3D printed Code 40 Wood Ties Strips - Quick Pics

[RAILCAT]

Thanks for the STL file. I had to resize in the slicer. What should the tie length be so the gauge will be correct?

[ednadolski]

What should the tie length be so the gauge will be correct?

I scaled it by percentage: 1:160 for N scale w/Code 40 rail or 1:87 for HO w/code 70 rail.   Other scales/rails will probably need to adjust the width of the tieplate rail base, and/or perhaps re-position the tieplates.   For example, I tried 1:48 but as-is the tieplate rail base was too wide for the code 125 rail.  (Also the grain pattern was too deep.)

Note, a couple of YMMVs:

 - the woodgrain patterns have a large number of facets, and also a lot of sharp/narrow angles that can make certain CAD operations pretty slow (such as intersetions).

 - I found it better to position the ties vertically on end for printing (takes longer for larger scales).  Make sure that your slicer also has enough supports for the webs.

 - My printer is an 8k, I am not sure how well the grain pattern will show up on other printer resolutions.


Side thought:  anyone know if the 3D resin colors can be changed using tints/pigments?  (It would be nice if these could be done in a base grey/umber color.)


Ed

[robert3985]

I scaled it by percentage: 1:160 for N scale w/Code 40 rail or 1:87 for HO w/code 70 rail.   Other scales/rails will probably need to adjust the width of the tieplate rail base, and/or perhaps re-position the tieplates.   For example, I tried 1:48 but as-is the tieplate rail base was too wide for the code 125 rail.  (Also the grain pattern was too deep.)

Note, a couple of YMMVs:

 - the woodgrain patterns have a large number of facets, and also a lot of sharp/narrow angles that can make certain CAD operations pretty slow (such as intersetions).

 - I found it better to position the ties vertically on end for printing (takes longer for larger scales).  Make sure that your slicer also has enough supports for the webs.

 - My printer is an 8k, I am not sure how well the grain pattern will show up on other printer resolutions.


Side thought:  anyone know if the 3D resin colors can be changed using tints/pigments?  (It would be nice if these could be done in a base grey/umber color.)


Ed

@ednadolski, Ed, Thanks a million for publishing your stl file! I'll be fiddling with it in the next couple of days.  When you get the one finished with the uneven ties, please publish that too! 

Yup, tints/pigments can be used to color your resin.  There are a few YouTube videos about doing that, but not for simulating wood.  However, after doing a bit of research, it appears that most of them (liquid pigment) when used with a 3D printer, have a tendency to fade...a lot.  I watched one video where the maker was mixing in dry pigments for metallic & iridescent effects...I wasn't too impressed.  It might be easier starting with a basic opaque grey to get a nice looking brown tone, but so far, most colors that I'm looking at are for special effects, not for making resin look like creosoted wood!  lol!

I've got an Anycubic Photon M3 Premium 8K printer on the way, 28.5 microns as opposed to your 22 microns, but with a 10.1" screen, and from what I've researched and watched, the 7.5 micron difference isn't visually discernible, so...I'm confident that this beast will print the woodgrain on the ties.

I'm gonna PM you about information/drawings of prototype switches & turnouts which I have a lot of...UP stuff, and mostly from the 50's to the late 70's...  I'm looking forward to seeing what you come up with for turnouts.

Concerning turnouts sizes.  Looks like most of UP's turnouts were #9's on the mainline, with yards comprised of #9's, #7's and #6's.  For me handlaying all of mine, I compromise somewhat by doing mostly #8's with some really big ones thrown in for effect.  So...I think to start out with that a #9 would be just about right instead of a #10, and a correctly proportioned #7 (not like the Atlas55 #7) would be a good second choice.  Scaling it down a bit, a #6 and a #8 would be good too.  Of course I'm thinking of mainline trackage when I'm actually using Code40 for siding, spurs and my branchline, and Code55 for my heavily used trackage.

I've got a chart that tells what UP's spiking patterns, tie spacing and tie sizes for various types of tracks are.  I'll send that along with the turnout/switch drawings.

Pretty exciting stuff!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[sd80mac]

Hi Ed,

I'm with Bob on this one! I too have downloaded many of the track engineering documents, mine come from Union Pacific's website found here:

https://www.up.com/emp/engineering/apps/archives/standards/public/index.cfm

Here is a rendering of an HO-scale tie plate with spike detail included for both aesthetic appearance and rail holding functionality. The tie plate and spike dimensions are drawn true to scale. However, I did use my modeler's license to "beef up" some of the components, namely the tie plate shoulders, which are roughly twice as high as the prototype, along with the actual shape of the spike head itself. I figured that when these details are printed, they should result in looking "correctly proportional" rather than being actual scaled-down version of their prototypes. We know that in model railroading not everything translates well when reducing things in scale. You can also see the tab/tenon/rectangular pin that is to be inserted to the corresponding holes in the laser cut wood tie base.



