|
We are currently sold out of all of our laser cut items. The Tionesta Valley Caboose, Gondola/Flats, and Boxcars will return this fall. The Boxes, Flats, and Gons will be an all new design, along with other new kits that will feature a common 20' chassis.
Look for us when the air gets cooler! Go Build Something Awesome!
0 Comments
Work in Progress. Adding simple details really brings out the character.
Bachmann shook up the industry when it announced that they would be adding Sodor's narrow gauge engine "Skarloey" to their line last year. It was the first time that they produced an HOn30 locomotive, even if it was designed to be for kids. It turned out that Skarloey was an excellent runner, and the modelers in the UK started hacking at theirs to remove the face, and convert it to a usable OO9 loco. We couldn't let them have all the fun, so we designed a Baldwin 0-4-2 body to easily fit over Skarloey's excellent little chassis. Based on an 1890 design for a Hawaiian plantation, we scaled it around a bit and created the "Big Kahuna" tank engine. It's a very simple build, and if you shop at the Bachmann Online Parts store, you can get all the parts required for the Skarloey chassis for around $50, saving a ton of money versus buying a RTR Skarloey and disassembling it.
Rich's Initial Build
The Bachmann N scale 0-6-0/ 2-6-2 Prairie has been around for decades. The original version with the plastic frame has been discontinued for a long time, and it has been replaced with a more modern split frame design. Around 2015, Bachmann updated this model again, replacing the open frame motor that sticks out of the rear of the cab with a nice enclosed can motor. We designed our conversion kit around the newest version, but it should work with the open frame motor version, but you will probably have the motor sticking out of the cab.
This conversion kit is easy to build, and includes the cab, the boiler, walkways and cylinder "covers". The donor cylinders need to be trimmed down to allow the covers to fit, but if you don't want to use them, that's fine as well. Other versions of this kit will be coming, because it seems like everyone has a couple of the 0-6-0s in their stash. A Tender conversion is also coming that simply fits over the donor tender. We've made it separate to keep the cost of the kits down, and not everyone will want to use that tender for their locomotive. Keep an eye out, because we're working on even more products for the HOn30 modeler to build their empire... Go Build Something Awesome! When we introduced the first two 20' HOn30 car kits, the idea was to create a "family" of similar cars so that a modeler could have a number of cars on their railroad that all shared similar features. Easy to build, and close enough in appearance that a train of cars would look "right". There were a lot of things about the first cars that we loved, and some that we didn't, so Rich has been spending a considerable amount of time glued to the computer designing a whole family of freight cars.
Features of the new cars:
Releases will be done in phases, the 9 cars shown above will be broken up into logical releases, and we're still drawing other cars as well to finish out the series.   A couple of new multi part sprues are available in the Shapeways Shop. Air compressors, and small electric headlights. You can click on the images above to order. At less than 10 bucks per 5 part sprue, you're getting an incredible value, similar parts in brass can be twice that expensive. Bonus... The headlights are already drilled for light wires, and the air compressors have pilot holes drilled to allow you to correctly place wire for air and steam lines. Talk about service! The product descriptions say HOn30, (search engine trick...shhhhh) but they are HO scale, and would look fine on an HO, or HOn3 locomotive as well.  Test build progress on the Yosemite Short Line Coach. Like the Caboose, it will need a minor revision to make assembling the ends easier, but it won't change the appearance, and I'm not going to lie, it looks fabulous. We'll be working on some new trucks to complement these coaches, but you can use any truck your heart desires. Heck, the Mexican 2 foot lines had similar cars that ran on what were essentially freight trucks. The big windows on this are screaming for an interior... maybe we'll do a simple inexpensive interior kit for this one as a 3D printed item separately.  How about a body kit for your Bachmann 0-6-0/ 2-6-2? This version was ordered as a test print over the weekend, and with any luck, it will be here in time for this coming weekend. We're trying to make this conversion as simple as possible, with very few modifications required to the donor chassis, and if you're not comfortable cutting the cylinders down to fit these printed covers, simple...just don't add the covers! The Bachmann body is only held on with one screw, simply remove that screw, and slide the conversion on. (more on that later)
