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Post by bloodynose on Mar 9, 2023 0:37:46 GMT -5
That's where the brakeman sits when the train travels through dense fog.
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Post by bloodynose on Mar 8, 2023 0:15:39 GMT -5
This is both massively impressive and a bit daunting (for those of us who had thoughts of buying a Big Boy or other big steam someday). I have a couple brass steamers that are NIB and have only been taken out to verify they run. Once I have completed my layout I plan to run them occasionally but for fear of something like this happening I will only run them for a limited amount of time...
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Post by bloodynose on Mar 2, 2023 21:57:59 GMT -5
Nozzles are inexpensive depending on the material they are made of. I purchased an assortment of 5 hardened steel nozzles ranging from 0.2 to 0.8 for less than $9. Brass is the most common for low temp use with standard PLA filament and you can get a dozen for $10. Yes smaller nozzles give better detail but at a cost of print time. I am a newbie at this so what I have learned so far is that min and max layer thickness should be about 30% and 75% of nozzle size and line width should be 100% to 150% of nozzle size. So with a .3 nozzle I can go as thin as .1mm which is about the same thickness as a sheet of 24lb paper! I have experimented around and layer thickness of .15 to .2 gives pretty good quality and I usually use .3 line width. Although I did try .25 width and it seemed to work ok. Temperature is another factor, the filament I am using requires 205° to 225° centigrade so getting the right temp for a particular type of print can take some trial and error... All of these values are set in the slicing software when creating the G-code file that is sent to the printer. For now I plan on staying with the .3 nozzle until I get more experienced.
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Post by bloodynose on Mar 1, 2023 23:38:45 GMT -5
bloody nose, Is your printer a filament printer? Scott Yes it is. Currently I am using PLA+ filament that has a glossyer finish. Originally it was an Ender-3 V2 that had the bowden type extruder and I discovered that for small intricate printing this type of extruder, filament drive mounted on the printer frame with a long filament feeding tube to the hotend (print head) became problematic. So I upgraded to a direct drive extruder with the filament drive contained on the hotend. This upgrade essentially made it an Ender-3 S1. I am also using a 0.3mm nozzle, standard for this printer is 0.4mm but it is capable of using 0.15mm. So to anyone considering getting into 3D printing of small models I would recommend the printer they get, no matter the brand, should have a direct drive extruder. Mark
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Post by bloodynose on Feb 28, 2023 23:45:01 GMT -5
About "industrial" (SLS) printing : These signals and these cantilever signal bridges (for NYC, which I used on my layout) were printed in 1/60 mm resolution ; once painted, they look like injection molded. And for friends of fairgrounds, there is this german modeller whose merry-go-rounds are printed in a lower resolution with polyamide and can, with some customizing, even be MOTORIZED (the motor's axles were too short and I had to 3D-print adapters ; maybe that meanwhile this has been solved) : look at the attached picture of my layout ! They start and stop asynchronously with different periods, controlled by an ATTiny13.
With 3D-printing, the limits have gone far, far away !
Very nice! When high detail is desired there is no substitute for quality injection molding or professional 3D printing. It won't be long though before high quality, high definition consumer grade 3D printers are much more affordable! Mark
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Post by bloodynose on Feb 28, 2023 23:36:21 GMT -5
bloodynose, Very nice 3D modeling! I like the rough tie ends. Scott Thanks Scott, there has been a bit of a learning curve! One needs to learn the limitations of the printer and use them to their advantage. This is the deck of that bridge close up. At arms length distance It looks fine and throw some paint on it could really make it better. I am working on an improved version now that I know what the printer is capable of...
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Post by bloodynose on Feb 27, 2023 23:29:02 GMT -5
This wooden bridge is an example of my first attempts at creating my own 3D drawing to prints.
