N 3D printed 20' container chassis and more

I have been working all week on some new stuff share with you all

At first blush you would say ho hum short van box trailers like we need more of those. Probably not but I had a very specific goal in mind which was liftgate trailers for delivery. The shorter lower format trailer for ease of maneuvering in and around cities. I have two types of trailers and two types of lift gates to offer. The end of trailer style liftgate could be applied to anyting. I could probably offer the tuck-under liftgate as an individual piece if someone was interested. For now it is actually printed as part of the trailer chassis.

 

Next we have something which I believe is quite different in terms of availability especially in N Scale.
I went to the big with these side load beverage delivery trailers. 20 Bay 45-foot monsters. From here I can resize these down to a chassis Mount body or just a shorter single axle trailer. When I drove truck the first thing that I hauled was beer so I saw these things at the distributor everyday. I hope somebody else wants these and may just not have realized it until they saw that they are now available.
The red single axle tractor is sort of a work in progress. It represents the first print of a new file. Although I followed the manufacturer's suggested Dimensions it just feels off to me. I am going to do a little more research and maybe it will just grow on me as is. Otherwise it may shrink down a little bit in the future.
Hint I have two more new tractors for coming off of which would be suitable for single axle format. One of which is actually a medium duty Class 7 tractor.

 

Wouldn't mind something similar. Have an Uncle in Denver, who drove a similar style truck, for Pepsi, for 30+ years.
I'd have to see if he's got a photo of it.

 

Welcome to all of the people discovering me for the first time on this new board. Hopefully everybody else has been able to follow me here. It's been awhile and I have been busy so let's get started with some of my new product.
Picking up where I left off with beverage haulers. I have a shorter single axle version of the tandem axle trailer. Also showcasing a new tractor a medium duty single axle type.

 

Final offering in this range is a straight truck version of the beverage hauler
I also gave this a test print in HO scale

 

The next few offerings while beer themed was just my choice. They could be many other things as well.
First let's start with a low cab forward type tractor specifically Mack MC twin screw.

Pulling one of my 40 foot lift gate trailers.

 

This is the N scale version of a tractor that I showcased some time ago in HO scale. this is Loosely modeled on trucks for a guy that I used to drive for. Lowell L Treffert from Racine Wisconsin.
The Loosely part is obviously it's my fantasy tractor. But his tractors were big and red with white accent and yes we did haul Pabst

 

Moving on from beer. I have another use for the Mack MC. This being a very common sight on many city streets a rear load garbage truck

 

This is so common among LTL carriers it really needs no introduction as to what it is

I will definitely be offering this up and more versions

 

Today I have a model which is the third version of my Freight Star truck. This version has a short hood and a Mercury type sleeper. It is an homage to a truck I actually drove almost 40 years ago. The real truck was a 1977 snub nose White Road Boss.
While this is a fantasy version of it I went to some lengths to try and correct the Freight Star so that it was much closer to my little snub nose Road Boss.
Anyone who pays attention to my work realizes that I like fantasy stuff as much as I like real stuff. The version of the model is called a Freight King. I tried to replicate the visuals as Faithfully to the real truck while adding a little bit of maybe I wish it had been this way to the mix. Take a look and see what you think. Oh yes we did actually haul Geisers potato chips and the trailer is a pretty good facsimile of one that I pulled

 

That's a pretty solid model. What was the purpose of the short hood vs a longer one? How much extra room was inside the engine compartment that allowed them to move the cab so far forward?

That Sterling tractor up above looks cool too. I always thought they had a weird design, they just seemed too top-heavy or tall or something. Maybe it has to do with that big grille on the front.

 

The snub nose tractor was apparently an LTL configuration. I suppose when they started hauling pups to fit within whatever length restrictions some states still had you needed a short tractor and the snub nose was a concession so it did not have to be a cab over. As far as how far did the engine protrude into the driver's compartment of the cab it wasn't awful. It did not extend much past the dashboard into the cab. The main impediment was of course legroom where you were sort of cramped on the side by the dog house. Now ask me why my boss's brother bought one of these when we were only pulling 40 and 42 ft long trailers I have no clue. Knowing them as I did I suspect it was just being cheap

 

Today I have two new models.
A day cab cabover which needs no introduction as to what it is supposed to be.
The trailer is a 40' reefer trailer with a curb side door.

If the graphics are familiar to you then I can guess at least one place you have lived in your life, or if you drove truck where you delivered to anyway.

I will be working on getting the sleeper version painted and build to display in the near future.

This seems to have had a few hiccups printing and is a great 3' rule model.
OK, in real life N scale size it looks pretty awesome. Just sorta fails on the close examination magnified by a camera test.
Hope someone enjoys it regardless.
As always, let me know.

Mostly hidden by the cab but not enough so I could justify not including a motor.

 

The other day A friend of mine was telling me about a new trailer he saw on the highway. So I started looking online and found something I thought was it. Turns out it was some sort of a live floor Hopper type trailer instead. The book was set though and I had to do the trailer that I phoned wish I had never seen before. Here it is.
Even though this was just a test print I thought it turned out well enough to share with everyone. Thoughts?

 

Howdy everyone.
Miss me?
Been busy and taking pics to share was not the wisest use of time. So it seemed.

Now I have a bunch of stuff to share all at once.

I am going to KISS this with group pics to save time and space.

If you see something you would like to see more closely, ask.

I have those pics too.
Just not going to bore you with them all one by one.
I waited too long to do this.

Sorry for what seems to be an inability to take quality clear pics consistently today.
Again, ask if you want to see something closer and more clearly.


Begin with tractors and new trailers.
New tanker
Slightly enhanced 40' 13'-6" side door van
Rag Top 45' trailer
Belt unload bulk trailer.