That's it for Tuesday Newsday, but we're working on LOTS of stuff, so be sure to check back here and our Facebook page frequently! Go Build Something Awesome  Over the weekend, I worked on building the HOn30 Tionesta Valley Railway caboose prototype. Overall, the experience was positive, with just a few tweaks to the files required that came up during assembly. Like our other laser cut kits, the caboose is mostly 1/32” laser cut and etched plywood, with a basswood frame, and .015” laserboard details. The biggest issue that I ran into was that in both the coach and caboose frames, drilling the ends to accept the railings is impossible to do without causing damage to the frame. “Use a pin vise and go slow!”, you may say. This isn’t my first rodeo, so I’m aware of the tricks and techniques. My concern is that I can deal with it, but I don’t want customers to have to deal with it. I’m not sure if I have ever discussed my philosophy of our products before, but I want to produce items that are detailed, and EASY to build. I’ve been building models all of my life, so it’s no big deal for me to have to suffer through a Chinese puzzle box of a kit. That same kit might very well intimidate people who haven’t been building for 30 to 60 years. Many new Hon30 modelers are coming from the RTR world of HO and N. My initial thought with the railing problem was to laser the holes all the way through, but while I was building, I realized that an even easier assembly solution would be to laser the whole end out of .015” and just glue the end of the beam, railings and all to the frame. Simple. You can see that I gave up trying to drill and fit delicate parts in the photo, and I just glued them to the outside. It makes it much, much easier to handle the parts, and speeds up assembly. I want our kits to be the easy button for Hon30, and sometimes I have to dial back my enthusiasm and remember that compromise is sometimes required to make a good product within our scope of resources.  We’re also working on several 3D printed body kits for larger HOn30 locomotives. Back in the heyday of HOn30, There were a handful of manufacturers who built kits based around the available N scale chassis from Bachmann and others. Times have changed, and so have the available donor mechanisms. The popular Bachmann Docksider 0-4-0 locmotives are only available on the secondary market, and many come with the dreaded cracked gears we’ve all come to expect with age. The original 0-6-0/ 2-6-2 mechanism has been updated several times over the last decade, with the most current version having a can motor installed from the factory, no longer a big silver chunk hanging out of the back of the cab. Bachmann has also introduced a 2-6-0 and a 4-6-0 as DCC ready, and from all reports are fine models. Marsh Creek Miniatures is working now on conversion kits for the 2-6-2 and the 4-6-0. The basis of the idea is simple. Make a basic Baldwin style conversion for both chassis, the 2-6-2 being the cheaper option and straight DC, for those who want that, and the 4-6-0 being similar for someone who wants DCC or DC, and prefers the larger driving wheels. Dimensionally, the chassis are similar, and with some smart 3D modeling, different versions of both locomotives could be made available, and easy to build. No fighting with Brass cabs, or dealing with parts cast from old molds, with warped resin parts that require a bunch of cleaning and assembly. Just pop on the 3D printed parts, add details and paint. Simple. Each will have several different configurations available, with different styling based on era, so it’s possible to have 2 or more versions based on each chassis.  We’re partial to the styling on this Mexican 2 foot 2-6-0, so it will be available as well as others. With the addition of these locomotive conversion kits, our line of products will expand into short line and larger lines, making HOn30 a viable scale for modelers who don’t want the expense of brass, or want to model something other than what is available in brass.
From time to time I get asked questions about where to get detail parts that will fit our kits. Sometimes the answer is very simple. "Where do I get replacement grab irons for the boxcars?" - Get them where I did... Tichy Train Group. I pack a couple extra in the kits, but even so, those suckers get lost quickly! I got an email from a friend who was looking for some extra headlights from our "modern" Porter accessories parts, and I realized that I had totally neglected a really easy product to release. You see, since I had already modeled the headlight, It only took about an hour to reconfigure that part into a sprue of 5. That same friend had months before mentioned bells, because getting appropriately sized parts is kind of hard. N scale bells are too small, and most HO scale bells are too large for something like an 0-4-0 Porter. So over the weekend I cranked some tunes, poured a cup of coffee and started modeling.    The Headlights are all predrilled for wiring up SMD LEDs, or Incandescent bulbs (if you can find them that small) and all of the new detail parts are on our Shapeways HOn30 Parts page at the following link: https://www.shapeways.com/shops/marsh_creek?section=HOn30+Details&s=0  It's been a year since we released any new laser cut kits, so it's high time that we get to work. The caboose is in the late stages of development, and a prototype will be built soon.  We're working on a cute little coach (and combine) that are based on proposed, but never built specifications for the Yosemite Short Line 30" gauge railroad in California. There were several good articles about the YSL in the Gazette that are worth checking out.
