Reply To: MP cabooses on Shapeways

[anonymous]

There’s one more for MP, Joerg:

MP 13575-13664 Rebuilt Caboose Body Kit
http://shpws.me/MKBt

I designed these body kits, and although I have not printed these particular kits yet, I have printed the basic components of the body kits several times over. These body kits are the result of my recent efforts to eliminate the searching out of the individual parts necessary to build each kit and put them all in one model file. If you choose, you can order just the roof or cupola parts, for example, and modify an existing model. But if you wish to build a replacement body for the Atlas extended vision caboose I have designed parts and body kits exactly for that purpose.

Rather than rewrite the book on this project, let me point you to my blog where I go over the build process of two different cabooses representing two different eras of ICC caboose production using variations on these 3D printed components.

http://fr8kar.blogspot.com/2016/05/cotton-belt-ev-caboose-41.html
http://fr8kar.blogspot.com/2016/05/santa-fe-ev-caboose-999700.html

Bear in mind these two cabooses were the “pilot models” for what you see listed in my Shapeways store, so they don’t have any of the design features the current parts have such as bolt heads and starter holes for grab irons nor are the current smokejack and brake rigging parts shown on these models. Nevertheless, they were both good learning experiences and the fit and finish of the components was as I intended.

I have printed two other complete body kits representing cabooses from Soo Line and Rio Grande and the results are similar but with a slightly better resolution on the roof parts. These bodies incorporated some revisions including the bolt heads and starter holes I mentioned. If you seek out the Soo Line and Rio Grande parts in my Shapeways store, you can see some photos of these updated parts.

It is my intention to build one of the 13575-13664 as-built cabooses in the future, but currently I am developing other parts so I’m not as focused on cabooses right now. Rest assured I will return to the subject since cabooses are among my favorite railroad equipment. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I will do my best to answer them.