Large Scale Central

PS2CD4427

Modeling Technical Modeling
#41

Steve Featherkile said:

Craig, oncet you get the number of rivets accurate, and in the right place, then you have to decide what date you are modeling, so you can get the chipped paint and rust just right. The price of perfection is insanity!

Ain’t this fun?

Very funny Steve… Actually I just acquired a Official Railway Equipment Register for Jan. 1970. It lists every single car that was available for interchange. At 1000+ pages I think I have enough info to base car numbers off. In the indoor scales, modelers get down to a specific day… I ain’t that anal, just modeling a full year (May 1970-May 1971), so the amount of rust on a car changes depending on how much rained… :wink:

Maybe I just enjoy the research more than most people! :wink: Speaking of rivets (well welds actually) I’m researching original GN drawings from the Minnesota Historical Society…

Sorry Burl for derailing your thread!

#42

Burl,
Fantastic model!
Your rotational molding technique is ingenious.
Geoff

#43

Finally got my second set of parts from Shapeways:

(http://burlrice.com/_LS_PS2CD4427/3d_a_end.jpg)

(http://burlrice.com/_LS_PS2CD4427/3d_b_end.jpg)

(http://burlrice.com/_LS_PS2CD4427/3d_gates.jpg)

(http://burlrice.com/_LS_PS2CD4427/3d_misc.jpg)

#44

Since Shapeways revised their pricing algorithm, I thought I was dead in the water with this project. They upped the price for my nylon parts from about $100, to $300+. I have since been playing around with re-arranging them to get them back down to a reasonable cost. I didn’t really like the idea of the ladders being a separate part, since the glue joint will be right on the corner of the extended part of the side sill, but I can’t see any other way to do this right now. So I guess I’ll be doing some experimentation with glues to see which is the best for this application. Anyway, I’ll be breaking down two big parts into a couple dozen smaller assemblies. Hopefully it will still be relatively easy to put back together. Here’s how I’m planning on having them printed:

(http://burlrice.com/_LS_PS2CD4427/endrailings_2014_rev2a.jpg)

The long grab irons will have to be separate parts, even though my rendering doesn’t make it obvious.
Here’s an exploded view of what you’ll have after the sprues are removed by the modeller:

(http://burlrice.com/_LS_PS2CD4427/endrailings_2014_rev2.jpg)

#45

Burl
Have you talked to Mark Dashnaw
http://www.largescalecentral.com/forums/topic/21677/my-services

#46

Mark has done some interesting projects, but my parts were drawn with tolerances for the laser-sintering process. Mark’s printers are fused-deposition, which means there would have to be support structure added to my parts - which would be difficult to remove from ladders. In laser-sintering, the powdered nylon is the support structure, and falls away when the part is removed from the print tray. I also think that fused-deposition is a lower resolution, in most cases.

#47

Burl
Thanks for describing the diff print methods .

#48

I got my latest revision of printed nylon parts last week. I got around to seeing how they fit together today:

There’s a couple things I need to revise in the drawing, but I think I almost have this finalized.

I think I tried to do too much in this project. The 3d printing and the rotational casting were both new processes to me when I started this. I had a very high failure rate on the main body casting & I should have tried something simpler first (like a tank car). Even after I had enough resin parts made up for several kits, I found that some of the body castings had warped & were un-usable. All the good body castings were made with Alumite RC-3. (I experimented with several different brands.) I know some people have very different opinions than I do on Alumilite, but I have always found their resin to be very stable when cured.

Anyway, I said all that to get to this: this project has drug on for over two years, and I’m ready to put it away & move on. Once I take the mold box off the rotational casting machine, I probably won’t put it back on.

Now that the 3d parts are pretty much done, I can finish writing up instructions. I have resin parts for 4 kits made up that I am going to offer for sale. Cost will be $200 + shipping. They’ll come with ATSF decals & photo-etched roofwalks. The SLS nylon parts will have to be ordered separately from Shapeways (around $115). You’ll have to also buy trucks & couplers.

I’m planning on offering my own trucks & couplers later, but I don’t have a release date quite yet.

#49

Burl

How about a finished pic?(http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)

#50

I won’t have a finished photo until I get the instructions done.

#51

I was looking over the printed parts and was wondering if you’d be willing to test some of those parts with me to decrease what you have to order from shapeways. if you send that file I can do some tests for you

#52

Mark: I tried to get some printed on an ABS/PLA machine from a guy in Nashville, and he never got back to me. I’m afraid it was more than the printer could handle. Have you been able to print stuff like ladders and grab irons on yours?

#53

I’m setting up a new printer next week that I will be able to control a lot more variables for printing on and this project has a lot of detail parts that would put the software and nozzle to the test, i’d try it no cost to you. It’s your drawing and copyright, i’d only ask for personal use of the files and not offer anything other than through you

There are other parts it looks like that would be fine for pla/abs, the handrails, not so much

#54
I have one of these left to sell: http://burlrice.com/_LS_PS2CD4427/
 
It would normally be $200 for the resin parts, plus $120 for the 3d parts. However, in this case, I have all the 3d printed parts for it in hand, so the whole thing will cost $300. It is less trucks and couplers, but I can include Aristo-Craft trucks (ART 29100) and my own couplers for another $50.
 
If anyone is interested, please contact me through my website. Unfortunately I only have one, and it will go to the first taker.
#55

I should have included this in the last post: the shopping cart on my website will not work for this model. Here is the link to contact me if you should want to order: http://burlrice.com/contact.php

#56

The shopping cart is fixed now.

#57

Brian Briggs’ wife, Margaret, contacted me about this kit today. As many of you know, Brian passed away a couple months ago. Margaret says she has two un-finished kits she would like to find new homes for.

There is also a finished Union Pacific version she says she’s also willing to part with:

I told her I would post here on her behalf. If anyone is interested, please send me a PM and I will send you her email address. Or, if you have Brian’s email address, you can use that to contact her.

#58
I should also mention, on the unfinished kits: Brian wanted to use his own laser-cut roofwalks, instead of the photoetched ones I was using, so these kits do not have my roofwalks.  I still have the phototeched ones available.
 
Also, the kits he bought did not come with trucks & couplers.
#59

Burl

I personally think that’s awesome. Brian was a fantastic modeler like yourself. I know it’s extra work but you should feel honored to pass this on. Thanks for posting this!