How 3D printing has changed my garden railway

[Moonraker]

I was just reflecting on how 3D printing has changed my approach to the acquisition of new locos for my garden railway, I used to buy ready to run or kit locos and convert them to radio control and sound; an expensive pastime. It also limited my choices because the local prototypes which interest me were just not available. Then came 3D printing.....

The photo below shows the achievements so far. The Brill railcar at the back is basically a polycarbonate box with styrene sheet and 3D printed accessories glued on. The power bogie is Aristocraft with 3D printed sides. The van behind it is entirely 3D printed except for the styrene roof and the step.

My current project is the South Australian Railways Class 500 diesel in the foreground. This has two Aristocraft power bogies, each with 3D printed sides. The floor is polycarbonate sheet with 3D printed steps. The bonnet was drawn and printed in six sections. The radio control is RCS with a MyLocoSound soundcard. Test runs showed it went too fast for a shunter so I am actually now using only one of the two 7.2v batteries shown.

I have no metalworking skills and no machine shop so spending evenings at my desk drawing up the 3D prints suits me fine. And it means that I can build a radio controlled model, with sound, of whatever prototype interests me, for under three hundred pounds. Going out and photographing and measuring the prototype just adds to the pleasure.

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound

 

[trammayo]

I admire your modelling skills (and an obvious ability to design and print out).

In the past I have built things you cannot buy (or cannot afford) but used traditional materials like heavy card or balsa. I did cast resin parts for axle boxes, hinges and so on - but find that thinner parts become brittle over time.

I have toyed with the idea of 3D printing components but, as yet I have made no commitment to do so. A recent email rekindled my interest but, as I have no experience of the products, I may not bother.

What do you think of the machine in this link?;-

https://www.rapidonline.com/renkfor...3D Printer&utm_campaign=190517-Newsletter CON

And how do you go about drawing things up?

I don't want to waste your time but I do find it a fascinating subject!

 

[fridge]

I admire your modelling skills (and an obvious ability to design and print out).

In the past I have built things you cannot buy (or cannot afford) but used traditional materials like heavy card or balsa. I did cast resin parts for axle boxes, hinges and so on - but find that thinner parts become brittle over time.

I have toyed with the idea of 3D printing components but, as yet I have made no commitment to do so. A recent email rekindled my interest but, as I have no experience of the products, I may not bother.

What do you think of the machine in this link?;-

https://www.rapidonline.com/renkforce-rf100-3d-printer-25-0058?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=Renkforce RF100 3D Printer&utm_campaign=190517-Newsletter CON

And how do you go about drawing things up?

I don't want to waste your time but I do find it a fascinating subject!

You tend to get what you pay for in 3d printers and this one is by far the cheapest I have seen. You really need to see one in the flesh to gauge how sturdy it is. If you have a look on you tube there are plenty of videos showing various machines in operation and reviews of machines that will at least give you an idea of what you should be looking for. If you have windows 10 you will find a program called 3d builder included. This is the most basic of all the 3d CAD programs I have ever seen ,but you can have a play with it. If you don't end up throwing your computer at the wall you can then try downloading another free programme, "Tinkercad". Unfortunately, this is nowhere near as good as the now defunct 123d but it's OK for simple models. For advice on buying printers, filament, etc., I would contact imakr in London. I have always found them most helpful and, if you let them know that you know nothing, they speak to you in plain English. Hope this helps.

 

[mike]

I think this is the future of modeling in any scale. I just hope some one see the gap in the market and starts offering body shells of locos ect that use other manufacturer motor blocks ect.

 

[fridge]

I think this is the future of modeling in any scale. I just hope some one see the gap in the market and starts offering body shells of locos ect that use other manufacturer motor blocks ect.

Mike, Try Googling "The Open Railway Project." You will find a few models there, in various scales. Remember, you can use CAD programs to scale the files up or down and if you don't have a printer yourself you can always send it to a specialist to get it printed out.

