Grateful for Shapeways

[Chris333]

On the FUD thread I had a big response typed out about how you could have had those laser cut in wood and the railings in laserboard, but I thought it sounded like I was downing your models so I didn't post it.

2 days after that I saw the AMB announcement, go figure.

I like your work and your layout so please don't take it the wrong way.

[jdcolombo]

No offense ever taken at suggestions on other ways to do things, Chris.  Always open to that.  One of the keys to my choice of the Shapeways process was the ability to get the underframe in the correct proportions at the right height with realistic-looking steps (which were pretty wide on these models and sort of a "spotting" feature).   When a bunch of NKP N-scale modelers were discussing how to get to a 1000-series, we discovered that the MT 34' wood-sided caboose had an underframe of correct proportions.  But the steps weren't quite right, and the ride height is a bit high.  Still - I thought about this, mostly because my philosophy with respect to modeling is the "look and feel" solution.  I know folks disagree about this as a modeling philosophy, but what I want is an operations-heavy layout that gets the look and feel of the NKP correct, without sweating the last rivet.

That means that I consider certain things and certain details essential, and others I just don't care about.  A GP7 or GP9 simply has to have the Mars light sticking out the front; it's not a NKP diesel if it doesn't.  But I don't worry much about whether the horn is the exact Nathan 3 chime or whatever.  They can't have dynamic brakes, because again that's an easy thing to see and tell that it's "wrong" for the NKP.   But I don't get caught up in whether my Berks have 4, 5, or 6 sand pipes down to the drivers (the numbers were different on the S-1, S-2 and S-3 classes).  I sure would like to find a way to put a Mars light on the front, though!  I'm OK with using a SP prototype bay window caboose painted in NKP colors, rather than recreating the exact window placement of the NKP's bays, because it's the overall look and the High Speed Service logo that grabs my attention (but the ladders and grabs have to be painted yellow or I'll go nuts).

And so forth.  Weird, I know.  But at the end of the day I think someone with a passing knowledge of the NKP could come to my layout and agree that it pretty well captures the overall "look and feel" of the NKP in 1957.   And we can do an op session that is every bit as reliable as the best HO has to offer, because another weirdness is that I simply won't tolerate derailments, poor running, couplers not coupling, etc.  Operational aspects do have to be perfect, or as close as I can come.

Ah well.  Enough of modeling philosophy.  Time to add some Mars lights to some Atlas GP7 shells, which will be renumbered as early GP9's, because . . . well, with the stripes and Mars light, they looked pretty much the same to me.   

John C.

[Hornwrecker]

If I would have seen a photo of something like this 20 years ago, I would have modeled NKP.  (NKP Story was my first hardbound RR book that I bought)  There weren't any NKP diesels out back then, if I recall, so I went with my 2nd choice, PRR.  Nice cabeese, by the way.

But since I'm now a SPF, I'd like to post a link to a new Shapeways Pennsy branchline passenger shelter, which showed up today,  and I just ordered. He also has 55 gallon drums for a good price; ordered a hundred of them for some reason.

http://www.shapeways.com/model/846122/n_scale_prr_standard_passenger_shelter_1_160.html?key=e1006928b7c241353c73b144b80b9c46

{the pricing on the 55 gal drums for various quantities is screwed up on Shapeways, sometimes it shows up correctly, other times more than it should be.}

[jpf94]

John,

The photos did help me decide to proceed with an order via Shapeways.  Again it's a choice of having a model or not for me, so I will make the order and report what it looks like.  I also had a designer take a stab at a load my company has handled in the past, All I need now is the modern flatcar to go with it.

http://www.shapeways.com/model/802800/coil-car-nscale.html?li=productBox-search

http://www.shapeways.com/model/801001/jlg-telelift-arm-load-nscale.html?li=productBox-search

[jdcolombo]

If I would have seen a photo of something like this 20 years ago, I would have modeled NKP.  (NKP Story was my first hardbound RR book that I bought)  There weren't any NKP diesels out back then, if I recall, so I went with my 2nd choice, PRR.  Nice cabeese, by the way.

Thanks for the positive feedback.  Funny thing is that I became an NKP modeler quite by accident.  My first N-scale diesel was an Atlas/Kato RSD12 painted for the NKP, which I bought on sale at a LHS because some N-scale friends told me to buy something made by a Japanese company called "Kato."  I didn't even know what the NKP was - I thought the N.Y.C. & St.L. was a subsidiary of the New York Central! (Turns out I was sort of right for a while back in the late 1800's . . .).  When I got home, my wife, who hails from Neoga, IL, informed me that locomotives with that logo used to run through her home town.  Intrigued, I went to the library at the University of Illinois, where I teach, and found a copy of "The Nickel Plate Story" by John Rehor.  I read it - three times.  And an NKP modeler was born.

