Post by Adam on Oct 27, 2019 16:27:54 GMT
This topic has come up on other forums but my post on the Water Tower thread made me think it would be a good topic on it's own. 3D Printing has come a long way, but is still something that includes a learning curve. However, once you get good at it, it can be a lot of fun.
I have a Flashforge Creator Pro printer, but really there are very nice printers at lower price points these days. While I love the printer, in retrospect, I probably didn't need all of its features. Something at half the price ($500) would have done just as well.
Here are some of my finer 3D Printing + Model Train moments. For the items that I didn't design, I included the link to where I found it as a way to give credit to the person who designed it.
3D Printed Water Tower: www.thingiverse.com/thing:248808
Lionchief Remote Holder: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3512891
I actually designed this one myself. You can download from the link.
Tinplate to Knuckle Coupler Adapter Car
Wanted a way to pull some tinplate cars with a newer engine. This works a treat. This is my own design.
Livestock Car: This one is of my own design. The body is printed, but the couplers are Lionel. My goal is to build an entire consist of cars and this is the first. They will be less than scale (toy scale) because the printer bed is not larger enough.
Buffer stops: www.thingiverse.com/thing:507254
Control Panel: My own design. I used automotive 3 way switches for the track turn outs as well as control for my upper DC track.
General Bell: This is the train I got as a kid and I didn't take very good care of it. It is not very valuable (but special to me), so instead of trying to find original parts (easier to buy oone in better shape), I thought I would print some parts. I designed the bell and a few smaller pieces to make it look a bit more original.
Train Station: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2475018
General Store: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2473603
The next two buildings are an example of starting too big. When I first started getting into 3D printing, the main idea was to print buildings for the layout, so I started there. But buildings can be complicated to print properly (there are multiple techniques). I should have started small. They are "rough" to say the least, but I sill have them on the layout as it looks like they are buildings you might finding a ghost town. I will indeed try more buildings, probably this winter.
I have a Flashforge Creator Pro printer, but really there are very nice printers at lower price points these days. While I love the printer, in retrospect, I probably didn't need all of its features. Something at half the price ($500) would have done just as well.
Here are some of my finer 3D Printing + Model Train moments. For the items that I didn't design, I included the link to where I found it as a way to give credit to the person who designed it.
3D Printed Water Tower: www.thingiverse.com/thing:248808
Lionchief Remote Holder: www.thingiverse.com/thing:3512891
I actually designed this one myself. You can download from the link.
Tinplate to Knuckle Coupler Adapter Car
Wanted a way to pull some tinplate cars with a newer engine. This works a treat. This is my own design.
Livestock Car: This one is of my own design. The body is printed, but the couplers are Lionel. My goal is to build an entire consist of cars and this is the first. They will be less than scale (toy scale) because the printer bed is not larger enough.
Buffer stops: www.thingiverse.com/thing:507254
Control Panel: My own design. I used automotive 3 way switches for the track turn outs as well as control for my upper DC track.
General Bell: This is the train I got as a kid and I didn't take very good care of it. It is not very valuable (but special to me), so instead of trying to find original parts (easier to buy oone in better shape), I thought I would print some parts. I designed the bell and a few smaller pieces to make it look a bit more original.
Train Station: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2475018
General Store: www.thingiverse.com/thing:2473603
The next two buildings are an example of starting too big. When I first started getting into 3D printing, the main idea was to print buildings for the layout, so I started there. But buildings can be complicated to print properly (there are multiple techniques). I should have started small. They are "rough" to say the least, but I sill have them on the layout as it looks like they are buildings you might finding a ghost town. I will indeed try more buildings, probably this winter.