 

[Moonraker]

I admire your modelling skills (and an obvious ability to design and print out).

In the past I have built things you cannot buy (or cannot afford) but used traditional materials like heavy card or balsa. I did cast resin parts for axle boxes, hinges and so on - but find that thinner parts become brittle over time.

I have toyed with the idea of 3D printing components but, as yet I have made no commitment to do so. A recent email rekindled my interest but, as I have no experience of the products, I may not bother.

What do you think of the machine in this link?;-

https://www.rapidonline.com/renkforce-rf100-3d-printer-25-0058?utm_source=Adestra&utm_medium=email&utm_term=&utm_content=Renkforce RF100 3D Printer&utm_campaign=190517-Newsletter CON

And how do you go about drawing things up?

I don't want to waste your time but I do find it a fascinating subject!

Trammayo,

I am no expert on 3D printers but the one in your link has some immediate red flags. First they don't mention the print resolution which probably means that it is not very good. With current printers a resolution of 0.15mm is okay and 0.1mm is very good (but will cost more). Second the build volume is small for G scale models. You will be able to print components like buffers with it but you need a build volume of around 200mm cube to print things like the bonnet sections or bogie sides in my photo. Third it only prints in PLA material. UBS (the stuff that Lego bricks are made of) is better for garden railways.

Having said that, remember that you don't need a 3D printer to do 3D printing. There are plenty of people around who will print the design you send them. For example, the diesel bonnet in my photo was too big to print in sections on my own printer (a UP Mini 2). I therefore got it printed by an external printing service at a total cost of thirty pounds.

I use AutoDesk 123D Design software to do my drawing. It is free and well suited to drawing locos and rolling stock.

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound

 

[Moonraker]

You tend to get what you pay for in 3d printers and this one is by far the cheapest I have seen. You really need to see one in the flesh to gauge how sturdy it is. If you have a look on you tube there are plenty of videos showing various machines in operation and reviews of machines that will at least give you an idea of what you should be looking for. If you have windows 10 you will find a program called 3d builder included. This is the most basic of all the 3d CAD programs I have ever seen ,but you can have a play with it. If you don't end up throwing your computer at the wall you can then try downloading another free programme, "Tinkercad". Unfortunately, this is nowhere near as good as the now defunct 123d but it's OK for simple models. For advice on buying printers, filament, etc., I would contact imakr in London. I have always found them most helpful and, if you let them know that you know nothing, they speak to you in plain English. Hope this helps.

Autodesk 123D Design appears to still be available. See http://autodesk-123d-design.en.lo4d.com/ and others

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound

 

[trammayo]

Trammayo,

I am no expert on 3D printers but the one in your link has some immediate red flags. First they don't mention the print resolution which probably means that it is not very good. With current printers a resolution of 0.15mm is okay and 0.1mm is very good (but will cost more). Second the build volume is small for G scale models. You will be able to print components like buffers with it but you need a build volume of around 200mm cube to print things like the bonnet sections or bogie sides in my photo. Third it only prints in PLA material. UBS (the stuff that Lego bricks are made of) is better for garden railways.

Having said that, remember that you don't need a 3D printer to do 3D printing. There are plenty of people around who will print the design you send them. For example, the diesel bonnet in my photo was too big to print in sections on my own printer (a UP Mini 2). I therefore got it printed by an external printing service at a total cost of thirty pounds.

I use AutoDesk 123D Design software to do my drawing. It is free and well suited to drawing locos and rolling stock.

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound

Thanks for your reply Peter - I am a little wiser now! I noticed that the machine in question had a 100mm build cube but, as you say it's setting a limit on what you can do.

I never gave a thought to resolution - I presume the finer it is - the less chance there is of building a flight of steps when you really want a slope?

As for filament types, I was totally in the dark!

I would need to get used to 3D drawing also.

For now, I'll stick to what I know (pattern and mould making) but the idea of 3D printing hasn't gone away!

