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Parts for Model Railway engines and coaches HO/OO

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Thomas

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Hi Thomas
Sad to say that there are not many parts available atm
Most have been used up and although some repairs can be carried out by MM, due to lack of parts some repairs cannot
Any idea what is required, I have some bits left but 201 parts are all gone and most 141 parts also
I had a few motors for 071's and there may be one left , some bogies and a few plastic parts including handrails


 

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1 hour ago, WRENNEIRE said:

Hi Thomas
Sad to say that there are not many parts available atm
Most have been used up and although some repairs can be carried out by MM, due to lack of parts some repairs cannot
Any idea what is required, I have some bits left but 201 parts are all gone and most 141 parts also
I had a few motors for 071's and there may be one left , some bogies and a few plastic parts including handrails


 

Lack of parts is a worry for the smaller manufactures I fear especially Rails Hattons, Kernow etc once the loco is worn out its will end  up being a shed Queen.

"had a few motors for 071's and there may be one left"  - Are these motors available from other sources I wonder? any part number or it Dave.

 

 

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7 hours ago, Georgeconna said:

Lack of parts is a worry for the smaller manufactures I fear especially Rails Hattons, Kernow etc once the loco is worn out its will end  up being a shed Queen.

It's an issue for all manufacturers, not just smaller ones, if it's a product that hasn't been produced for some time; it's normally only viable to produce extra spares while the main item is being manufactured. 

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The two main Manufacturers Baccy and Hornby are pretty good in all fairness, I never failed to get a part off of them when I needed one,  mind you looking for a Baccy Class 20 side window at the moment which I can get if anyone has a Shell out there.

These Short limited runs will have problems down the line I reckon and 1 spare 071 motor left as Dave indicated is a pretty bad omen.

 

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I would be amazed if the motors at least were custom made for MM and not an off the shelf item used in other models, no?

Body parts are the real problem I would have thought, but with 3D printing improving all the time there is surely a solution there for the future. Instead of trying to best guess the lifetime spare parts requirements for a product before the production run a manufacturer could in theory make many of them to order when a customer request comes in. They have the CAD files. The replacement parts wouldn't be free or cost pennies as setting up a 3D printer is going to require some effort but they would be available indefinitely at least.

I bet that in the future you'll have 3D printing as a service where little human intervention is required. That's what it's now like with PCBs. You send the file and on their end it's all automated, spitting out the finished packaged and labelled PCBs at the end. The cost of getting custom PCBs made is a fraction of what it was in the past. I'd say 3D printing may go the same way in time.

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Replacement parts for larger scale (On30-to G Scale) has been a significant issue for several years once the original stock of spares sell out.

I have use SLA printing for producing prototypes and replacement parts for models, such as gears, handrail brackets and handbrake wheels.

While its feasible to achieve a similar finish to plastic injection moulding, considerable skill and experience is required in setting up the 3D (CAD) model for printing and the clean up process cleaning the model and removing the support structure is hazardous and requires a high level of care to avoid damaging the finished model.

The brass castings were produced by a local jewellery industry supplier and metal caster, in some cases I have used the original part as a pattern or fabricated a pattern in metal or plasticard. More recently I engaged a freelance 3D modeller to produce the CAD work eliminating the physical pattern making phase and use a locally owned 3D printing house rather to produce the prints.

A 3D printing house should be able to provide a 3D modelling service to produce the CAD work or recommend a freelancer.

 

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I wonder if the thread title could be changed to:

"Replacement (Non-OEM) Parts for OO Gauge Model Railway Locos and Coaches"

 

Can anybody suggest an alternative for a Murphy Models 141/181 detailing kit, specifically the horns?

I mean, there must be spares out there for other models that have at least a passing resemblance?

Thank you!

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