Robbie's (mostly passenger car) 3D print workshop

[k27463]

Hi y'all,

I figured I'd start a new thread rather than crash the other one on my current project, the CB&Q/ATSF/GN pendulum cars.

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This so far is the CB&Q version, though I figure I'll knock out the GN and ATSF ones after.

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I also have recently been knocking out the CB&Q's Silver Charger.

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...and the Twin Cities/Nebraska Zephyrs.

I guess I need a project thread, so here we are? Feel free to move it elsewhere if printing isn't the correct subforum (though I definitely am not as much of a modeler as I am a designer).

[peteski]

That's pretty nice stuff!
When the Kato's Pioneer Zephyr becomes available, any chance of you doing the Flying Yankee shells for it?

[k27463]

That's pretty nice stuff!
When the Kato's Pioneer Zephyr becomes available, any chance of you doing the Flying Yankee shells for it?

Near 100%.

Due to the front air intake changes, the Pioneer is likely the only variant of the shovelnose locos that I'd just buy and use. I -do- plan on picking up a Kato set and reverse engineering a whole shell to do the 4 car consists (Mark Twain Zephyr, etc.) and the Flying Yankee would be a pretty easy variant. Of course, there's a solid chance I'll sort out my own power truck too and just model the whole train including chassis (Silver Charger uses a Kato E unit truck for now, the Pegasus/Zephyrus shovelnose uses Kato truck innards and printed sideframes/chassis). We'll see when I get there; the pendulum cars are priority now (since they're so relatively close to completion).

[keeper]

This is fantastic.
Is there any chance at one point you are doing one of the GN palor observation car Twin Cities or Twin Ports?

[peteski]

That's an awesome news Robbie!  I've been hoping for N scale Flying Yankee for several decades.

Some years ago, when home 3D printing was in its infancy I contacted randy Gordon Gilmore from Prototrains do design Flying Yankee which wold use the Con-Cor Pioneer Zephyr for the mechanism.  I even let him borrow him my Con-Cor model so he could measure it.  He did some CAD work, but at that time he mentioned that the print resolution of hobbyist's printers was not sufficient to make this work, and as the years went by Randy seems to have disappeared from the hobby scene.

Now there is a glimmer (or even a bright sparkle) of hope that there will be a model of a N scale Flying Yankee made in my lifetime!

As far as mechanicals go, with their track record I suspect that the Kato model will be a superb runner, so not sure if a new mechanism would be needed for the Flying Yankee.  One thing that is disappointing is how Kato's has a big gap between the top of the front truck's streamlining cover and the body. Con-Cor handled that area much better.

[k27463]

As far as mechanicals go, with their track record I suspect that the Kato model will be a superb runner, so not sure if a new mechanism would be needed for the Flying Yankee.  One thing that is disappointing is how Kato's has a big gap between the top of the front truck's streamlining cover and the body. Con-Cor handled that area much better.

Heh, I'm a bit more nuanced than that. I'm mostly using Kato truck inner frames/gears and designing chassis they clip into. I'm not necessarily against the Kato chassis, but if I'm designing the whole body/frame it might be easier to not have to buy an entire Pioneer Zephyr 

The shovelnose loco got around the truck skirting issue by using sideframes that stop at the skirts. Truck still swivels and it isn't all that obvious.

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This is fantastic.
Is there any chance at one point you are doing one of the GN palor observation car Twin Cities or Twin Ports?

No idea at the moment. The chance is always there, especially with Q-adjacent equipment. No promises for the moment.

[peteski]

Heh, I'm a bit more nuanced than that. I'm mostly using Kato truck inner frames/gears and designing chassis they clip into. I'm not necessarily against the Kato chassis, but if I'm designing the whole body/frame it might be easier to not have to buy an entire Pioneer Zephyr 

If you can do that (hybrid using Kato mechanicals and your own chassis), that's great.  But will Kato be selling all those items as spare parts?  The entire unit might have to be purchased anyway (and the price of Kato set is quite affordable, especially compared to  what Con-Cor Zephyr used to cost).  But if the bottom line is that a Flying Yankee becomes available just using Kato parts, I will sure take one!

[Dreyfusshudson]

Fantastic. Is it possible to see 4000/4001 aeolus?

[Sokramiketes]

Your stuff looks awesome in person too, keep it coming!