Building a LIRR Morris Park Shop Switcher- 8/11/24...DONE.....DONE.....AND DONE

Nice!

That little engine looks and runs nice, Bob!!

A candidate for Switcher Saturday - I'm sure.

MELGAR

Cute little switcher. Totally different.

That is so cool Bob!

Gene

Outstanding, Bob and Ken!  What a great project. Look forward to seeing more posts as your build progresses.  I’ve also had my eye on the LIRR General Electric 25T shown on the trains are fun site and thought I’d convert an old post war lionel  us army engine to it as part of some future project. However, maybe printing out a more prototypical scale shell and fitting it over a Kline Plymouth frame is the way to go.  I guess I’ll decide after seeing how your build goes.

@Strap Hanger posted:

Outstanding, Bob and Ken!  What a great project. Look forward to seeing more posts as your build progresses.  I’ve also had my eye on the LIRR General Electric 25T shown on the trains are fun site and thought I’d convert an old post war lionel  us army engine to it as part of some future project. However, maybe printing out a more prototypical scale shell and fitting it over a Kline Plymouth frame is the way to go.  I guess I’ll decide after seeing how your build goes.

That 25T is on my list too. I'm gonna repaint a Plymouth for that one and add TMCC and sound.

Thanks for the comments guys. I'll certainly keep this thread updated.

Bob

@MELGAR posted:

A candidate for Switcher Saturday - I'm sure.

MELGAR

@RSJB18 posted:

You had better give a thumbs up to that suggestion from Mel!! 

Great project Bob! Can’t wait to see more.
Andy

@Steamfan77 posted:

Great project Bob! Can’t wait to see more.
Andy

Thought the topic title would get your attention.......

All the credit goes to Ken at this point. I'm just the pretty face.........

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Thought the topic title would get your attention.......

All the credit goes to Ken at this point. I'm just the pretty face.........

Bob

Yes, as soon as I saw Andy had commented, I thought he would be one who would be interested.  It was news to me who has never been east of Cooperstown, NY 😄

I'm getting the popcorn Bob!

Andy

Great idea Bob!  Another great 3D print by Ken, bringing us those lesser known pieces of railroad equipment we could never hope to see without a lot of cutting, splicing, trimming and filling.  I can't wait to see how you finish it out.

I received the donor chassis today. Gonna give it a work out on the layout before the franken-train work begins......

The Dino body may wind up on a flat car one day.....

Merry Christmas All!

With some space freed up on my bench I did a rough assembly of the engine. I stripped the board and lights from the Dino donor and assembled the body. A run around the layout followed.
Now to start sourcing the detail parts.....

Bob

Merry Christmas Bob!  Way cool switcher you and Ken put together there. Looks like a big difference between the green chassis and what's under the switcher.  Did you cut the donor up?

@coach joe posted:

Looks like a big difference between the green chassis and what's under the switcher.  Did you cut the donor up?

First of all, Merry Christmas to you and to Bob, @RSJB18, as well! I'm half-awake with my post Christmas dinner food coma, but I'll try to answer some questions here.

The dark gray chassis piece is another 3D printed section, the original green frame piece is not used. The Lionchief motor has some little wings on it that we are using to mount the new frame and body. Here's a photo showing the guts of the Dino Junction switcher that are reused.

Here's another photo showing all of the pieces in the conversion kit. The body is a resin printed part while the frame and end buffers are filament printed parts. This gives the best balance of surface quality and mechanical strength.

Bob, Merry Christmas!  The little switcher runs great and looks great already!  Details and the proper paint and lettering will make for a wonderful model!

Thanks guys. Ken's the brains of the operation here. I'm just the pretty face...🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

Merry Christmas to you too Ken.  Thanks for the explanation.  I hope you had a great day.

Happy New Year!

It finally stopped raining today, and the temps were in the 40's so I decided to prime the body of the switcher. A few spots needed some light sanding which was done with 400 grit SC paper.
I ordered all of the detail parts I need (I hope), from Precision Scale Co. They should show up this week.