The passenger cars are still in early development, although some prototype parts have been designed and ordered. The roof and steps have been designed and are currently being printed. In order to keep this car affordable, 3D prints of the roof will have to be cast in resin, and I demand that they have open windows, because well, I can demand those kinds of things, and I want to offer an alternative to the only passenger cars like this available on the market. I have a few of those models, and they're pretty nice, but they don't have open upper clerestory windows, and the doors are so short that only Jawas and Ewoks can fit through them. Still to do on the Yosemite cars are the laser cut parts, and we will be offering a new style of truck for these, which will be available separately. Apart from that, we're still working on the On18 Climax, and at any given moment, we have half a dozen other projects in various stages... just like the workbench. Go Build Something Awesome.  Nothing fancy, just something super useful, and inexpensive. We've released some variations on our HOn30 Mann's Creek Hopper Kits, This time as a pack of 3 flats or 4 frames. They are the same frames that our Mann's Creek Hopper kits use, making them a perfect match for your railroad. The flat cars would be the work of the railroad's shop crew, converting old or damaged hoppers into flats with some repurposed wood, and any available hardware. With the flats the railroad could haul replacement ties to work locations, or specialized equipment anywhere down the line. Just like all of our other projects to date, these accept Micro Trains 1015 body mount couplers, and 36" N scale wheelsets with a .540" axle. (Micro Trains equivalent) You can order the flats at the link below: http://shpws.me/NNbU  Four pack of frames for scratchbuilding and kitbashing!
Same as the flats and hoppers, these are even more affordable, but as bare bones kits that would work in HOn30, OR as the basis for an On18 build (to go along with our Shay and upcoming Climax) With these, you can scratchbuild short special purpose cars in HOn30 and On18. You can order the 4 pack of frames at the link below: http://shpws.me/NNN7 Go Build Something Awesome Our friend Chris recently picked up an HOn30 14 ton Sugiyama Heisler and let it run on his little layout. It's pulling our Mann's Creek Hoppers.
Want to order some for your mining empire? You can get them here: https://www.shapeways.com/product/EXNBBNXEW/hon30-mann-s-creek-hopper-x2 Go Build Something Awesome!  2016 was a year of gaining support, providing innovative and creative products to the model railroading community. We have been able to get this far by providing the highest level of detail possible with the systems available to us.
That's where the plateau starts. I've gotten innumerable requests to do more products, specifically in larger scales, or larger items, and by using a print service, we cannot do larger items without them being too expensive for the majority of modelers. I want to be able to support On30, or larger HOn30 cars, N scale conversions and kits, armor and sci-fi items, but it's not possible without a new printer. 2017 is going to be a year of growth, and if we are to grow, we need a few things... The printer, of course, but we also need to find a more suitable space for production, design, marketing (photos and videos) and shipping. Doing it all on my workbench, a computer in the kitchen and the dining room table just isn't going to work. With a small investment into the printer, we can expand the operation to support rehabilitating our 100 year old garage into useable space... It needs a lot of work. A concrete floor will have to be poured, and some new framing added to split the 12'-0" x 30'-0" garage into two sections... a climate controlled studio/workshop (12'-0" x 18'-0") and the remaining area will remain as storage for the family. The good news is that the roof is new (2009) and the windows are newer (2004ish) and it already has electric service run, and the work that is to be done can be done in stages, without actually stopping the design work we're doing, but the goal is to be completely up and running in the new space by mid to late fall 2017. In order to achieve this goal, we need a boost, something to kick start the new year, so we're looking at crowd funding... right now we've launched a Gofundme page that discusses our needs, and goals. In the short term future, we're looking at offering some products as limited editions through kickstarter as well, so watch this space and our social media pages to learn more. Link to the Gofundme: https://www.gofundme.com/marshcreek3D Help us help you to Go Build Something Awesome   We have a very limited number of our popular HOn30 Boxcar and Gondola kits in stock, check out our PRODUCTS page to order!
Go Build Something Awesome! |
News from the Creek. Sign up to have the latest news delivered to your inbox!
Archives
July 2017
Categories |
RSS Feed