Mine will be NH. I may get another if this works out. My urban layout is about switching. These are much needed. I'm not even sure if the NH used this particular model. They certainly ran plenty that looked like it. Good enough for me!! Now if I could only power these great 3-D printed PCC's from Walt's powered. So far they are looking like static models. Jim
Very interresting and promising prospectives with these Shorty / Shapeways conversions ! BTW, if I understand only one truck will be powered, will all 4 axles pick up electricity ? Dom
Good Question. I don't know the answer to it. I am just ordering a couple now that there seems to be a use for them. If these work it can be a major breakthrough for z scale. I am optimistic. Jim
I tried but the part of the chassis that holds the powered is too wide to fit under a calf unit. I think there is still a chance for a powered calf but I need to do more testing first. Thanks for the tip. I'll contact him to see if he is interested. I could make a version with no doors and engine details on the hood to support photo etched doors and hand rails. Anyone willing to make said doors and details for etching? I don't think a version with open windows/cab will be possible as a brass print. FUD or FXD will support walls that thin but the cab area will be seriously fragile. The future is wide open at this point. In other news, I received my first version of the chassis from shapeways. After installing the shorty parts and wiring it up, it runs surprisingly well and it has really good electrical pickup. It stutters due to being under weight but I piled on some metal parts from the junk bin and running characteristics improved. I have revised the chassis design and ordered more for delivery. Now I have to wait...
For now I'll concentrate on getting the first one together and working and then go from there. Thanks for looking at it and we'll see what the future holds (but I do have 2 Shorty's on the way). Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk
Well I had fun this week. Shapeways finally sent my SW1200 shell and chassis after 12 days of production time and four days for delivery. Whew! I was dying to get my hands on these brass prints and I was not disappointed. There were some print lines in some areas of the brass but overall the finish was much smother than any FUD print I have ever purchased. Though I lack the patience, skill and necessary tools, it is possible to get a perfectly smooth finish on the shell. Handling this brass print was a real treat. You can really lean into it with the sanding tools and it won't break or snap in half like a FUD print can. After I sanded down the rough surfaces, I transplanted the motor and trucks from the shorty to my custom frame. I sprayed primer on the shell and added dark SP gray color. I decided to sacrifice the handrails from a broken MTL GP35. These hand rails work for now but future versions of the model will have custom made photo etched handrails. I have found a source for photo etching and I have already submitted my drawings to get the process started. Last but not least is the FXD prints of the decorative trucks and fuel tanks. They look great and fit over the shorty's trucks just as planned. With a brass frame and brass shell this thing is pretty heavy for its size. I rolls smoothly down the tracks but it suffers from that tremendous top speed the shorty has. This little monster accelerates so fast, it's going to break a coupler or two if I'm not careful. I can get it slow enough to run switching duties but it's like keeping a bull on a leash. I run analog so I will have to install a voltage reducer to get more realistic speeds. I'm pretty sure DCC could fix the speed issue easily. There is plenty of room for a decoder. I have discovered several flaws in my design of the frame and the side mounted trucks. When I correct these issues, I will release these models to the public via a Shapeways store. I estimate another month or two. I have completed several different versions of the shell, trucks, fuel tanks and hand rails. You will be able to pick your combo of features that match your prototype.
That looks fantastic!!!! I noticed that Rokuhan is now offering a cable that plugs into their equipment to slow the Shorty down. I'll be waiting for your final versions.
Sweet ! That does look great. My Shorty's have arrived. The shell is coming along. Now I need to get working on some decals. Thanks for your work. Sent from my 2PS64 using Tapatalk