had access to all the constituent parts which I could remove as required, I have attached a drawing with the parts I wanted. I think I will be able to add and remove other parts and then make another STL. I will report back on that. Thanks for everybody's help on this.

Thanks for reply I used Part workbench. Did you manage to go from mesh to solid in mesh workbench?

Rob, Going back to the Timbers dome STL files you amended. Did you make the changes within your CAD software or an external software? I have tried to convert the STLs in Freecad. I managed to convert the leading wheel to a mesh then a solid. The chimney converted to mesh but not a solid - it wasn't a shell? I tried to convert boiler assembly but it was taking forever trying to convert to mesh. I did download something called meshlab but its too complex, I don't understand the problem never mind the required solution.

Thanks Timber. I will email drawing and a few changes like removing the nameplate, I get carried away adding detail but it remains to be seen whether it prints successfully. I did a test print of my smokebox and the rivets seem to print OK but there were issues with small holes.

Thanks for sharing your STL files. I thought you might like to see how your boiler assembly fits my project. Considering we have used different drawings its a good fit. I plan to print with a different footplate (as shown) and a smoke box with extended front plate, which will require some modifying of the chassis. I intend to use your firebox so castings fit, plus chimney and dome, I also plan to produce parts to fit direct on your footplate, if anybody wanted to use chassis without modification. I hope to print footplate later this week. The STL files will be available to other members when finished.

Thanks Timber. I downloaded file and it opened in Chitubox. I rescaled 39.68% which I think is right. I will do test print when I get a chance.

Thanks for the offer, but this is a practice exercise in 3D drawing and printing for me. I have almost got drawings finished based on this chassis.

Timber kindly supplied me this etch and I can verify it is a very good. I plan use the chassis as the basis for a Furness 2-4-2T which were converted from these standard Sharp Stewart 2-4-0 tender locos. I hope to finish drawings soon.

Excellent idea. I have attached my contribution. It is a LNWR coal tank with original sloping smokebox front. I think this will just be a test of what is possible. I think I will actually build something simpler as my first build. This was drawn in Freecad.

Thank you for the kind comments but I should have explained earlier. I have not suddenly become sharp eyed and steady handed after all these years. Over recent years I converted (then rebuilt) a small milling machine (Sieg S1 type) to CNC, so most the parts were profile cut, engraved (planks) and holes drilled. The machine accuracy is not perfect (eg the body is about 2" oversize, if I made it again it could well be 2" undersize) however it is a lot more accurate and reproducible than I could achieve. Rich I have been hanging round this S Scale site a while deciding whether to take the plunge. I joined when when the parts price and availability was published on website recently. I saw parts such as track and wheels were readily available and prices are very reasonable. There are also some very interesting 3D printing developments. Aidan

Hello, This is my first post. I thought it was worth recording that after 50 years of attempting to build something, every decade or so, I finally have finished a project. The model is a NER V1 brake van, built mainly in Styrene with society parts. Many thanks to Paul Greene for suggesting suitable parts and other assistance. It still needs lettering plus sprung buffers/coupling, all of which I am experimenting with. I really enjoyed building in S Scale. I have manged to add detail I would have struggled with in 4mm, yet detail which may have appeared too crude in 7mm, although the close photo photo is not complimentary.