Three-D Modelling for Railways

I could do the main building from Google Street View and Google Earth, but the platform level buildings an infrastructure were not possible, so I went in person. This is the "up" line as it disappears under the station building. I had been expectimg the platform to go further this way, with the station on columns over the platform, but that is not the case, and it is a solid structure. On the other side. Again, t station building is supported by a steel girder. The stairs are not aligned with the roof. They slope at different angles, and at different times. The slopin roof is glass, but not clear. The platform building was rebuilt in ca. 1977. The station has a bay platform. I am not sure how much it is used - i would guess trains from the south are more likely to terminate here (the one in the image is doing just that). The track is in good condition however. The station had a canopy that extended for some distance over the bay platform at one time, though it had been choppe...

 This follows on from here . I have now printed and painted the model. I was printed in four parts; the roof, the roof of the canopy, the supports for the canopy and the main building. I tried doing the canopy as one piece, but it was too difficult cleaning off the supports. I was not sure the canopy roof is quite right. It has a high gloss on it that I hoped would look like glass, but really does not! Here is a replacement. For reference, this is the real thing. Colours really not right....

 I am some way from printing this, but thought I would show the work-in-progress. Stations on bridges are very common on model railways as they save space, but are considerably less common in real life, I guess because of the extra expense of providing infrastructure to support the building. Wigan Wallgate station is one such example, so seems ripe for modelling. The prototype was opened 2 February 1896 by the Lancashire and Yorkshire Railway, replacing an earlier station the other side of the road. Obviously the ground floor windows and doors are still to be done, and these are arched so a bit more complicated than the first floor windows. It then needs bricks adding. the real pain-in-the-neck job was the slates, so it feels this is not far from done. Then there is printing it.

Shipping containers became a popular means to ship goods in the sixties, and have only become more popular since. British Rail introduced its own variant, Freightliner, in the mid-sixties, pioneered by Dr Beeching, better known for closing railways. It was originally envisaged as a domestic solution, however it was international trade where is took off. An international standard, ISO-668, appeared in 1968, based at least in part on the UK standard, though not quite identical to it, and this slowly replaced the UK version. Early international shipping containers were a variety of designs, but all the same width and height, and either 20', 30' or 40' long. Today the design has standardised on the corrugated sides, and 30' containers are rare, but there is some variation in height - which is a problem in the UK as many routes are not suitable for the higher containers. The old UK shipping contains seem to have varied rather more, including 10' containers and 27' co...

 They are hazards associated with resin 3d printing, and you should be aware of them and act appropriately. What do I know about it? I have worked in the chemical industry for several decades, part of my job is writing safety data sheets and I currently serve on a committee reviewed safety across an entire chemical plant. That said, I am not an expert on resin, so this is only a guide. You are the one who is ultimately responsible for your safety! iso-Propyl Alcohol (IPA) IPA is harmful and flammable. Keep it away from naked flames and electrical sparks. That said, with a flash point of 12°C, it is safer than acetone (-18°C) or petrol (-43°C). Do not drink it. Yes, it has alcohol in the name, but it would still be bad for you. Try to keep it off your skin, but it is not that big a deal. IPA was the main ingredient in the hand wash we were all deliberately putting on our hands during "lockdown", so it is really not that hazardous. If you have a reaction to IPA, it is more like...

This page is basically just images of real bridges! Iron Arch Bridge Made of cast iron, these were the earliest iron/steel bridges, and the first notable example is, of course, at Iron Bridge, and dates from 1779. They are the most attractive of iron bridges, but are fairly rare, and always seem to be built to take the railway over something, rather than taking something over the railway. Manchester There are two great example just west of Deansgate Station, one of which has three spans. This image shows how multiple arches were used to provide strength. It is not easy to see, but where the arch meets the stonework, the stone is angled to be mor-or-less normal to the curve. I cannot rember where this one was, Leeds maybe? Truss Bridge Truss bridges have girders across the span on two levels, these are the top and bottom chords , with ironwork connecting them called webs . The arrangement of the webs can vary significantly, giving the various types of truss bridges. Worcester This is n...

  This page is basically just images of real bridges! The oldest bridges (that are still around to see today) were made of brick or stone, and arched, but even when iron bridges were common, stone and brick were still used if the span was short, perhaps because they were easier to maintain. Preston This first example is next to an iron bridge on the old ELR as it approached Preston. The WCML as it crosses Aqueduct Street. And a rather more fancy bridge as it crosses the nearby Fylde Road. This is actually part of a viaduct that continues to the right, and at one time crossed the canal. Whalley Whalley viaduct is very impressive.

Here are some "tip-air" wagons, the prototype can be found here . The dry powder is taken out by raising the hopper to an angle of 12° with a hydraulic piston at one end, and then blowing out with compressed air. I designed these some time ago, and a friend has a go at printing them, but there were issues. The first run I did I found they were slightly too long for the base (a Farish PCA wagon). With some adjustment, I think they look pretty good. I did the walkways as separate pieces, and in hindsight would try doing it all in one next time. They do have a diamond pattern visible on them, but you have to look pretty close. The ladders are brass. The transfer were created in InkScape, and might be a bit overscale. They were stressed before printing to give a faded effect. There is an interesting image of the prototype here:  https://www.flickr.com/photos/irishswissernie/27033094837/in/album-72157668581940828