shurlock1 posted:I am surprised that I don't see railroad buffs do this as a living. Copy a part or so, copy right on trains can't be that long. The big builders such as MTH and Lionel only have parts for so long.
If casting parts and developing molds were as simple as you say, they probably would. However, I happen to know to do cast parts is not that easy or cheap. Henning's Trains manufactures a ton of pre-war diecast wheels, and the molds used are NOT cheap or easy to produce. This is not a "corner of the basement" endeavor, it's and expensive and somewhat complex undertaking.
Now I have spent several thousand dollars and many hours in the project. The net result is I have one style of diecast truck frame for the GG-1, how long before I ever break even? Try probably never!
3D printing most of the parts we're talking about in plastic is a non-starter. While metallic 3D printing exists, the hardware to do pieces this large is not cheap, and neither is the media used. Add to that it takes hours to print a large piece, there simply isn't a cost effective way to do this project at this point in time. Another issue is with a complex piece like the GG-1 truck frame, just getting the 3D model accurately created will be a challenge.
