purple

At least a greenway preserves the right of way. I think it's really shortsighted, but then, neglecting the South East is normal for the government.

I want to experiment with Irish N scale. Would this chassis suit as a base for N scale 141 built from the Valve Design 3D prints available on Shapeways?

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/Tomytec-TM-21-Motorized-Chassis-14-meter-A-N-scale/222896351383?hash=item33e5a86897:g:aqQAAOSw2cVatelb

I took some pictures of the Western Explorer at Athenry earlier today. Lovely 16MP Detail !

I have a pristine 5609 that I'd be happy to swap.

If only I lived closer . I must pay a visit when I acquire my car transportation again.

Off-topic, but your observation above did make me wonder why the creators of Macromedia Flash Player, etc. would not cater for things like i-Pads and Windows Phones.

This is more to do with corporate silliness than anything else. You can run Flash Apps in iOS using AIR and Flex (http://flex.apache.org/) which is now Open Source, although not yet fully cross platform.

The cloning and piracy problem will always be there in one form or another, it is unavoidable. There are clever and sensible ways around this though.

Restrictive DRM that install horribly invasive software similar to viruses on people's computing machines does nobody any favours and annoys legit users without really stopping piracy. Some software (eg Adobe) and music (eg Spotify) companies have moved to subscription models recently.

I guess with 3D printing model files you could set something up like Spotify for 3D printing - you can print as much as you like for €20 a month but the software downloads the G-Code for your specific printer and print parameters rather than the 3D model file itself. So the slicing is done on the server, the user never gets the source 3D model file.

@BosKonay - Is this not what ShapeWays already do?

I'm working on building a delta arm printer at the moment. I was going to make some buffer stops in OpenSCAD too. I'll share that file on here when I am done.

Key thing is been able to see the thing in 3d in the head and then translate it into a 3d model on the computer

That basically sums up most of the problem people have with 3D Modelling.

The machine is working still, I just haven't been doing much modelling or printing lately. Have the printer set up really nicely and intend to try and make a few railway related things soon .

Calibration is key to good 3D quality printing - I've yet to see a printer that is plug and play and it is unlikely you will for a while.

That MakerBot is very expensive for what it is - I'd strongly suggest purchasing one from a European or Chinese company so you get it cheaper.

3D modelling is a skill that needs to be learnt, but it is no worse than learning to solder or use a lathe, you can get good enough at it quite quickly and then it is just practice. I have a background in programming computer graphics so I forget to some people it is completely confusing.

I took these pictures on the way from Waterford to Galway on Monday when an unexpected opportunity occurred . Thought they might be useful to anyone trying to model log wagons. Click on the image to get the full resolution versions from imgur (10MP)

I would be interested in the books, but I can't collect until the end of the month.

I only travelled from Waterford the day before. Lucky I went back to Galway when I did!

Love the ICE. In the ICE3 you can see out of the driver's window if you are in the first car. Cool view when I was on one between Mannheim hBf and Frankfurt Airport.

Bugger, am not back in Galway until Monday. Curses .

Love these pictures of Wexford . Makes me miss home.

There was a rake of the autoballster wagons at Ballinasloe yesterday (time ~1600), not sure if anything interesting is going to happen. Would love to get a picture of them with an 071 near Galway at some point. That would be a rare sight.

More than happy to give Mr Murphy more of my cash when I have it to spare . Problem is having it to spare in these times .

Never mind - was just on the phone. It wasn't clear it didn't apply to Murphy Models .

If it was ABS or HIPS you could use normal poly cement or acetone.

If you are using PLA printed parts you need to get tetrahydrofuran as it is the only safe solvent to use. Also be aware PLA starts to go soft at 60'C, so if you a putting a motor in it use abs or HIPS.

Strength and fragility wise I think they wouldn't be any more fragile - perhaps a bit weaker, but it depends on how you print

What I wanted to buy appears to have sold out

I would go with printed kits rather than whole units. It depends on the technique and the shape and size of the model itself. Printed kits make more commercial sense IMO, because if a part fails printing, the other parts are still good.

You would probably have less parts than an injection molded kit though.

Is the offer over? I just got paid today. Dammit .

printed off while you have a coffee

Probably more likely while you go shopping for the morning .

Ah OK, I checked this out. It is fine as long as you let don't let the bipolar DC directly at the motor. In other works - don't run coreless motor without a decoder because the DCC signal can damage it by overheating the motor.

I knew there was some sort of issue with coreless and PWM or DCC.

As I said before I am more than happy to help people here with 3D printing or 3D modelling. I'm working on some 3D models at the moment of cement wagons and experimenting with maybe an ICR or MK4 DVT. My 3D printer is currently out of action as it needs a new print head after having an accident. I'll hopefully have it back up and running after christmas and I am more than happy to help people prototype stuff.

Do learn about the limits of 3D printing before you think it will solve all your modelling problems. I wouldn't recommend attempting to print a whole model in one pass.