This right view will be the interior of the car with the doors remove.
I'd like to make the "A" end doors open.
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Those look great! Congratulations on getting this far! Can't wait to see a finished product....would love one as long as I could put 2 rail trucks and Kadee couplers on it.
Adding a block for Kadee couplers and 2 rail trucks is not hard to do
I’m in and on board.
Looking good! What material do you plan on printing this in -- filament or resin?
I'm very interested if you do plan on selling them, but I'd like to see a sample first.
resin printer
Just an FYI for those who are willing to spend big bucks for one of these cars. Currently, Stout Auctions has a Pecos River Brass, 2 rail version, offered on their upcoming Friday auction. There are 6 current bidders, and the price is already at $275.00. This car can easily be converted to 3 rail, for those so inclined. I bet it goes for almost double the current bid price.
Jeff
@mowingman posted:Just an FYI for those who are willing to spend big bucks for one of these cars. Currently, Stout Auctions has a Pecos River Brass, 2 rail version, offered on their upcoming Friday auction. There are 6 current bidders, and the price is already at $275.00. This car can easily be converted to 3 rail, for those so inclined. I bet it goes for almost double the current bid price.
Jeff
I am the current highest bidder and that is not my highest and final bid...thanks for advertising it! though! LOL
@roll_the_dice posted:I am the current highest bidder and that is not my highest and final bid...thanks for advertising it! though! LOL
So sorry. I did not intend to run the price up for you. Just thought someone on here might be interested in it, who had not seen it.
Jeff
@mowingman posted:So sorry. I did not intend to run the price up for you. Just thought someone on here might be interested in it, who had not seen it.
Jeff
It's all good. I don't anticipate winning it. I "was" the highest bidder on a lot of 2 rail items that I am no longer highest bidder on...some of the items go for well over what I think they are worth...so I bid my highest and final and if I win, I win, if not, I will keep hunting. If someone wants it more than I do, I hope they enjoy it and use it.
@roll_the_dice posted:It's all good. I don't anticipate winning it. I "was" the highest bidder on a lot of 2 rail items that I am no longer highest bidder on...some of the items go for well over what I think they are worth...so I bid my highest and final and if I win, I win, if not, I will keep hunting. If someone wants it more than I do, I hope they enjoy it and use it.
Andy,
I know exactly what you mean. I bid on the occasional item on that auction site. If I bid my highest, and do not win the item, I just don't give it another thought. Someone else can enjoy it.
Jeff
The last one I saw on the bay went for $800.
That's why I'm building my own.
@AlanRail posted:The last one I saw on the bay went for $800.
That's why I'm building my own.
HOLY COW!
Andy It was $696.00 NOT $800 sorry to have COWed you.
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Getting closer to my first build. I will be using a 1/4" thick clear acrylic base to attach the trucks.
This is necessary for support of the trucks. However, I will laser cut out the acrylic to match the under carriage see below.
Top view showing clear acrylic cutouts to match the underframe design; There will be some tabs and slots created to fit the undercarriage into the acrylic
None of this will be visible as the tanks conceal the acrylic from above see below:
At the same time see Top View above the underside view is not impeded.
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Exciting news! Looks great Alan! I can't wait to see your first build!
@mowingman posted:Just an FYI for those who are willing to spend big bucks for one of these cars. Currently, Stout Auctions has a Pecos River Brass, 2 rail version, offered on their upcoming Friday auction. There are 6 current bidders, and the price is already at $275.00. This car can easily be converted to 3 rail, for those so inclined. I bet it goes for almost double the current bid price.
Jeff
The PRB car sold at the Stout auction today for $450 + 19% premium so $535.50 plus shipping all in. Out of my price range...I hung in there for a minute before I was eaten alive. 
neat they have the decals
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@roll_the_dice posted:The PRB car sold at the Stout auction today for $450 + 19% premium so $535.50 plus shipping all in. Out of my price range...I hung in there for a minute before I was eaten alive.
Yes, I watched part of the auction too, and saw the price of that car, as well as others. Shipping will not be cheap either, so we could add that on to your shown price. Actually, the whole auction was way beyond my budget, for anything listed. Oh well, maybe next time!
Jeff
@roll_the_dice posted:The PRB car sold at the Stout auction today for $450 + 19% premium so $535.50 plus shipping all in. Out of my price range...I hung in there for a minute before I was eaten alive.
