Weekend Update 7/12/15

[skytop35]

Received the first of my first test shots of functioning diaphragms for Kato's Budd cars from Shapeways today, in FXD.  Couple of minor tweaks to make to the design.

Also have them coming in WSF and WSFP, but the FXD appears to be strong enough and flexible enough as well as the detail being more fine.

Bryan, will these be available in hundred packs?  Lol !

[bbussey]

Bryan, will these be available in hundred packs?  Lol !

Bill — I probably won't offer it through ESM, but I certainly can make them available on my personal Shapeways store if they work out.  Sometime in August, enough to do four cars at a clip.

[jmlaboda]

Have to think about this some more...perhaps adding power lines will make the poles themselves more visible and less likely to get snagged?

EZ Line by Berkshire Jct. is what I would recommend... it will stretch out the ying-yang and snap right back to shape when pressure is released.  There are several folks her on TRW that are using it...

http://www.berkshirejunction.com/ezline.html

[nickelplate759]

Received the first of my first test shots of functioning diaphragms for Kato's Budd cars from Shapeways today, in FXD.  Couple of minor tweaks to make to the design.

Also have them coming in WSF and WSFP, but the FXD appears to be strong enough and flexible enough as well as the detail being more fine.

Those look sooooo good!  Is it printed in a single piece?

[bbussey]

Those look sooooo good!  Is it printed in a single piece?

Yes, one piece that is a snap-in replacement for the stock part.

[peteski]

Yes, one piece that is a snap-in replacement for the stock part.

These diaphragms are very nice but I'm worried about the fragility of the thin 3D-printed rods.  I suppose that the time will tell how they fair in use and handling.  I'm also thinking that another option could be to print them without the rods and have holes printed in both pieces to accept 0.006" phosphor bronze wire.  It would be easy to cut some  rod and just super-glue it into the 3D printed parts.  Not that much extra work...

[OldEastRR]

How that car with the multi-layered sides turned out:



Was thinking about adding a little dark chalk to the radiator vents but looks good as is. The owner is going to install MT-modified trucks himself.

[bbussey]

These diaphragms are very nice but I'm worried about the fragility of the thin 3D-printed rods.  I suppose that the time will tell how they fair in use and handling.  I'm also thinking that another option could be to print them without the rods and have holes printed in both pieces to accept 0.006" phosphor bronze wire.  It would be easy to cut some  rod and just super-glue it into the 3D printed parts.  Not that much extra work...

If used as intended, they'll be fine. But it would be easy enough to cut the resin rods and replace them with phosphor bronze wire.  I'd go thicker than .006" though. Probably .012" or .015". I made these for personal use, so I have no intention of abusing them. I'm more than willing to make them available to others also. But the purpose is an easy and quick snap-in replacement, so I won't be altering the design. It's pretty much the ALM design but without the need for having to assemble three separate parts.

[Puddington]

I haven't felt up to doing much modelling of late but a burst of 3:00 am sleepless frustration resulted in finished a Pullman car and abusing a Rio Grade hopper....



Yellow chalks and washed were used to tone down the Armor Yellow and although the crap photo obscure it, the sill and lower area has a nice weathered look to it, as does the roof.



Yet another covered hopper.... technically a couple years too young for my pike but what the hell....

[jmlaboda]

Beautiful car, Puddy... but what is your UP connection?  Looks like you got everything right, making for a very hot looking car!!!

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/up_lake_champlain0.jpg

[GimpLizard]

How that car with the multi-layered sides turned out:

Right road... wrong paint.** 

Still... nice job all the same.

(**I just never could warm up to the BSB paint scheme.)

[Sokramiketes]

Received the first of my first test shots of functioning diaphragms for Kato's Budd cars from Shapeways today, in FXD.  Couple of minor tweaks to make to the design.



Also have them coming in WSF and WSFP, but the FXD appears to be strong enough and flexible enough as well as the detail being more fine.

Hey, cool!  Why don't you extend the area above the door, and add the spring as well?  I don't think any of the N scale cars properly model the extended area between the door frames, which juts out all the way up to the roof.  Here's a decent angle showing it:

[bbussey]

Hmmm ... I was trying to just do a simple snap-in piece. As it is, I fudged the mounting of the upper rods. I didn't realize that the area above the door wasn't correct on Kato models. That's disappointing, since it wouldn't have detracted from their diaphragm design to tool a more-accurate upper end.

[Puddington]

Beautiful car, Puddy... but what is your UP connection?  Looks like you got everything right, making for a very hot looking car!!!

http://www.northeast.railfan.net/images/up_lake_champlain0.jpg

The Dominion hosted so many foreign road cars through it's life that I have always tried to run at least one oddball sleeper when I run the 20 plus car train. I have seen a couple of pictures of UP Pulman cars in both Toronto and Banff on the Dominion; indeed Red Hook ran regularily on the consist for several years in a excursion service for a US tour company. Certainly adds some colour....

[bbussey]

Made some EP-3 progress yesterday also.  Fitted the latest main truck frames and pilot truck porch frames.  I ran out of 00-90 nuts so I couldn't attach the second pilot truck, but the installed pilot truck sits properly.  The main truck frames are now the proper length, but I need to narrow them by about .020" to both hold the copper pickups in place better and give a better appearance width-wise.  But I'm pleased so far with the progress.  It will be time soon to install the controller and attempt a track run.