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I took in a pretty sad McCoy Cascade, but just what I was looking for - box of parts, paint stripped, motors good, new drivers. All parts accounted for (and newly machined hanger fittings for the two mechanisms - really nice). Except none of the side frame castings still existed. Price was right. So the McCoy engine was never really a Great Northern Y-1 nor a New Haven EP3, but some fashioning of both. 3D printer, some shim stock, and mods of some existing 3D part models to the rescue.  Far from done, but a couple of photos to show you the start of the journey. This one will be painted and lettered in the orange/black/white McGinness scheme - two of the real ones were painted this way, very sharp looking. Custom lettering forthcoming from the vinyl printer (black lettering only shown)!

Will also get 'real' lead and trailing trucks to replace the McCoy freight car trucks. (most probably a print from the GG1 parts). Kinda excited to see it finished.

Jim

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Images (4)
  • EP3 McGinness 355
  • Mocking up the EP3 with new tanks, center tank, headlights, shim stock to blank out center window
  • Ep3 new sideframes
  • New Haven black lettering
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Dennis Holler posted:

Nice Jim, youare a madman!!  Can't wait to see this one.

Dennis, Having so much fun with this 3D printer! Enough decent models out there that I can modify, rescale and then print. A Russian guy made a terrific model of the GG1. Have printed the shell, and doing the frame and lead trucks now.  The EP3 side frames are actually stretched and cut GG1 frames (kind of the opposite of the real engines - the EP3 came first)

Dennis Holler posted:

Nice Jim, youare a madman!!  Can't wait to see this one.

Dennis, Having so much fun with this 3D printer! Enough decent models out there that I can modify, rescale and then print. A Russian guy made a terrific model of the GG1. Have printed the shell, and doing the frame and lead trucks now.  The EP3 side frames are actually stretched and cut GG1 frames (kind of the opposite of the real engines - the EP3 came first). GG1 shell is 30" long - had to print in two halves - see photo. 

 

Thanks for the compliment (I think)

 

jim

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Images (1)
  • IMG_5214
Greg Nagy posted:

Jim, if I may ask, where are you getting your 3d models? I have been using thingiverse, but train items are very thin and usually European style. 

Greg,

More than one source - some from Thingiverse (look for G scale models). I have adapted models from other sources. A GG1 model that is floating around on a couple of different sites - spliced the side frame parts together doing some virtual cutting. I bought a model of the K4 from a fellow on Shapeways and he provided the details as separate files for example (the tanks on the roof are elongated tanks from the K4). In the slicer (I use Ideamaker at present), you can change the scale independently in each axis, so the tank could be the right length and diameter. I have also used the 'plane cut' function to cut parts off of other models - the bulge in the middle of the roof was actually part of a GP7 tank, cut off the air cylinders, modified the width and height. Sometimes you need to be creative. And in the slicer, you can specify the number of 'shells' - add a few to get more skin thickness.  The headlights are a G model, and I believe they were on Thingiverse. Very nicely done - I rescaled them for this engine.

Shapeways offers lot of good parts, but you have to have them print them. Some of the designers will sell you a design outright and then you can print your own, I've done that a couple of times. I think the part designer only gets about 10% of the print price, so it's worth their while as long as you don't distribute their models to others.

There is also an 'Open Source Railroad' 3D site - some interesting things there too. But a lot of non-US stuff as with other sites. 

https://plus.google.com/commun...04319325439898567675

I am also getting better at design, mostly modifying designs that are available, but also some originals. 

I keep scanning the sites that offer models for free, sometimes you have to pay for them!

Jim

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