If I ever get an N-scale layout going, whatever size it may be, Code 40 is my rail size of choice. Lastly, I've been printing everything so far on an Elegoo Mars 3 4K printer, although I do have an Elegoo Saturn 2 8K "waiting in the wings" for its turn! I think it's time...

Cheers,
Donnell

[sd80mac]

Hi All,

(I promise I'm not trying to hijack this thread!)

Here is the test print of the tie plates with spikes. I need to refine the supports so that the bottom edge remain square and not slightly swept back. Maybe I can try orienting the plates in another direction to see if they print any better. Overall, they turned out well. The idea is pretty neat, but the application may only be practical for limited use in a diorama. I suppose if I stop the spike head at the base of the rail instead of extending it over the rail base, it would facilitate faster track construction as you could just drop the rail into the plate after gluing the plate to the ties. You would lose the look of the spike head over rail, but it may not matter much after painting and weathering. By the way, the rail in the photos is ME code 70.

I still have to print the tie plates for P87 spikes, and I think I try printing a test section of the entire track structure as well like Ed did with his N-scale version, but I'll post that in its own thread!

Cheers,
Donnell 

[ednadolski]

@sd80mac those spike/tieplates look great!  How well do they hold the rail?

Ed

[ednadolski]

@sd80mac  one other thought, what would it take to make a tie strip like that in N scale?  (Perhaps that could be quicker to assemble, since Code 40 N scale would not need to overlap the spikes over the rail base.)

I recall seeing something like that from FastTracks some years ago (on 1/32" baltic birch plywood, they did not have tieplates tho they did have engravings to help place the rail), but they were never made into a product because of the time they took to run on the laser cutter was not cost effective. But perhaps that equation is different nowadays.  Are you using your own laser cutter? (which one?)

Ed

[robert3985]

Got my Anycubic Photon M3 Premium today!  It's attaining room temperature on my kitchen table right now, along with the new Cure & Wash Plus for the bigger build plate.




Y'know, it's a real pleasure associating with all you fellow maniacs!!

Now, hope my resin shows up later!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[Jbub]

Got my Anycubic Photon M3 Premium today!  It's attaining room temperature on my kitchen table right now, along with the new Cure & Wash Plus for the bigger build plate.




Y'know, it's a real pleasure associating with all you fellow maniacs!!

Now, hope my resin shows up later!

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

SO MUCH FREAKING SNOW! Here it is, the day before April and it's in the mid 30's with more snowy weather in the forecast. I'm just 30 miles south of you and the city that I work for has mobilized snow plow operations 49 times this season, maybe 50 if someone was called out last night. Our normal is around 25-30 with the previous record at 37. For those outside of Utah, one of our ski resorts (Alta) just hit 800 inches of snowfall for the season. It's the most on record for all resorts in Utah. There are some serious concerns about major flooding around the rivers and creeks this spring.

[robert3985]

Yup.  Springtime in Utah. 

Here another view this morning before I fired up my super-duper big yellow 3 stage snow-thrower...I stuck my ever-present measuring tape into the snow on top of the garbage cans...exactly 12 inches.



Another storm's on its way for Sunday.

The drought is over with over 66 feet of snow at Alta.

Cheerio!
Bob Gilmore

[sd80mac]

@sd80mac those spike/tieplates look great!  How well do they hold the rail? One other thought, what would it take to make a tie strip like that in N scale?  (Perhaps that could be quicker to assemble, since Code 40 N scale would not need to overlap the spikes over the rail base.)

I recall seeing something like that from FastTracks some years ago (on 1/32" baltic birch plywood, they did not have tieplates tho they did have engravings to help place the rail), but they were never made into a product because of the time they took to run on the laser cutter was not cost effective. But perhaps that equation is different nowadays.  Are you using your own laser cutter? (which one?)

Ed

Hi Ed,

The spikes hold the rail okay, but I also did not cure the plates under UV light as I was overly anxious to see them installed! I'm thinking of extending the overlap a bit further and increasing their inside height to allow the rail to slide in a bit easier. I am currently at the minimum tolerance! I think choice of resin will come into play here as well. It will need to be tough/strong and resilient.

