So it’s been about a month and a half since the last installment of my 3D-printing adventures and I’m ready to reveal my latest scheme: namely, a rapid prototyped ALCO S-4! Back over on the “Printing a steam locomotive” thread [http://www.trainboard.com/grapevine/showthread.php?141509-Printing-a-steam-locomotive!&highlight=] there was a fair amount of discussion as to whether this technology could be employed to manufacture some of the ALCO/FM/Baldwin switcher shells that many an n-scale yard currently lacks. Well, as you can see, I decided to give it a shot. First the obvious: The mechanism is stolen from a Life-Like SW9/1200 (I went with the Life-Like because, well, it’s the only switcher mechanism I currently own…). Everything shown was printed in place (no sprues etc.); I was honestly expecting a disaster with the handrails but, to my surprise, they seem to have come through almost completely intact! The model was cleaned (wax removed), primed using cheap spray primer, sanded (more on that later) and brush painted before being photographed. I do apologize for the drab color – I’m currently moving out of my apartment and I somehow managed to pack away every color of paint I own except ‘engine black,’ ah well… As I’m sure many of you have spotted, the most obvious compromise/inaccuracy is the width of the hood – it’s a hair less than one scale foot too wide (the extra width is necessary to accommodate the mechanism). I’m not sure if there’s honestly a whole lot I can do about that one unfortunately – unless anyone has an idea for a mechanism of similar length but with a narrower hood? Back to the rough finish - I generally don’t sand/smooth my prints as I usually I don’t find it necessary. Unfortunately, the Shapeways contractor that printed this one decided to print it vertically on end (nose up). This means that, while the front of the nose is darn near perfectly smooth, both the sides and roof are rougher then usual (if you’re confused by what I’m talking about check out the thread I mentioned above for a more thorough explanation). Consequently this time I went out of my way to attack the cab roof and top of the hood with fine grit sand paper to smooth it out (fifteen minutes made a big difference). That said, as I think the photos show, I consider this still a “best if viewed from 12 inches or farther” type model unfortunately. While I made the S-4 mostly as an experiment - I will certainly make it available through my Shapeways shop in due time. But enough of my blathering though , whatcha guys think?
The hood width is a compromise I would accept for now, as nothing else is available. Have you tried it on the Kato NW2? The mech is slightly wider at the long hood, but it would work better. A separate cab would be preferred, but then again, just having the shell available would be great. I say bring it!
Gotta question. Why don't you print this with no handrails or grabs, just the stanchions with an appropriately sized hole in 'em for a proper sized wire handrail to be inserted and bent by the end-user? Doesn't Shapeways allow you to specify the orientation yet? I was under the impression that they were letting you do that now. It's obvious that this shell is not marketable (at least to me), whereas with the proper orientation it would be. Seems to me this would increase Shapeways profits also, whereas now, it's a roll of the dice if you get a usable product or not...totally dependent on the whim of the subcontractor...unless you specify filling up the total print space with your product. Cheers! Bob Gilmore
I agree , I would much rather install brass wire handrails. In addition to that I would prefer a kit that has a separate cab , radiator openings for etched shutters ( a separate cab so it can be detailed and glazed easier). I can live with a little extra width for the mechanism , in fact I have two Lifelike mechanisms just waiting for bodys. I picked them up on E Bay about a year ago. The overall finish of ther shell is important to me however , the two foot rule isn't going to do me any good. Randy
Darn cool model, man! I am impressed how close to scale it came out, and as the guys said, with wire grabs it's sure to catch a lot of attention from eNvious people! The closed pilot face really helps it look proto. How's about throwing some Z scale MTL's on there? All in all, test shot or not it's a definite win!!
Matthew, I'm sure there will be some people who would buy this shell because it is probably the closest thing they can get to a decent S-4 right now. I have not heard whether Shapeways allows people to specify orientation yet, but my sources of information are either Trainboard or Railwire forum threads and not a direct source. I would be curious to see photos of at various stages (after removing wax - before sanding / after sanding - before painting / after painting - nevermind already posted). I would also agree that omitting the handrails/stanchions or printing them as a separate part might make it easier to use brass wire or etched parts instead. The extra width in the hood is an acceptable compromised to me. Overall nice job, keep it up! I have an extra LL SW1200 mechanism and this would be a good use for it. After you get the ALCO done, I'd vote for the FM H10-44 / early H12-44 next. Scott
I second the FMs, what is the best mechanism to use , the Atlas VO1000 ? This technology really does open up possibilitys for unique locomotives and rolling stock , I am staying tuned to see how many many exciting things are progressing !!! For the rapid transit, interurban and streetcar folks this will be a really good opportunity as well . A North Shore electroliner anyone ? I have a few printed cars coming , I am interested in the pickle car and the 6 dome tank car. I hope these will be in service on my layout soon !
