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    Mike McKenzie - This is in response to Keith Hayes’ 3D printing post. Like Keith, I use Shapeways to print my 3D models. There are other vendors out there that I’d like to investigate, but for now Shapeways fits my needs.

    I was out of the hobby for 35 years until 4-5 years ago. As a teenager (the early ‘70s, ah, remember the ‘70s?)  I belonged to the old Midwest Narrow Gaugers here in the Chicagoland area, with the likes of Len Madsen (my narrow gauge mentor) and Al Kamm Jr. I left the hobby when college came around but always kept a place in my heart for trains. As a graphic designer, I’d been using 3D software for product mock-up renders. I use a 3D software package called Carrara Pro (started life as Ray Dream Designer), and had my own copy at home. Wanting to create something in 3D on my own led me back to narrow  gauge railroading and eventually back to “hard” modeling, Sn3 this time around.

    The thing that really got me into 3D printing was the fact that I’m a better 3D modeler than I am a wood carver. I’d picked up an Sn3  Tomalco Pagosa Springs combine and thought that 3D printing would work nicely for the clerestory roof, I sure wasn’t confident I could carve it with satisfactory results! I’d been posting some 3D renders (not prints) of K-36 parts modeled from D&RGW engineering drawings on the Narrow Gauge Discussion Forum. It was sort of a zen exercise, with a vague dream of finishing a complete 3D K-36 someday.

    Another member saw them and asked if I could model some D&RGW flat car parts to be 3D printed in On3, parts otherwise not commercially available. Well, that turned into some 3D parts for a San Juan Decals On3 6200 series flat car kit. Another gentleman saw my clerestory roof in my Shapeways shop and wanted me to 3D print some coach roofs (a couple C&S coaches included) for his Heartland Railway HOn3 kits. Those roof s came out really, really nice, even though they were the cheaper plastic (lower resolution, less detail).He wants to do a couple more C&S kits in the future. As it stands (and it will only get better), 3D printing is almost perfect for short run kits in our chosen niche scales and gauges, and bodes well for the future.

    My main scale is Sn3, but as with the San Juan kits, I dabble in On3 on occasion. I’m modeling and printing parts for an On3 K-37 (parts not available and/or problematic to scratch build, for me anyway) to be used in a diorama of K-37 490 as it sat on a flat car in Alamosa being parted out. The frame and other parts would not be appropriate for a powered model. I think they came out really nice.

As for the C&S…

    When I first came back to model railroading, I zeroed in on ‘40s-ish D&RGW 3^rd division as my main focus, in Sn3. But I’ve been broadening my narrow gauge horizons as time goes by, becoming more fascinated by other roads and eras, the DSP&P/C&S included, as well as the RGS, Crystal River (I’m a big C-21 fan) and the Mears’ lines out of Silverton. Among the limited literature I kept when I left the hobby in the late ‘70s were the Silver San Juan and Colorado Rail Annuals #9 and #12 (on the South Park), divesting myself of such gems as Rails, Sagebrush and Pine (!!), Slim Rails Through the Sand and Last of the 3 Foot Loggers.

    I plan to model a freelance narrow gauge line heavily influenced by the D&RGW 3^rd division but with another line based on the C&S, either independent or acquired. While most of my rolling stock and power will be Grande, I’ve acquired a number of “Miller” cars, BLW and Overland stock and box car kits. I got me one of the Leadville Shops 26’ stock cars which I’ll fit into the ‘40s somehow – mostly because it’s just such a cool kit. Also just acquired a Cimmaron Works C&S business car #910, well, just because.

    Anyway, just as the wood laser-cut people are pushing the envelope on that technology for the betterment of our hobby, so too will the growth of 3D printing make an impact.

Mike McKenzie