I've Been Working On the Model Railroad

Anyone who knows model railroading, knows that models can be pricey. Individual parts for models can cost you big $$$.

The TLC has been a big help for Jon Winder, who has been able to bring his 3D sketches to life. And it was a whole lot cheaper too. He has visited our department many times as he works to create a complete model of an engine house for a model railroad. Mr. Winder has shared the process that he has used in preparing his model for printing, and has also shared some of the designs and finished products for different parts of the engine house.

He started by making sketches of the complete structure using the free 3D drawing program, Sketchup! You can download SketchUp here!

He continued to use Sketchup for various steps of his project. He had all parts on hand for his model except the roof and the vents, so he made sketches for those.

In addition to these drawings, Mr. Winder also did a test drawing of one vent, which he printed first as a trial. In printing the test vent, he found it had several problems. He corrected these problems and, after another test, was successfully able to print two sets of double vents (as required for his model)

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The vents fit perfectly in to the roof of Mr. Winder's model.

Mr. Winder is now working on another model, and turned some window and fence sketches in to more 3D prints. We enjoy assisting Mr. Winder and help him make his drawings in to 3D models.

Anyone who wants to bring their sketches to life and turn them in to models as Mr. Winder has, is encouraged to visit us in the TLC. We will be happy to assist you.