The latest addition to the layout isn’t something that actually goes on the layout – but it’s been making stuff for the layout.
New to the workshop is a Creality Ender 3d Pro printer.
I think the ability to create virtually anything you need for your layout has been the dream of most model railroaders since the hobby began. Arguably a 3D printer brings scratch building to a wider audience. Can’t find a kit for the building you want – print it! Nobody makes an engine you want? Print your own shell and stick it on a chassis from another engine. Need detail parts nobody makes – print those too!
Honestly, as cool as the idea of a 3D printer was, until the last few years I don’t think that the high cost of a 3D printer made a lot of sense for most modelers… In the last few years though prices have come down do that point that you can get a decent printer for less than $300.
Heck, I got my printer for $99! That’s right, a 3D printer for less than the cost of a new DCC equipped locomotive. MicroCenter sells refurbed printers for around $100 and you can occasionally catch a deal on new Ender 3D Pros for $100.
The Ender 3D Pro is a filament printer – it takes plastic filament from a spool, melts it and extrudes it through a nozzle to “print” your design one layer at a time. It’s not a newer model, Creality makes about a half dozen different printer models, however there’s a lot of community support for it and a lot of upgrades available for it at reasonable costs.
Filament printers aren’t the best for fine details, and as an N scaler depending on how fine you need details to be, you might want to consider a resin printer instead of a filament printer. The thing with resin printers though is that you need a well ventilated space to use them, as the resin is noxious. You also need a safe place to store the resin. My printer sits in a corner of my office – I couldn’t do that with a resin printer.
One other thing to be aware of – despite the name, 3D printing isn’t like printing on paper. Even if you’re just downloading and printing files from a repository like Thingiverse you can’t just take a file and send it to the printer. There’s a bit of a learning curve as you manage printer settings for the filament you’re using, the needs of the design and other factors that can come into play. You’re going to have a lot of failed prints along the way.
So far I’ve printed a lot of detail and scenery items… Things like dumpsters, a variety of tanks, and some roof details. At some point I might print out catenary poles and signal gantries. Really, there’s not much limit here beyond my own abilities to design what I’m looking for.