Might be the lowest price on one of these in a long time.......but still just a wee bit dear.
@mowingman posted:Yes, I watched part of the auction too, and saw the price of that car, as well as others. Shipping will not be cheap either, so we could add that on to your shown price. Actually, the whole auction was way beyond my budget, for anything listed. Oh well, maybe next time!
Jeff
I watched the entire 2 rail auction today many things were out of my price range or more than I was willing to pay...I came in 2nd a lot! haha
@mwb posted:Might be the lowest price on one of these in a long time.......but still just a wee bit dear.
I was the 2nd high bidder at $425, but with fees and unknown shipping, I just couldn't pull the trigger any higher.
@AlanRail Come on Alan, we are behind you! Love that they have the decals!!!
Not been able to get back to the Helium car for a bit. Still, I started on the riveting. I think the rivets really make this car standout.
Anyway, Ken's Kustom is making and selling a Helium car; so, if you really need one now get one from him.
Mass printing large models is not something I can do or would even attempt with my single printer at 9 hrs a print!
When the model is complete, I will be uploading this model to Shapeways or another site so that the print can be made in one piece. Again, if I had a farm of larger printers ($15,000 .each) I print these myself. Don't have that yet.
There is a guy in Australia that has a large format FormLabs printer that would make the shells for about $250; at least that was his price a while ago.
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in the process of setting up the 3D printing of my Helium Car. Unless I buy the larger format FormLabs 3L printer $12,000, I cannot print the entire car in one piece. the tanks being the hardest to print in one piece. I do not want to print the tanks split in half. because I dont like the center splits that would be visible and continue down and around for each tank.
The 3D models that I print, I don't want them to look like a 3D print but rather a brass-like model given the very smooth surfaces that I get with my FormLabs 3 resin printer.
Can I print the outer-most helium tanks as single models; that can be attached together with hidden tabs and slots. The model doesn't need to have the inner and unseen tanks 3D printed. So that minimizes the tanks that need to be printed. further, the tanks need not be solid cylinders but rather semi hollow and halved, since the inner sides are also unseen.
the above shows how 7 of the tanks would be printed. This is just for a sizing within the printer range. I will cut off the tops as they are all hidden in the model by the helium car end pieces; and hollow and halve them too.
This way the tanks can be printed in one piece, painted and decaled separate from the rest of the car.
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Agreed...let us know when it is available! Great job...
The Helium Car has trucks with three (3) springs as well as outer wheel external braking. See above.
I found some MTH 3 spring trucks MTH DA-020001 with couplers on the Bay, see photo. TRIANZ has an auction for 3-spring trucks too, see:
MTH DA-0100006 Die-Cast 2-Axle 3-Spring Freight Car Truck | eBay However, the couplers are missing.
I do plan on adding a KADEE bracket for their O-gauge couplers.
Since neither trucks types have the external braking, I will make a 3D cover piece, see the green, to model the external braking.
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I just noticed a writeup on these in HO scale. It is in the new products section of the April, Model Railroader, magazine, page 14. It says that it is a 3D printed model also. They say it uses PLA-type plastic, whatever that is.
Jeff
Do you plan to glue the cover piece on? Or will you find a way to make it hold itself on?
As a 2 rail guy, I would love to have one.
That's such an unusual car. It would be nice to have one in two-rail.
as to 2-rail I do intend to add a KADEE coupler bracket, other than that what else is needed?
Can you make the truck bolsters for 2 rail trucks?
likely. need a picture of the truck bolsters for 2 rail trucks
I have photos of the 2-rail PR Helium car. I can match the truck bolsters on that car.
This is a first draft assembly drawing. The main two pieces printed together are the Brace-Frame with the "B" end (shown upper right) and the Tanks with the "A" end (shown upper left) . As indicated above, the Tank piece will slide into the Brace-Frame piece. This way the tanks can be painted and decaled with the decals shown in earlier threads before the slide-in. The decals indicate whether yours is a US NAVY or AEC tank or other tank car.
Then the trucks are attached to the Truck Frame (in Red), the truck frame is then attached to the Brace-Frame and end pieces. Final steps are attaching the "A" end doors on the pivots and the undercarriage structure with the braking parts (shown separated they will be integrated with the undercarriage structure) to the truck frame.
I am looking at replacing the acrylic Truck Frame with a more typical metal stamped truck frame. I don't have that cost yet.
As to selling, still working out those details. I keep you all informed.
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