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Post by simulatortrain on Feb 4, 2024 16:45:53 GMT -8
Given that I've posted various stages of these two kits, I wanted to be sure to mention that they're officially available! First up is the P&LE 951-F flatcar:   Greenville Steel Car built 150 lot 951-F 53'-6" flatcars for the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie in 1964, numbered 600-749. These cars featured an unusual cushion arrangement consisting of four draft gear, Barber cushion tubes, and a block of rubber in the center of the car. In 1965, the railroad reconfigured 50 cars taken from 600-699, adding skids and covers for transporting coil steel while renumbering them 400-449. Many, if not all, of the remaining cars quickly had 12" high bulkheads added on the ends. They could be seen all over the country carrying various loads such as steel products and electrical transformers. Some of the bulkheads then began to be removed from cars in the late 1970s/early 1980s. The cars ran at least into the 1990s. Cars were delivered in black paint with oval NYC system logos. Some were likely painted deepwater green with Penn Central logos during that railroad's existence. Following the P&LE's independence at the formation of Conrail, cars continued to be painted deepwater green, but without the logo of a parent company. Finally, P&LE returned to black in the mid-1980s for repaints of these cars. The kits are 3D-printed and feature etched metal details and laser cut wood decks. Decals will soon be available from Mount Vernon Shops--I reviewed the artwork last night. 3dcentraltrains.com/collections/plate-c-model-prototypes/products/p-le-951-f-flatcar-ho-scaleThe second car is a WM rebuilt fishbelly hopper, which I'm pleased to finally have out--this car predates Plate C; I think I originally did the CAD in 2018!   By the 1960s, Western Maryland found itself with a large number of small fishbelly 2-bay hoppers it had purchased over the previous two decades. Compared to the 70- and 85-ton hoppers being built by this time, the older cars were small and obsolete. WM obtained new material from Bethlehem Steel to stretch and rebody the cars to a new, longer size, enabling them to carry 11 additional tons of coal. This work was performed across five groups at the road's Elkins, WV car shops. By 1968, when the program was ended, 1900 such rebuilds had been completed. The cars served the railroad faithfully for a number of years, finally being retired in the 1980s. 1964 – H-21 WM 17001-17400 1965 – H-22 WM 17401-17800 1966 – H-24 WM 17801-18100 1967 – H-27 WM 18101-18400 1968 – H-28 WM 18401-18900 These are truly shake-the-box kits with assembly time under 30 minutes. No need to install grab irons or plumb the brake system. We had 40 of these kits at Timonium yesterday, and they were gone in 90 minutes! The release of this kit was pretty sudden, but WMRHS is ordering the decals so they'll be available soon. And there are quantity discounts for these cars in 6- and 12-packs, since it's a car that some modelers need a fleet of. (Those are different listings than the link below.) 3dcentraltrains.com/collections/plate-c-model-prototypes/products/1201-western-maryland-66-ton-fishbelly-hopper-car-single |
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Post by GP40P-2 on Feb 4, 2024 17:04:40 GMT -8
I am looking forward to the flat which is supposedly on the way from 3D Central; they apparently don’t provide tracking. It will be a nice surprise when it arrives as it looks like a cool model.
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Post by onequiknova on Feb 4, 2024 17:07:38 GMT -8
I am looking forward to the flat which is supposedly on the way from 3D Central; they apparently don’t provide tracking. It will be a nice surprise when it arrives as it looks like a cool model. There was a tracking email sent when my order from them was shipped. |
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Post by hudsonyard on Feb 4, 2024 17:17:01 GMT -8
those WM hoppers showed up en-mass on the LHR headed to power plants in new england and on coal trains to martins creek and roxburg on the PRR/PC bel-del, i might come a knocking for a 12 pack..
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Post by drolsen on Feb 4, 2024 17:29:26 GMT -8
Adam, it was really great chatting with Matt today in Timonium and seeing what you two are collaborating on. Together with the other product designers that are working with 3D Central, it seems like a great way for all of you to help each other bring out all these fantastic new products.
Now I need to get moving on my F41 kits…
Dave
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Post by cpr4200 on Feb 4, 2024 19:48:53 GMT -8
Hi Adam, which Plate C trucks do you recommend for the hoppers? I noticed yesterday the cart didn't seem to be working on the Plate C website. Should we order everything from 3DC from now on? ~ Walt
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Post by simulatortrain on Feb 4, 2024 20:25:44 GMT -8
Hi Adam, which Plate C trucks do you recommend for the hoppers? I noticed yesterday the cart didn't seem to be working on the Plate C website. Should we order everything from 3DC from now on? ~ Walt Walt, That's right, everything is going to be through the 3DC store from this point. We'll be getting detail parts up this week--I sent everything I had left in stock with Matt from Timonium. For trucks, those cars, other than a few outliers I've run across, rode on 50 ton ASF A-3s. I don't make it with plain bearings given that there are multiple excellent options already. So my recommendation for the hoppers would be Tangent 2011 (or your preference on wheel width and finish) or Moloco TR-3088/3110. |
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Post by cera2254 on Feb 5, 2024 6:32:28 GMT -8
I’m really interested in the P&LE car, looks neat! How difficult are the kits?