I use a Comgrow 10W diode laser engraving/cutting machine with air assist. The machine is great for crafting, and decent enough for a more precise cutting. The main thing is making sure the gantry runs square along the Y-axis. I have the fiddle with adjusting this thing until it was as good as I could get it. I think I measured like 1/32" off over the 15" of X-axis travel. Not perfect, but decent. It only takes a few minute to cut each strip as the material is thin (1/16"), and the air assist improves cutting conditions by clearing out the charred debris and extinguishing any flame-ups when cutting wood, cardboard, or any thicker flammable material.

N-scale tie strips would cut faster because the material is even thinner at 1/32", and your yield would obviously be twice as much per sheet because N-scale is roughly half the size of HO. I'm not sure if you can benefit from separate printed tie plates (as they would be so tiny!) unless maybe they were printed together in a string to be mounted onto the tie strip all at one time. I really like what you have done with printing the entire track structure. If I were to print them on a Saturn 2 8K, with a 8.62"L x 4.84"W x 9.84"H build plate, I could fit at least 24 or 25  8.5" tie sections on .1875"(3/16") centers, printing vertically (on the tie ends) like you did. This would yield roughly 17 feet of track in one print! HO would yield less obviously as it is larger, but if you are not in a hurry, you could theoretically print over 100 feet of track in just a few days!

Along with printing the entire track structure, I will also try printing a row a tie plates that are connected together by a web, and spaced to match the holes in the ties. This way, I can remove a length of tie plates, cut off the supports, and insert the entire row into the tie strip at the same time.

Donnell

[ednadolski]

I'm not sure if you can benefit from separate printed tie plates (as they would be so tiny!) unless maybe they were printed together in a string to be mounted onto the tie strip all at one time.

I think there actually is such an animal:  https://berkshiredesign.net/?product=ho-scale-mainline-tie-plate-strips

Granted it would be pretty small for N scale, tho perhaps it could be done with less empty space on a fret.  The primary advantage to it being that it is a lot easier to get the look of wood with actual wood. 
 
Ed

Edit: interesting, the Crafter's Pick glue claims to be able to bond wood to metal:  https://www.amazon.com/Crafters-Pick-UG8-NOM492220-Ultimate/dp/B0056EXFM0/ref=sr_1_5?crid=156QEVR53GNM9&keywords=crafters+pick+ultimate+glue&qid=1680302359&sprefix=crafters+pick%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-5

[peteski]

Well, any glue which adheres well to metal should adhere to porous wood and will work well in that application.  The porous wood surface by default  a good mechanical bond with most glues.

[sd80mac]

I think there actually is such an animal:  https://berkshiredesign.net/?product=ho-scale-mainline-tie-plate-strips

Granted it would be pretty small for N scale, tho perhaps it could be done with less empty space on a fret.  The primary advantage to it being that it is a lot easier to get the look of wood with actual wood. 
 
Ed

Edit: interesting, the Crafter's Pick glue claims to be able to bond wood to metal:  https://www.amazon.com/Crafters-Pick-UG8-NOM492220-Ultimate/dp/B0056EXFM0/ref=sr_1_5?crid=156QEVR53GNM9&keywords=crafters+pick+ultimate+glue&qid=1680302359&sprefix=crafters+pick%2Caps%2C211&sr=8-5

As for using actual wood, there's really nothing that compares. However, you and Tim have done a really great job at simulating it in resin!

Regarding the Berkshire tie plates, I forgot about these! I saw them in a video from the Springfield train show earlier this year! That is actually a genius method of track construction. You can even recreate some tie variance by not trying to be so accurate with tie placement in the jig. The Berkshire tie plates are lighter (4-hole vs. 6 or 8 hole) and better represent older mainlines, branchlines, and other secondary types of track. The ones I designed are more representative of heavy, more modern mainlines. I really like their design! N scale and HO alike can benefit from this type of hybrid track construction.

As for the glue, I was just at Hobby Lobby TWICE today!!! It's only $5.49 at HL vs. $15.99 on Amazon for an 8oz. bottle. Oh well, LORD willing, there is tomorrow! I wonder how this glue compares with Aleene's Tacky Glue?

Donnell

[freedj]

I am planning on having a number of code 40 sidings in the next module and this thread has inspired me to try printing up some tie strips. 

I've modeled this up for C55 ME rail for now, but swapping out the tie plates and adjusting the gauge will be easy if it turns out.   The first printing was usable, but the tie plates were a bit too short and so the rails didn't register solidly.  I also hadn't figured out how to create the wood grain.  The first draft was also flex track rather than straight track.  My sidings are mostly straight though so making the tie strips stay straight seemed like a sensible thing to do.

Edit: Hmm, that pic isn't blury when I upload it

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