Narrow Gauge rolling stock 3D printing.


Vince-RA said:
Well now I've gone and done it - pre-ordered the m5s before the early bird pricing expired. I'll have to refer to this thread for inspiration as I try to get proficient with 3D modeling in advance of its arrival :)
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We two should probably start or at least join a separate thread then, as this one belongs to the OP, "747flier."
Assuming we might want to compare notes, that is. Do you want to start one or should I? :p
3D printing is such a new technology it deserves its own forum or at least sub-forum anyway, IMO. Guys like Luke Towan, who I mentioned in another recent thread I just started, and of course our own 747flier here are much more on the cutting edge model-railroading, and thus their work is much more on point and on direct topic. At least IMO.

Almost all of the YouTube guys seem to focus (over focus, IMO) on the miniatures/game pieces. Ok, give me nice chess gameset and I'm good, but, and while the details on those others are, indeed, astounding, I'm not interested in them for actual prints. Take me straight to the model railroad stuff--"Damn the torpedoes and full speed ahead!"

Luke Towan too is a well known guy, but 747flier is OUR guy. So I kinda like working ideas with him (that's to say: with YOU, our gracious OP). :D

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Anyway, as to the printer, did you buy any of the 12K resin too, or even more of the bundle to get up and running quickly? I, myself, only went for 1KG of the grey resin. And the charcoal filter add-on (we'll see).

Given that I'm a D&RGW inspired modeler, a black resin would have been preferred. Oh well. Grey will work starting out with it.

But I'm not focused either on sheer speed, so there are other black resins available, as our OP said above.

Heck, even with an Ink Pad Printer, I couldn't keep up with the crank-out speed of even a super slow 3D printer anyway. I didn't buy my m5s for the speed, but for the pixel size...and to see what I can or cannot do with it.
 
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They look pretty good so far and are curing. I will reduce the size of the journal box an RCH on the next set, though these look fine and the Kadee wheels seem to fit fine. Maybe I'll deepen the axel holes about 1.5 RCH and see if the wheels spin even better.

Tom
 
747flier said:
Continuing with Narrow Minded subjects; currently printing a set of HON3 Passenger trucks for use with Kadee wheels.

Leccha Know how they work out.
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I'm going to be very interested to see how this one comes out. Are you trying to find metal wheelsets by chance (do they even exist for HOn3)?

FYI, I'm engineering (on paper) 100 ton N trucks, although they do exist, of course. Wanting to try to make them using the glass bead bearings we talked about a while back, to see if they might roll better than Delrin trucks. I did look into slippery SLA resins a few months back and there are a couple that should roll very well--not as well as Delrin, but close. We shall see.

Also redoing lettering/logos I had first drawn back in 1986. After much trial and error I finally managed to draw/shrink/resize and print them (in color) in the correct size. Annoying when what should be straightforward tools do not print as advertised.

I mention this last one because, as you know, 3D printing is going to require fine control too as far as calibration goes. I'm going to be interested to learn how easy that is for you (or not) with your own printer and design tool combo.
 
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As to calibration of resins, there is an outfit that makes a small test piece to use, yesterday I just took a 1:45 Crane control console from Battleship NJ that a friend designed, with many small details including hand wheels and reduced it to 1:200. One needs a loup to see the details, but quite satisfactory. One dials in settings, I have been printing over some years (remember before the time BP?) and. mostly use a resin that I am familiar with. I'm not convince that the increasingly high LCD resolutions always mean increased object resolution as the mechanical limitations of layer thickness remain.

I have some passenger trucks that are printed and they roll really well when fitted with the Kadee HON3 wheels. I think NWSL has had some metal wheels, but a special order item. Maybe not available. I think I will need to fine tune these a little, maybe deepen the conical holes for the axels a thou or so. A few items on the face to be changed slightly, reduce the width and depth of the journals slightly, as well as the leaf spring. Also the coil springs could be reduced slightly in diameter. If I can get them to roll as well as the ones I bought then beads won't be necessary. A person who should know, said the printed ones rolled better than Blackstone's.
 
I fitted Kadee wheelsiets in the prototype and as I expected I'll need to deepen the axel holes very slightly. The other ones seemed to have a very slight end play so some experimentation will be necessary for optimal operation.
 
