Silurian

I have converted a fixed rake formation of new Farish mark ones recently to DGs by aralditing the cut down DG to the stub of the old rapido, so that the coupler still swings with curves as Farish intended. It was not too difficult. This also men's if I ever wanted to change back I could buy a coupler loose and away we go... The big plus for DG couplers is that there are negligible horizontal coupling forces involved, so lightweight four wheeled stock couples easily instead of being pushed away as MT and similar systems are wont to do. Doesn't happen with US rolling stock as it's all bogie stock with more inertia.

Sadly I think this is probably pushing the boundaries of the tequnique right now. I work with a lot of Rapid prototype parts in my work in the car industry, and to me this does look typical. The material plays a role, but the shape, especially of the saddle tank is difficult as it shows up the resolution limits of the printer. I bought a body for a CIE GM diesel produced by Shapeways last year, and although the flatter forms of the diesel make it less obvious, it's just the same. I suspect we need another generation of printer, or maybe two, before this becomes the preferred body fabrication method for us in the smaller scales.