When I started in the early 1990's, almost nothing was available factory-painted for the NKP.  I chose 1963 as my "date" because I could paint diesel shells black, add the logo and the wide stripes on the front and rear (Microscale decals), number the cab and be done.  I still have about 15 assorted diesels painted in the post-1959 scheme.  But then Kato did an NKP Mike, LifeLike came out with its Berkshire, NKP boxcars, hoppers, etc. started to appear, and we somehow developed a friend at Atlas, with narrow-stripe GP9TT's, RS11's, SD9's, GP7's and soon RS3's from them.  A surfeit of riches, and I backdated the layout to 1957, when Berks still ruled the Chicago-Buffalo mainline, supported by GP9's, RS11's, RS3's and an assortment of switchers.  The only major thing lacking until a couple of months ago was the 1000-series caboose . . . and now we have two sources (Matt Myers' shop on Shapeways and American Model Builders) for those.  Happy days are here!

John C.

[jdcolombo]

John,

The photos did help me decide to proceed with an order via Shapeways.  Again it's a choice of having a model or not for me, so I will make the order and report what it looks like.  I also had a designer take a stab at a load my company has handled in the past, All I need now is the modern flatcar to go with it.

http://www.shapeways.com/model/802800/coil-car-nscale.html?li=productBox-search

http://www.shapeways.com/model/801001/jlg-telelift-arm-load-nscale.html?li=productBox-search

Let us know how these turn out.   The coil steel car will probably look very good.  I can't explain the technical issues, but often flat surfaces that don't have an "overhang" anywhere come out very smooth (the roofs of my cabooses look like injection-molded plastic; it's only the sides that have the "texturing," which I understand is at least partly because they have to be supported by wax in order to do the window sill detail and roof overhang).   Don't know about the telelift load - that one looks really complicated - but will certainly look very cool on a flatcar!

John C.

[peteski]

Let us know how these turn out.   The coil steel car will probably look very good.  I can't explain the technical issues, but often flat surfaces that don't have an "overhang" anywhere come out very smooth (the roofs of my cabooses look like injection-molded plastic; it's only the sides that have the "texturing," which I understand is at least partly because they have to be supported by wax in order to do the window sill detail and roof overhang).   Don't know about the telelift load - that one looks really complicated - but will certainly look very cool on a flatcar!

John C.

That's what I've been saying all along in the other Shapeways FUD thread!

[TiVoPrince]

Cowboy  
is far more interesting to me.  Gives me hope that we can get some modern train crew figures, someday...

[John]

Intrigued, I went to the library at the University of Illinois, where I teach,

I used to live up in Rantoul

[Bruce Bird]

I can vouch for the flawless operation aspect of John's 'New' NKP.  Switching a busy yard with a sound-equipped 0-8-0 for 2+ hours with nary a derailment is just plain great.  It really enables you to get in the frame of mind that you are working a real railroad.  And the cabooses look fabulous in person.  It really is the 1950s in John's basement working with all of those sound-equipped steamers.

When Chanute was open there probably was a LOT of people in model RR circles that used to live up in Rantoul!

[Catt]

While I don't at the moment have any Shapeways N scale rolling stock I do have two Z scale cabeese that I would not be able to afford any other way.I have less invested in these two cars than the cost of one AZL bay window and if I do say so my self they look pretty darn good.

[jhtolatc]

Those 1000s look fantastic, John! Hopefully the three I bought turn out well too. The Bestine soak is underway...

Jeff

[jdcolombo]

Those 1000s look fantastic, John! Hopefully the three I bought turn out well too. The Bestine soak is underway...

Jeff

Thanks, Jeff.

Here's a photo of a "version 2" caboose that I just finished.  The new version is now for sale on Shapeways, and moves the detail parts (marker lamps, end ladders and a battery box for a radio-equipped version) to separate sprues.   The photo is of a "radio equipped" version, which has a battery box on the non-smoke-stack side mounted to the underframe, the "radio equipped" logo under the left-most window, and if you look very closely, I added a "stub" antenna on top of the cupola (a short piece of .020 brass wire).

John C.

[johnh35]

Nice cabeese collection!

[John]

I've been playing around with sketchup .. looking to do a BQ23-7 cab ..