It was pepperoni pizza BTW......

Bob

@RSJB18 posted:

Happy New Year!

It finally stopped raining today, and the temps were in the 40's so I decided to prime the body of the switcher. A few spots needed some light sanding which was done with 400 grit SC paper.
I ordered all of the detail parts I need (I hope), from Precision Scale Co. They should show up this week.

It was pepperoni pizza BTW......

Bob

Bob, looking good!…now I’m hungry for pizza!…….400 paper for model work is kind of steep!….think finer!….the coarsest paper I use on any of this stuff is 800,…..usually I use 1000 or 1500, …..now that you’ve applied primer, before you apply your favorite color, a trick I like to do for a smooth finish, get some fine scotchbrite, gray or red, (green is to rough)  and lightly scuff your primer till it’s slick & shiny in look. This will smooth down your primer, plus the light scuffs will give a perfect bite for your color. Practice on some scrap shell for perfecting the art. Removing that fine primer build up that always happens is key to achieving that perfect sheen,…..you don’t have to be aggressive, you’re just doing what’s called a knock down. Scuff every nook & cranny for a flawless finish, afterwards, wash the primered parts in warm soapy water, and allow to dry thoroughly & completely before color …..

Pat

@harmonyards posted:

Bob, looking good!…now I’m hungry for pizza!…….400 paper for model work is kind of steep!….think finer!….the coarsest paper I use on any of this stuff is 800,…..usually I use 1000 or 1500, …..now that you’ve applied primer, before you apply your favorite color, a trick I like to do for a smooth finish, get some fine scotchbrite, gray or red, (green is to rough)  and lightly scuff your primer till it’s slick & shiny in look. This will smooth down your primer, plus the light scuffs will give a perfect bite for your color. Practice on some scrap shell for perfecting the art. Removing that fine primer build up that always happens is key to achieving that perfect sheen,…..you don’t have to be aggressive, you’re just doing what’s called a knock down. Scuff every nook & cranny for a flawless finish, afterwards, wash the primered parts in warm soapy water, and allow to dry thoroughly & completely before color …..

Pat

Sound advice for sure Pat.

I planned to use this primer coat to show any glitches that need work. Hadn't considered scotchbrite pads but that's a good idea.

I have 600 SC paper. I guess I'll need to go finer.  I'm an old school wood worker, 400 was about as high as we ever needed to go....🤪🤪🤪

Thanks,

Bob

I agree with Pat on the grit size for metal, styrene, ABS, etc (he coaches me on my finishing questions).

I have found that the 3D prints that I have bought are rock hard and the material just laughs at fine grit paper.  I have used body putty to completely cover and then sand down using progressively finer paper/ time consuming, but that is the only way I can get a relatively good surface without print marks.

I did a B-train set of flatbed trailers and had to use a belt sander to get an acceptable surface, I didn't worry about the undersides.  Same with cutting, Atlas Snap Saws get laughed at, have to use a Dremel with a cutting blade (note an abrasive cut off wheel).

Maybe need a new thread, but all you guys that do 3D work or work with bought prints, what are your experiences?

Correction to my above post.  I do NOT use an abrasive cut off wheel to cut 3D printed materials.

Terrific collaboration, guys. Talk about thinking outside the box! 3d printing and Deadrail will change the future of model railroading.

@NHVRYGray posted:

I agree with Pat on the grit size for metal, styrene, ABS, etc (he coaches me on my finishing questions).

I have found that the 3D prints that I have bought are rock hard and the material just laughs at fine grit paper.  I have used body putty to completely cover and then sand down using progressively finer paper/ time consuming, but that is the only way I can get a relatively good surface without print marks.

I did a B-train set of flatbed trailers and had to use a belt sander to get an acceptable surface, I didn't worry about the undersides.  Same with cutting, Atlas Snap Saws get laughed at, have to use a Dremel with a cutting blade (note an abrasive cut off wheel).

Maybe need a new thread, but all you guys that do 3D work or work with bought prints, what are your experiences?