I look forward to further installments of your loco build Peter - as, I am sure, others will too!

Thankyou also to Fridge for his reply!

 

[fridge]

Thanks for your reply Peter - I am a little wiser now! I noticed that the machine in question had a 100mm build cube but, as you say it's setting a limit on what you can do.

I never gave a thought to resolution - I presume the finer it is - the less chance there is of building a flight of steps when you really want a slope?

As for filament types, I was totally in the dark!

I would need to get used to 3D drawing also.

For now, I'll stick to what I know (pattern and mould making) but the idea of 3D printing hasn't gone away!

I look forward to further installments of your loco build Peter - as, I am sure, others will too!

Thankyou also to Fridge for his reply!

The printer mentioned will actually do an 0.1 layer-the info is well hidden in the technical specs, but I still don't think it would be my first choice. Printing large models also has its hazards and you can end up with a creation that looks like a drug-induced vision, so it's probably better to have such things professionally printed anyway. With joy in my heart I have just downloaded 123d onto my spare computer. If you want to do this please bear in mind that this is not the publisher's own site and it comes from one of those sites that gathers all sorts of Freeware and can then download a load of Malware or Adware to your computer. My anti-virus is telling me it's safe, but I shall wait and see!

 

[korm kormsen]

...

I would need to get used to 3D drawing also.

...

for starters go to this site. http://www.yeggi.com/

it is a search machine, that searches a lot of different collections of printable 3D objects.
to download the things you have to sign up in the different sites, from where you want to download. i concentrate myself on thingyverse.

select free, type railway or railroad - and you'll find some free printables, to get you started.

 

[trammayo]

for starters go to this site. http://www.yeggi.com/

it is a search machine, that searches a lot of different collections of printable 3D objects.
to download the things you have to sign up in the different sites, from where you want to download. i concentrate myself on thingyverse.

select free, type railway or railroad - and you'll find some free printables, to get you started.

Thanks Korm - I'm going to bookmark these sites for when I have some spare time!

 

[Burl Rice]

I have found myself in a similar mindset as you, except I model US prototypes.

I started kitbashing, then moved on to scratch building car bodies and putting injection molded trucks and couplers on them. Never was satisfied with the detail parts I was finding, and started making my own.

At some point, I downloaded the free version of Sketchup. Spent a week watching YouTube tutorials, then I was hooked. Now I'm making everything myself, except wheels, bearings and fasteners.

Recently, I branched out from resin casting into wax injection (which I ship off for investment casting), and that has opened more possibilities for things I can now make myself.

I haven't bought anything RTR in years. In one sense, I feel isolated from the rest of the market. I don't know what the market is like in the U.K., but the bottom seems to have fallen out in the US. While I don't buy RTR any more, it seems to have affected the number of scratch building / kit bashing projects I see from others - and that depresses me somewhat.

 

[Moonraker]

I have found myself in a similar mindset as you, except I model US prototypes.

I started kitbashing, then moved on to scratch building car bodies and putting injection molded trucks and couplers on them. Never was satisfied with the detail parts I was finding, and started making my own.

At some point, I downloaded the free version of Sketchup. Spent a week watching YouTube tutorials, then I was hooked. Now I'm making everything myself, except wheels, bearings and fasteners.

Recently, I branched out from resin casting into wax injection (which I ship off for investment casting), and that has opened more possibilities for things I can now make myself.

I haven't bought anything RTR in years. In one sense, I feel isolated from the rest of the market. I don't know what the market is like in the U.K., but the bottom seems to have fallen out in the US. While I don't buy RTR any more, it seems to have affected the number of scratch building / kit bashing projects I see from others - and that depresses me somewhat.

Burl,

I too started with Sketchup and still occasionally use it for drawing up buildings which it is very good at. However, I have found AutoDesk 123D Design much better for drawing locomotives and rolling stock. I can do things in minutes which took hours in Sketchup.

