3D Printing for N Gauge

Posted on April 7, 2013 by Tim Hall

I’ve just taken the plunge and ordered a couple of these from Shapeways. No idea as to exactly what the quality will be like, but I’ve got the feeling 3D printed models like this may well represent the future of the model railway hobby.

The prototype is relatively obscure. A small fleet of these wagons carried china clay from Ponts Mill in Cornwall to Corpach near Fort William in Scotland. Rebuilds of earlier cement vans, they had a relatively short life, and represent the sort of vehicle that’s very unlikely to appear in ready-to-run form.

Paul Bartlett's Photographs: PRA China Clay RLS63xx &emdash; RLS6305 PRA

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2 Responses to 3D Printing for N Gauge

  1. autumn says:
    April 8, 2013 at 12:19 am

    From what I hear, the quality will depend entirely on that of the printer. Lesser printers having issues with lines overdrawn leaving ridges on surfaces. Be interested to hear what it’s like.

  2. Tim Hall says:
    April 8, 2013 at 7:02 pm

    Oh dear…

    We’re really sorry to let you know that there was a problem with your recent order. These design(s) could not be 3D printed in the material selected:

    PRA China Clay Wagon N Scale (1:148) in Frosted Ultra Detail

    Given the nature of 3D printing (converting digital files into physical products), every now and then we catch designs that will be too fragile to create in certain materials. Though we do our best to defy the laws of physics and try to find these issues as early as possible, some are only found during the manufacturing process.

    You can reach out to the designer who created the model by clicking on the model name above to expedite the process. On the top right corner of the page linked above, you can click the “Contact Designer” button to start a conversation.

    We have credited your account, which you can use to purchase anything on Shapeways. If you do not wish to order anything else at this time, please let us know and we will arrange a refund.