I want a couple of those S4s as they sit now!!!!! Ill even see what it would take to drop it on a Kato NW mech!
I'd like to know about the fit on a Kato drive , I have a few of those mechanisms around too , they are for eventual conversion to SW-1s Randy
I'll tell you from experience that you can grind enough off the Kato NW2 chassis to fit either the Life-Like SW-_, or fit my SW1 body. Not impossible at all. Two questions.... What did you decide to use as the handrail diameter? .020? That's my understanding on minimum cross-section, just not sure how it works out in practice. How durable is the material when it is that thin for handrails? I have the Barnhart kit, frankly its astounded me on how tough that stuff is.
how does the shell attach to the frame? Does it just sit on the drive or is it some sort of friction fit? Great work again! You are certainly an innovator and leading the charge with this new technology!
Looks like a great start. I would probably skip the handrails in favor of wire. Those are just too thick. I personally really hate trying to work around handrails when doing a paint job. They would probably get broken in the painting process for any sort of complex paint scheme. The end rails could be an issue to hand form though. Just include a profile and end shot of your drawings so that the handrail bends can be copied then the builder could use GMM stanchions and wire handrails. For the end rails, it may be an advantage to include the stanchions as a seprate piece to make them safer for shipping and transport. Make a hybrid of resin stanchion with wire rails that can be added after painting.
I'm wondering how it would look properly painted and lettered, would that draw the eye away from any imperfections? I'd also like to hear how it fits on a Kato NW2 mech to make it more DCC friendly. I think the biggest problem may be finding mechanisms if you don't already have spare ones on hand, both Life Like and Kato switchers can be few and far between these days.
One of the reasons I've decided to barge ahead with my CF7 project is that I've already got the resin molds made, so no more time or money there. The 'investment' is in getting the photoetched parts developed, and a fairly large batch run. If anybody else (including me) wants to do a CF7 as a rapid prototype, I can still supply brass handrails, steps & details. So....
Hmm thanks for the feedback everyone... To be honest I only designed the handrails cast in place (0.01875" in diameter) because, well, I'd never seen it done before and I was curious to see if it was possible! I'm thinking that what I'm going to do is to release a version like this (fully assembled) as well as a 'kitbasher's delight' version. The latter would have the handrails either included separately or likely absent entirely. Is there a consensus about what else people might want such a version to have (and/or lack)? I'll take a look into making the cab removable, it's probably doable I'll just have to make sure that it can be made strong enough - molding the cab and body together effectively strengthens both. No unfortunately Shapeways does not let you establish/fix the z-axis yet, however that's solidly the second most requested change on their "how can we improve our services?" pages. Looking more closely at the other prints that came with this one, I'm actually thinking that, along with the orientation problem, the machine itself may have actually been slightly out of calibration (or otherwise functioning below standard). These were definitely in the bottom 10% of prints that I have received so far. Had this been a finished model I might have seen about trying to get it labeled a "bad print" and asked for a gift card (I've never actually tried that before but I've heard they are pretty generous). Ahh well, that's certainly the trade-off with manufacturing items one at a time and layer by layer: there's always going to be more variability than you might like. Right now the shell simply press fits onto the mechanism - it actually holds in place surprisingly well. That said, I've hatched a scheme that should make the connection darn near bullet proof. I'll explain when my next test shows up As for modifying the design to fit a Kato mechanism - I'd be happy to, I just need to get my hands on one first... Am I right in understanding that they are actually a bit wider than the Life-Like through the hood? How much? As for future plans, right now I'm leaning towards either the FM H-10-44/H-12-14 or a Baldwin AS616. Those would still be a few months away though, I have a bunch of exciting things to finish up in the meantime.
The S-4 along with the FM H10/H12's would pretty much satisfy my gripes about classic switcher power in N scale . . . And the NKP had many . . . <sigh>. John C.