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Post by bloodynose on Feb 27, 2023 22:55:02 GMT -5
3D printers with reasonable print quality have become quite affordable. I recently acquired a one color printer in the $300 range that has 0.1mm (or better) resolution, the Creality Ender 3 S1 (about the same cost as a set of ALCO PAs) A 1kg spool of 1.75mm filament costs $20~$25 and there are many colors available. If you plan on downloading available 3D drawing files (.stl files) all you will need is slicing software to create the G-code files and there are several free ones available, I found that what Creality offered has been good enough for me. If you choose to create your own 3D drawings as I have because you can't find the model files you want, several free 3D software options are available. It's really not that hard to learn.
I am considering starting a thread for Model making/3D printing for images of models or prints that I and maybe others would like to share.
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Post by bloodynose on Feb 15, 2023 1:22:31 GMT -5
Hopefully something good for the Feb Part 2 New Item? Black Widows!
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Post by bloodynose on Dec 15, 2022 22:14:38 GMT -5
Yes they are beautiful!
Love this particular flying Rio Grande paint scheme and they will probably look just fine pulling the Zephyr, the light weights, and even the heavy weights.
I've been waiting for these and hopefully I'll receive them before Christmas...
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Post by bloodynose on Nov 6, 2022 23:59:51 GMT -5
Nice details-icebreakers, that plow, that horn! Sweet! Yes nicely done. A couple of modeling notes. The paint scheme appears accurate for the specific road numbers, running from about 1958 until their retirement. They were typically run in this era with F7Bs. The icebreakers are a fine addition, although I have to wonder how long they’ll last on the model. The icebreakers indicate the locomotives would have been typically assigned to the Overland route. In the late 50s-1960s the COSF was down to a 5-10 car train: baggage and maybe express freight, 2-5 chair/coach cars-mostly SP but at least one UP, SP SNACK BAR/lounge, UP diner, UP -4-4-2 or/and 6-6-4 sleepers. SP cars typically didn’t run east of Ogden. The plow is interesting. SP purchased the PA2s without pilots (and some late PA1s) and installed a home built plow. It looks like AZL has done a good job modeling this plow. Eventually all PAs received this plow, so it would be nice if it were available to retrofit some of the PA1s. I think the description of what’s in the box might be inaccurate. The horns should be 5 chime. Can’t tell for certain from the picture but I think it’s correct. Anxious to get mine, although I don’t expect it to run any different from its PA1 sisters. Mark I'm not familiar with air horn configuration but I have received my 6037 and the horn definitely has 2 trumpets pointed forward and 2 aft, it may have a shorter one opposite of one of the longer one's but overall I am impressed with the high quality detail that is always better than the AZL prototype images that are used for the new release postings. This is my first PA2 so hopefully checking out it's performance will also be impressive! Mark
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Post by bloodynose on Nov 1, 2022 14:40:14 GMT -5
Hey... somebody found my baby picture!
This PA will be a great addition to my SP collection.
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Post by bloodynose on Jul 27, 2022 23:32:32 GMT -5
Did you ever get any data about which of the materials was the better general choice over a longer testing period? AZL has the material printed on the box. I am not in the office right now, but I will check and get back to you. Rob, Thanks for getting these done! I have placed an order for both the black and gray couplers, in the description of the black ones it says 32+... is that the quantity in one unit of purchase? Thanks, Mark
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Post by bloodynose on Jun 17, 2022 1:58:57 GMT -5
It's not the weather... it's whether or not some of us can afford fuel, food, or fun stuff like expensive little model trains...
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Post by bloodynose on Feb 27, 2022 1:03:52 GMT -5
Keeping Alexey in my thoughts. I hope that he and family remain safe. He´s on his way to the Polish border with his kids. But it takes a lot of time as many try to do so. Here in Germany, Holger Späing of trainini magazine and Jörg Erkl from HRT organize and coordinate the help that will start when they are in Poland and then, finally in Germany. Greetings Mattias This is a horrific assault on a country of free people! I don't understand what putin believes he will accomplish besides trying to enslave 40 million people... Hopefully all of the other countries can put enough pressure on him to shut this down! I hope Alex and his family will be able to get to safe haven and there are enough brave souls willing to take up arms to ward off and defeat this invasion!
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