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Post by simulatortrain on Feb 5, 2024 7:36:18 GMT -8
I’m really interested in the P&LE car, looks neat! How difficult are the kits? I had that kit together in two hours. Now of course I had the benefit of having designed it, but I'm also pretty slow and meticulous, and I was writing the instructions in that same timeframe. The only part I thought was hard was installing the gussets in the cut lever brackets, but I did it a different way than what I ended up writing in the instructions. |
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Post by timvanmersbergen on Feb 5, 2024 7:39:40 GMT -8
They look great. Do the kits include weights or are there provisions for adding weight for operation?
Tim VanMersbergen
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Post by riogrande on Feb 5, 2024 7:51:48 GMT -8
Is that the Matt who used to be with ESU?
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Feb 5, 2024 9:10:17 GMT -8
Is that the Matt who used to be with ESU? Yes. And his brother too, I believe. |
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Post by simulatortrain on Feb 5, 2024 10:25:28 GMT -8
They look great. Do the kits include weights or are there provisions for adding weight for operation? Tim VanMersbergen Some of both. There are weights included as well as space to add additional weight as desired. Because lead is lead, I personally don't want any potential issues that could come from including it, but it's ideal for some of the weight spaces available. |
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Post by riogrande on Feb 5, 2024 11:14:59 GMT -8
Is that the Matt who used to be with ESU? Yes. And his brother too, I believe. I think I saw them at the Timonium show. I was sorry when Matt was let go from ESU. Since then I've read about a lot of their decoders failing. Anyway, the 3D printed models looked very nice. |
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Post by mvlandsw on Feb 5, 2024 13:19:23 GMT -8
Where did the BAR double door boxcar kit come from? Is it the 3D Central BAR GA 50ft Boxcar SD Grain Car? No picture is shown on the 3D Central site.
Mark Vinski
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Feb 5, 2024 13:53:57 GMT -8
I was sorry when Matt was let go from ESU. Since then I've read about a lot of their decoders failing. Matt was employed as US distributor / tech support in the US. He had nothing to do with the ESU decoder manufacturing. |
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Post by cpr4200 on Feb 5, 2024 14:27:02 GMT -8
Hi Adam, which Plate C trucks do you recommend for the hoppers? I noticed yesterday the cart didn't seem to be working on the Plate C website. Should we order everything from 3DC from now on? ~ Walt Walt, That's right, everything is going to be through the 3DC store from this point. We'll be getting detail parts up this week--I sent everything I had left in stock with Matt from Timonium. For trucks, those cars, other than a few outliers I've run across, rode on 50 ton ASF A-3s. I don't make it with plain bearings given that there are multiple excellent options already. So my recommendation for the hoppers would be Tangent 2011 (or your preference on wheel width and finish) or Moloco TR-3088/3110. Interesting that the 66-ton capacity WM rebuilds used 50-ton trucks. Wouldn't 70-tonners have been more appropriate? Bigger Journals and heavier springs? Or were the originals upgraded? |
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Post by riogrande on Feb 5, 2024 15:00:12 GMT -8
I was sorry when Matt was let go from ESU. Since then I've read about a lot of their decoders failing. Matt was employed as US distributor / tech support in the US. He had nothing to do with the ESU decoder manufacturing. Yep. |
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Post by simulatortrain on Feb 5, 2024 15:35:31 GMT -8
Walt, That's right, everything is going to be through the 3DC store from this point. We'll be getting detail parts up this week--I sent everything I had left in stock with Matt from Timonium. For trucks, those cars, other than a few outliers I've run across, rode on 50 ton ASF A-3s. I don't make it with plain bearings given that there are multiple excellent options already. So my recommendation for the hoppers would be Tangent 2011 (or your preference on wheel width and finish) or Moloco TR-3088/3110. Interesting that the 66-ton capacity WM rebuilds used 50-ton trucks. Wouldn't 70-tonners have been more appropriate? Bigger Journals and heavier springs? Or were the originals upgraded? You'd think! I'm really not sure what the story is for how they managed that, but they're the original trucks reused. As far as the BAR cars, I know the grain car is up on the site, but I'm not certain when the other versions (original DD, DD without roofwalk, and SD non-grain car) might make their way up. |
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Post by drolsen on Feb 5, 2024 16:13:54 GMT -8
Where did the BAR double door boxcar kit come from? Is it the 3D Central BAR GA 50ft Boxcar SD Grain Car? No picture is shown on the 3D Central site. Matt told me that the double door version was just a one-time “show special” that he only made a few of for Springfield and Timonium. It won’t be part of the regular product line, which I assume is why it doesn’t appear on the website. Dave |
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Post by cpr4200 on Feb 6, 2024 12:03:17 GMT -8
Where did the BAR double door boxcar kit come from? Is it the 3D Central BAR GA 50ft Boxcar SD Grain Car? No picture is shown on the 3D Central site. Matt told me that the double door version was just a one-time “show special” that he only made a few of for Springfield and Timonium. It won’t be part of the regular product line, which I assume is why it doesn’t appear on the website. Dave Well that stinks. Hope they reconsider. ~ Walt |
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Post by cemr5396 on Feb 6, 2024 12:15:41 GMT -8
Is that the Matt who used to be with ESU? Yes. And his brother too, I believe. interesting.... they must be double dipping then. They have also been heavily involved with Kaslo Shops recently. |
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Post by Colin 't Hart on Feb 6, 2024 13:02:11 GMT -8
Yes. And his brother too, I believe. interesting.... they must be double dipping then. They have also been heavily involved with Kaslo Shops recently. What do you mean by double dipping? |
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Post by idgara on Feb 6, 2024 13:10:27 GMT -8
When do you think you’ll have the x54’s ready?
