Because everything that comes out of my public library 3 D printer is wonky and can not produce the detail that I need. Coal cars should be a piece of cake till you realize the rivets and brake lines and pipes that are needed
While I could probably afford a fairly decent 3-D printer, I wouldn't have a clue on how to use it.I find it much easier (and cheaper) to simply scratchbuild some rolling stock that's either not otherwise available, or is just something I feel might be fun to do.
For example, I scratchbuilt four gondolas, building them on Tichy flatcar kits. Here's a couple of the Tichy flat cars...
...that are meant to remain as flatcars.
For the gondolas, here are some in-progress pictures....
I also built a fifth car as a cinder car, based on a photo of the real one...
A few photos of the finished cars...
The rivet detail, both inside and out, was done using Archer 3-D rivet decals.
Here's the cinder car prior to painting...
...because of the nature of it's use, I used thin sheet styrene (as steel plate) to cover the "wooden" deck of the Tichy flatcar.
While it's based on a TH&B prototype, I elected to letter it for one of my freelanced "home-roads"...
I doubt that I could even manage 3-D printing, but there's not much mystery in simple scratchbuilding.
Wayne
"3D printing of freight railroad cars does it wiork?".
Yes.
Respects,
PMR
Yes, numerous modelers make their own and I have bought some printings from shapeways.
It takes some skill at designing the model and a quality printer to ge acceptable results.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Depending on the types of 3D printers you are using. Most likely, you are using the 3D printer that print plastic wires, which is a FDM printer. It typically has a low resolution such that you can see the small gooves (wirees). Another type is called DLP, which can offer better resolution.
In either case, you need to test a lot to get the right printing parameters to have good quality. I am not sure if using one from public library would work well...
Jerry
yes, used a filament printer to do flatdeck old time truss rod cars , the wheels and couplers were store bought though ..
i did maybe two dozen of them ..
Nice Job
..... and not just freight cars,
you can do.....
passenger cars,
non-revenue cars,
MOW cars (boom tender in this pic),
Cabooses (more non-revenue cars, unfinished),
replacement tenders,
a myriad of parts (these are sprung Arch Bar trucks),
even flatcar loads (unfinished) if you get bored.
But i have to tell you, this isnt something your gonna pull off on a public library printer.
Clear Ahead!
I've purchased a few prints from Shapeways. There are different grades available. In my opinion, only the translucent plastic provides an acceptable level of detail. It is fragile, and requires sanding to achieve a smooth finish. I use it for my HOn30 models. Here is modified Thomas loco, fitted with a new cab:
20201231_114957 on Flickr
A Porter (top left):
20190501_214822b on Flickr
A Shay:
20190517_215454 on Flickr
Simon
Resin printers will do the job.