747flier said:
They look pretty good so far and are curing. I will reduce the size of the journal box an RCH on the next set, though these look fine and the Kadee wheels seem to fit fine. Maybe I'll deepen the axel holes about 1.5 RCH and see if the wheels spin even better.

Tom
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As so often happens, I get curious about things you guys post/ask about, and in this case I was searching again for ways to reduce the diameter of stainless steel wire using chemical etching. I blame wombat for this one <grin> because he was asking about modeling chain link fencing in N scale, and good materials (he ended up using tulle), so I searched around and bought a roll of stainless steel wire mesh. It's good, and looks like fencing, but it could be better, IMO...[oh just shut up, Snowman!])

Anyway, I stumbled across this link:

https://www.researchgate.net/figure...ectrochemical-etching-One-step_fig4_228111379

...and I couldn't help notice the pointed ends on the etched wire (tungsten in this case) and how it might be used to crank out some pointed metal axles.... Not just for you, but for me too, obviously...and more likely for me, certainly. As I so often say: "think like a manufacturer". How might they do it (whatever it is), particularly if you want a lot of the whatever-they-are.

I HATE doing things more than once or twice--I get bored quickly I guess--so if I can find ways to save time making a lot of...whatevers...I am always interested.
 
Vince-RA said:
I know nothing about HON3, so forgive my ignorance - are the actual trucks any different than wide-gauge aside from axle length? Seems like you could pretty easily cut down the horizontal portion of something like this to convert to narrow gauge: https://www.tichytraingroup.com/Shop/tabid/91/c/trucks/p/3035-archbar-truck-10-pair/Default.aspx
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No, generally just a bit smaller and narrower in gauge, of course. When you get down to Nn3, some stuff can even be borrowed from Z scale too. Otherwise I think Kadee or Micro-trains still provides many of the basics...like trucks and wheelsets, and even for Nn3.
 
The Narrow gauge trucks run on smaller wheelsiets and generally are overall smaller. I'm doing this because I enjoy trying to make everything myself. I have handmade wheelsiets and turned brass axels on my lathe but currently making such items which are critical to good operation but are available, isn't up to speed. I previously made some arch bar trucks but from what I have learned will re do those with hopefully a similar satisfactory result. The latest model rolls extremely well! Cheers: Tom
 
747flier said:
The Narrow gauge trucks run on smaller wheelsiets and generally are overall smaller. I'm doing this because I enjoy trying to make everything myself. I have handmade wheelsiets and turned brass axels on my lathe but currently making such items which are critical to good operation but are available, isn't up to speed. I previously made some arch bar trucks but from what I have learned will re do those with hopefully a similar satisfactory result. The latest model rolls extremely well! Cheers: Tom
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Totally understand the desire to do it yourself!
 
I tried making a short video showing the truck rolling, with a smooth push rolling down 4' of track and off the end. However The file is too big and doesn't seem to have the right extension. Nada Movie Maker!
 
With the apparent success (Not proven in lengthy service) with the 5' passenger trucks, trying some arch bar freight trucks. I'm on version 3 and it rolls well but these things seem to need some development. I like using the Kadee wheel sets but often not in stock and as always challenges the can I make it myself philosophy. Printed wheels come out OK it seems, however axels do not print well, sideways, not round, vertical, one end will come out poor, being on the bottom. I have done brass one's on the lathe but very labor intensive and not generally a good way to do it. Maybe, however I expect resin not the idea material.
 
I think I am on V 5.0 of the arch bar trucks and at least they roll well. What I need is better reference material. SO the search goes on, at least the basic rolling technology seems to work!
 
Currently pleased with the arch bar trucks, though lacking good drawings they are not entirely accurate. One reason they seem to work is they can be produced with considerable precision as to the shape and depth of the pockets. A little use actually improves things as the micro roughness from the printing layers easily smooths out.

As to the weighted flat cars, the weight comes out about perfect and I have added trucks to three so far. These I designed to fit a 2 7/8" long bar, giving plenty of weight and with the home made trucks they roll well. I haven't fitted couplers as yet, nor the de coupler bars and truss rods, brake wheels etc. These things always need a little development.

Tom
 
IMG_0450.jpg

Some of my printed WP&YR freight cars, sitting on my trucks. Weighted flat cars at the end.
 
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