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound

 

[dunnyrail]

Inevitably with any kind of 3D printing the results will be very much based on how good the design drawings are. Obvious I know, but to many that have been given the view that computers will sort all the worlds ills, the reality is somewhat different and no matter what product used a considerable time element will inevitably be required to create the drawings. I am not being a luddite here as I have seen many great products created from 3D printing, witness Peter's great projects in post #1. But that time, skill and patience required to create said drawings will be a bar to many myself included. I am a pretty strong user of Cad and know how long it can take to just draw up a Room for home projects or flat Drawings for Modeling Purposes.
JonD

 

[Burl Rice]

Is the AutoDesk software cloud-based? What features does it have the you feel are superior to Sketchup's?

 

[Moonraker]

Is the AutoDesk software cloud-based? What features does it have the you feel are superior to Sketchup's?

With Autodesk 123D Design you can store your work on the Cloud and that way is the default. However you can also, just as easily, store your work on your PC which is what I do.

My own experience was that Sketchup was very good at rectangular shapes found in buildings whereas 123D Design is much better at the curves found in locomotives. The ability to tweak, chamfer and fillet edges is very powerful and flexible.

Regards
Peter

 

[fridge]

With Autodesk 123D Design you can store your work on the Cloud and that way is the default. However you can also, just as easily, store your work on your PC which is what I do.

My own experience was that Sketchup was very good at rectangular shapes found in buildings whereas 123D Design is much better at the curves found in locomotives. The ability to tweak, chamfer and fillet edges is very powerful and flexible.

Regards
Peter

Yes, 123d is the most flexible of the programs which I have tried-from cutting out the outline of a GWR non side-windowed cab to making 30 identical window frames for a OO station building. Back when all this was starting I remember reading quite a lot of comments about the abilities of each product. Whilst you can do most things with most of them it's a lot less frustrating if you get the right one for your particular purpose.

 

[Alan B]

Hi all
I use Autodesk Inventor for my drawing which is the Big brother to 123d, I fortunately have a background in engineering so for me the bigger program suits, it allows me to design and build gears, gearboxes and other engineering parts as well as the models themselves. I have not actually purchased any locos or rolling stock as yet, everything has been 3D printed. if I was to buy locos and rolling stock I could have spent as much as 3 or 4 printers would have cost.
Everything on the stand is 3D printed including the HO models at the bottom.

 

[Andrew B. Middleton]

Alan B: Your stand looks very impressive! Do you print only your own design, or can you print someone else's designs?

 

[Moonraker]

I was just reflecting on how 3D printing has changed my approach to the acquisition of new locos for my garden railway, I used to buy ready to run or kit locos and convert them to radio control and sound; an expensive pastime. It also limited my choices because the local prototypes which interest me were just not available. Then came 3D printing.....

The photo below shows the achievements so far. The Brill railcar at the back is basically a polycarbonate box with styrene sheet and 3D printed accessories glued on. The power bogie is Aristocraft with 3D printed sides. The van behind it is entirely 3D printed except for the styrene roof and the step.

My current project is the South Australian Railways Class 500 diesel in the foreground. This has two Aristocraft power bogies, each with 3D printed sides. The floor is polycarbonate sheet with 3D printed steps. The bonnet was drawn and printed in six sections. The radio control is RCS with a MyLocoSound soundcard. Test runs showed it went too fast for a shunter so I am actually now using only one of the two 7.2v batteries shown.

I have no metalworking skills and no machine shop so spending evenings at my desk drawing up the 3D prints suits me fine. And it means that I can build a radio controlled model, with sound, of whatever prototype interests me, for under three hundred pounds. Going out and photographing and measuring the prototype just adds to the pleasure.

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound
View attachment 223260

Since I started this thread a month ago, I have continued working on the model and it is now complete. Therefore I thought I would put up the attached photo of the finished result. A major reason for choosing this prototype was the colour scheme which was quite different to every other South Australian Railways locomotive.

Regards
Peter Lucas
MyLocoSound