Tractors are all "Internationally " known. Do I need to name them for you?

Next, more Internationally known tractors.

Fuel tanker again with different paint and a drop belly trailer courtesy of Trainworx.

A couple more Internationally known tractors w/o trailers.

I tried to cover most bases here.
Single bunks.
Double bunks
Stand up condo cabs
Flat roofs
Air Shields
with and without fuel tank skirts
Set back and standard forward steer axles.
Tandem and single drive axles.

Hope I did OK.

Onward.
Some Conventional wisdom next.
OK, one more COE too

OK, the two red trucks are NOT the same truck with different accessories

See?
BTW. As driver who preferred conventionals of pretty much any type to a COE.
I have to admit the whole COE model thing is really growing on me.
As long as I waited to do the big hood conventional tractors.
My two favs are the double bunk flat roof COE tractors. Not even close. Not sure why.
Has the COE bug bitten me to as it has so many reminiscing about the Good(bad) old days????
Look forward to more of this style truck.

Hope something here strikes you as being cool.
It's a pretty good selection that would make any layout truck stop the envy of their neighbor

 

I have two more pics to add to the previous post.
I always wondered where the upload limit was at. Ha ha!

Anyone watching me over the last few months probably has a clue I like the silly Freight Star and it's variants.
You also should know why I have an affinity for the White Road Boss.
Your first car is a thing you never forget.
Ditto for the first truck you drove more than a little.

So back up in the posts I had a pseudo version of the truck I drove. Red with white stripes and a Mercury sleeper.
That was more Freight Star than Road Boss.

The real truck was itself a beast that had been converted after a major accident.
Frame stretched and sleeper added at that point.

The little short dude with no sleeper here is how that truck looked before the accident and conversion.
While it is still not really a Road Boss it is sneaking in on being closer to it.
Quick glance and it looks like one anyway.

Speaking of truck rebuilds.
You might recall seeing the green and white Freight Star before. Minus a sleeper.
I was pressed for time and wanted to show off my new version of the Mercury Sleeper.
Double wide stand up style.
Yep.
Same model as before with some creatively applied updates.



I should probably point out that parts are a thing for me as well.

If there is something you like.
Say the Mercury Sleeper.
Just ask.

Given the Mercury sleeper was itself an object of many styles. If you are counting rivets and wanted a specific feature.
Say heart shaped windows. I can do that.

Heck, any part really.
At this point I will make anything available that prints without a truck supporting it.

OK.
That is it for me today.

Let 'er rip.
Good bad or other.
I aim to please and that happens when you direct me.

 

Something a bit generic today, updating the process.
I posted some pics of raw models way back when.
After surveying all of you the larger opinion seemed to trend toward easier to paint vs easier to build.

That led to some pretty hard to build stuff that was indeed easy to paint.

Of course I like easy to paint.
I was sorta overshooting what is all needed to arrive at a good paint job. Sacrificing some ease of build in the process.

> Trailers are pretty basic. At most two body parts plus wheels and tires to add. The one commonality across all my offerings.
All wheels are unique parts as are tires.
Combine them then slip them on the axle ends.

Do not see me changing that because it is a good idea and the only path to reliably nicely painted wheels.

Tractors however have been rethought so that most now use two pieces as well.
The exceptions are with a Mercury sleeper. So you can shoot it a chrome / polished aluminum color. Adds one piece to the body.
Conventionals by and large have separate stacks. This just seems to solve several issues at one time.
Cabovers however having been graced with frame mounted stack supports can be printed with stacks already on the model.

Today I am showing off the greatly simplified build.


Note all cabovers will have some basic motor and transmission.
This just seems necessary so the open ended engine tunnel is not a giant void.
Not really shooting for tilting cabs, but a person on a mission probably could figure that out no worse than say Trainworx does it.

I leave some room at the front end of the frame for fitment and "fiddling" if you so desire.

Being new to this a seemingly long time ago. 7 months I guess.
Stuff had to be worked through.
Some of my earliest tractors and trailers will be retired.
If anyone wants versions of them just ask.
I will do some updates and give them another try if the call is there.

What used to be a somewhat tedious process of fitting parts that were not quite mated properly has evolved into the last several weeks of tractors just simply click. Free the parts from supports and the cabs will drop right on in the proper place.
This may seem like a duh thing.
I am learning and had to learn how to do this.
It was sorta staring me in the face the whole time. Oh well.

I am also one by one revamping frames so the drive axle spacing is a bit more generous.

I am still dealing with massive kingpins on Trainworx trailers not fitting in my fifth wheel "jaws".
Not sure why Pat insisted on such beefy kingpins.
He seems to be alone on this. Even lesser product has smaller diameter kingpins that hold up just swell.
Not picking on him. Just saying that his kingpins are fat and my fifth wheels need some boring out to accept his trailers. Well, the ones I have anyway.

My trailer kingpins are 1mm diameter which is more than adequate for strength.
The only ones I have destroyed are ones I inadvertently cut off when removing supports.

Honestly.
The only solution to a Trainworx kingpin fifth wheel is to design something specifically for that purpose.
It will necessarily be less realistic. Which I am not sure anyone cares about if a trailer is riding on top of it.

Good news there is like all my product.
You can simply ask for a fifth wheel to be compatible with.....
I can work with that and print it as you wish.


........

OK.
Say tuned over the weekend.
If I have time my OCD with the Road Boss is taking a turn which is closer to, decidedly less fantasy.
If like me you have a soft spot for the old Road Boss trucks keep watching this space.

Going to take a while.
I have at least 4 versions cooked up.
Including (of course) a much closer to prototype of the truck I used to drive.

 

Always looking for 1970's trucks