@Mark V. Spadaro posted:

Terrific collaboration, guys. Talk about thinking outside the box! 3d printing and Deadrail will change the future of model railroading.

Thanks guys. I'm constantly amazed at what can be produced from these machines. I've see videos of whole houses being printed with concrete. The military is working with the technology to build structures on forward bases quick and cheap.

Back to the trains, the body of the engine came out pretty good right off the printer. I had to smooth down some small bumps on one end but otherwise its good. The material is very strong, I'd say stronger and less flexible than the ABS bodies on our Lionel and MTH locos.

There are some very talented people on this Forum. We are all lucky and thankful for their help and collaboration.

There is a 3D sub-forum but I figured this was more about a 3-rail train than 3D printers.

Bob

It's coming along nicely Bob.

@coach joe posted:

It's coming along nicely Bob.

Thanks Joe. I can't wait to start adding the jewelry.....

It looks very nice to me, Bob!  I get it that you just wanted to highlight any imperfections.  I’m sure those above who know are giving good advice for smooth finishing.

@Mark Boyce posted:

It looks very nice to me, Bob!  I get it that you just wanted to highlight any imperfections.  I’m sure those above who know are giving good advice for smooth finishing.

I'm not going for a Dryfuss Hudson here Mark. I figure a critter that bounces around an engine facility will have some bumps and bruises.....

I will probably do some weathering on it too.

@RSJB18 posted:

I'm not going for a Dryfuss Hudson here Mark. I figure a critter that bounces around an engine facility will have some bumps and bruises.....

I will probably do some weathering on it too.

Excellent point!!!

Starting the next phase of the build. I received the detail parts I ordered from Precision Scale last week. I bought way more than I need but when shipping is $15.00, the rest will go into stock for future use.
I realized that the brass wire I ordered was too small. Found a local Blick Art store that has a decent selection of larger diameters.

I also wanted to add volume control since the LC boards don't include it. I ordered a Lionel 8 ohm L-pad control and wired in in today as well. Not great range but it does just enough to tame the sound.

Then I turned my attention to detailing the engine. I made several grab bars, and fit a set of steps in below the door. I need to get a set of small drill bits so I can add the necessary holes. Also did a few other pieces but I didn't take pix.
I'm up to the pilots- trying to figure out how to add the foot boards....to be continued.

Bob

Bob,

Looks and sounds fine to me. It will be the ultimate Switcher Saturday subject.

MELGAR

@RSJB18 posted:

Starting the next phase of the build. I received the detail parts I ordered from Precision Scale last week. I bought way more than I need but when shipping is $15.00, the rest will go into stock for future use.
I realized that the brass wire I ordered was too small. Found a local Blick Art store that has a decent selection of larger diameters.

I also wanted to add volume control since the LC boards don't include it. I ordered a Lionel 8 ohm L-pad control and wired in in today as well. Not great range but it does just enough to tame the sound.

Then I turned my attention to detailing the engine. I made several grab bars, and fit a set of steps in below the door. I need to get a set of small drill bits so I can add the necessary holes. Also did a few other pieces but I didn't take pix.
I'm up to the pilots- trying to figure out how to add the foot boards....to be continued.

Bob

Looking good Bob and the sounds seem to be right on. I admire anyone who understands and works on the electronic side of our hobby.

Gene

@Genemed posted:

Looking good Bob and the sounds seem to be right on. I admire anyone who understands and works on the electronic side of our hobby.

Gene

Thanks Gene. I'm a dabbler at best when electronics are involved. I've absorbed a lot of info from the experts here on the forum too.

Bob

Bob,

You are right on track by weathering the unit. I hosteled at MP in the mid-seventies when I was an engineer trainee. The "Dinky" we used was the modern equivalent of what you are building, and they never got as much attention as the over the road equipment. I don't think they ever got washed! Shiny here is really not applicable, I think.

Bob,

Inspired by you thread I've ordered one for myself. Will be following your detailing for information. Will try to build one in two rail.