I took my T scale layout to the NMRA National Train Show in Grapevine, Texas in August. It was very popular! Lots of people asked where they could get some so, I told them. One gentleman wanted to know where he could buy a ready-to-run caboose like the one I was running. I told him I could build one for him. He gave me his card with his contact info on it. The caboose was a 3D printed model that I bought on Shapeways. I went to Shapeways when I got home only to find that the store and the caboose were no longer available. I decided to try to scratch-build one. Below is the final result.
I decided to try my hand at another caboose since this one went so well. Both cabeese were a lot of tedious work. I glued 2 strips of Evergreen Scale Models #189 .125 X .250 strip styrene together. I cut, carved and filed away everything that didn't look like a caboose. That's the same process I used for the short caboose. I glued some .010 sheet styrene from Evergreen Scale Models to the top for the roof and to the ends for the platform just like I did for the short caboose. The smokestack is a strand of wire from a piece of 20-gauge stranded wire. The wheels are from Tgauge.com. The details are decals that I printed on my ALPS printer.
I've decided to delay the bay window caboose attempt for now. How many of you are, actually, doing anything with T scale? The dime would go behind or alongside the model.
The more cool posts like this, the more I'm thinking about it! I've been looking at some AWESOME T-gauge layouts on YouTube with awesome scenery and all! If more North American prototypes start showing up on scene, the more I'll be getting into it! I seen a CN painted F-unit on a site, but can't remember where now, that looked really nice! If I could find someone to paint a couple F-units in Milw orange/black, now your talkin'!
That's some nice work at such a tiny scale! Kudos! At that scale, my fingers are more like jumbo sausages than any useful appendages...
So... I was chatting with Stony Smith, a designer on Shapeways, about the T scale caboose and the missing shop. He has designed a lot of things in multiple scales. He said he could do it. He scaled down one of his wide-vision cabeese to T scale while I was deciding what I wanted him to downsize. He chose the only caboose I didn't choose. He offered it in both tan, fine detail plastic and clear, ultra-fine detail plastic. I bought one of each to test them. The only real difference is the price. Both materials work the same. Here are pics of the 2 materials finished. Please disregard the hanging coupler issue. That is my fault.
Thom, Very cool! Those scaled down to T rather well. I am always wondering whether some sellers on Shapeways will scale down to Z, now I'll have to ask. Scott
Just plain fantastic. A good thing the dime is there for scale. One really realized how tiny this is and how amazing that it looks as detailed as it is. I just printed out the photos at scale - I have an American dime and it just covers the ones on the photos. Two could easily fit on a Canadian $2 coin. One spans two keys on my computer keyboard. I need to look out that I don't inhale one of those and it gets stuck in my nostril...