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Post by tom on Feb 6, 2024 14:26:50 GMT -8
Plate C is not releasing the PRR X54 but that is being designed by Bridgeline Designs and will be printed and issued by 3D Central. I received my Plate C P&LE flatcar yesterday and it looks great and I already started building it. The kit comes with etched metal detail parts and a well done wood deck. It does come with a weight plus a cavity in the frame to allow adding some more. I did add some more weight in the cavity but will add some more hidden away in the frame. That WM hopper looks great and the printed grabirons look very well. If you ever want another hopper project the 942-H NYC 2-bay hopper would be great and these lasted through the PC era and many were repainted into PC colors. Would look great running in a PC coal train with 3-bay cars. www.canadasouthern.com/caso/images/nyc-832597.jpg |
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Post by cemr5396 on Feb 6, 2024 14:46:31 GMT -8
interesting.... they must be double dipping then. They have also been heavily involved with Kaslo Shops recently. What do you mean by double dipping? two irons in the fire, burning the candle at both ends... etc. They are apparently busy dudes. |
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Post by drolsen on Feb 6, 2024 15:02:22 GMT -8
What do you mean by double dipping? two irons in the fire, burning the candle at both ends... etc. They are apparently busy dudes. Matt explained to me at Timonium that 3D Central is basically the printer, marketer, and distributor for several different product designers, probably with more to come in the future. Think of them as a higher quality Shapeways that caters to model railroad products (Matt got a laugh out of that description but agreed with me). Matt is not a CAD design expert, he is a 3D printing and marketing expert. For products he’s interested in producing, he’s working with his brother to have him do the design work, then he’s figuring out how to print the design to the best quality possible. People like Adam from Plate C, who is a great designer and printer too, are working with Matt to help market their products. Same thing with Kaslo, as they transition from resin to 3D printed models. They were great with design and resin, but they’ve turned to 3D Central to help them adapt their designs to get the best print possible. I suspect we’ll see more and more product designers collaborating with 3D Central in the future. Dave |
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Post by cemr5396 on Feb 6, 2024 15:16:00 GMT -8
two irons in the fire, burning the candle at both ends... etc. They are apparently busy dudes. Matt explained to me at Timonium that 3D Central is basically the printer, marketer, and distributor for several different product designers, probably with more to come in the future. Think of them as a higher quality Shapeways that caters to model railroad products (Matt got a laugh out of that description but agreed with me). Matt is not a CAD design expert, he is a 3D printing and marketing expert. For products he’s interested in producing, he’s working with his brother to have him do the design work, then he’s figuring out how to print the design to the best quality possible. People like Adam from Plate C, who is a great designer and printer too, are working with Matt to help market their products. Same thing with Kaslo, as they transition from resin to 3D printed models. They were great with design and resin, but they’ve turned to 3D Central to help them adapt their designs to get the best print possible. I suspect we’ll see more and more product designers collaborating with 3D Central in the future. Dave very interesting! |
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Post by redfish on Feb 7, 2024 14:16:38 GMT -8
Matt was a guest on the Second Section Podcast on YouTube last night. He spent almost 2 hours talking about the company, showed off some products, and gave a shop tour.
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Post by mr_smith on Feb 7, 2024 19:45:46 GMT -8
I watched the video and at 1:07:43 the Canadian Pacific car at the bottom has some horrible print lines in it. This is my concern about 3d printing (including my own). My old Elegoo printer got to the point where it couldn't print what I wanted/expected so I have a new one waiting to get set up in hopes that it will be better. I would not be happy to get a product with lines like that and assume most of their products do not have those lines. That said, a few weeks ago I also saw some new Kaslo Shops 3d printed cars that had been completed with those same lines. The cars are beautiful except for how visible the lines are.
I have seen some amazing 3d printed products and hope 3D Central is successful, but they have to make sure what is leaving the shop is at higher standard than that.
Mike
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