Documenting my journey into model railways.
IMHO a 3D Printer is essential for most model hobbyists, they have never been more affordale and easier to use, as long as you have awell ventilated place to put it like a workshop or man cave then you should get one.
The cost savings of print your own models compared to commercially produced injection moulded kits or ready to run models just makes it a no brainer.
N Gauge Rolling Stock - Thingiverse Thing:6503848
I found this selection of N gauge Rolling Stock models inspired by the PECO wagon on thingiverse and thought I would have a go at building my own rolling stock.
The kit of parts is great and offers a basic short 4 wheek wagon chassis comparable to the ones I already have in my collection which came with the starter set. On top of this can be fitted a choice of:
- Box Van
- Brake Van
- Cattle Van
- 5 Plank Wagon
- Tank Wagon
The kit also comes with two roofs for the brake van, and the cattle / box van and rapido style couplers.
Printing Advice
Supporting the model well is crucial. I chose to print my chassis flat side to the build plate, but I still added plenty of supports arount the edges, buffers and inside the coupler box to ensure a good print.
The wagon bodies have a short pair of keys which lock into 2 matching slots in the chassis so their is no flat surface and a similar support exercise is required. The roof is easier to support as noone will see the insides. The trickiest part to print were the bars on the cattle van, which are really too thin at this scale. When I reprint my cattle trucks I will likely recreate these slats in thin card.
Assembling a 3D Printed N Gauge Wagon Kit
Assembling the kit is a simple case of adding the couplers to the chassis and sealing the two halves together with your choice of body style.
Ready to Run models typically have sprung couplers but I had no tiny springs on hand, so created a simple spring from the thin transparent packaging that the wheels came in.
Cut to size and bent in the middle this provides enough "spring" to keep the couplers level.
The brake van has a specific roof with a stove vent whereas the cattle van and box van have a ventless roof.
What about wheels?
The kit does not come with wheels and whilst I have found some models to print I thought it best to buy these on one of my many aliexpress trips.
I found a seller offering 48 plastic wheel sets by Evemodel, that's enough for 24 wagons, for the princely sum of £5.49 + shipping. If you want metal wheel sets they are readily available but obviously more expensive.
The wheels fit neatly into the holes in the axle boxes of the chassis, although I did have to open up the rectangular pockets that the wheel flanges sit in to enable free running and end float. This was a trivial task with a small needle file, although care must be taken when fitting the wheels to avoid breaking the brake assembly detail.
Once assembled they look pretty convincing.
How do they run?
Pretty well as you can see in the video below. The couplers hang down a little, but with the addition of the little makeshift springs I think these will work very well on my layout.
