3D Printing Custom Track For Cheap Christmas Trainset

[@WeyounLP]

Making it run inside the walls of the sand tunnels would be amazing! like a train running at chest height along the many curves and such, maybe with RGB LEDs attached!

[@saveitforparts]

That's the plan! Going to carve out some tunnels and track routes eventually.

[@Kineth1]

@@saveitforparts I can't wait to see the S scale tunnel boring machine!

[@dpidcoe]

Two things that'll make your life way easier printing stuff: 1) Use Cura to scale and slice your models, then load the resulting gcode file into whatever you're using to talk to the printer (pronterface?). There's a little bit of setup associated with Cura, but most of it can be solved by googling for your printer name and "cura profile". It exposes a lot of settings you can tweak to get the most out of your printer. 2) Look at the 3d printer tuning guide by teachingtech. It's hosted on githgub and will walk you through all the steps to calibrate the printer. It'll even generate gcode for you to aid in calibrating things like filament temperature, linear advance, and printing speed.

[@pbpx]

One. its time to get an ender 3 for 100 bucks. Two, Cura will let you scale in the slicer so it wont have a huge file size.

[@Rebar77_real]

Great first project for the old printer! An inset train shelf sounds fun! You could convey drinks on the train cars if the bar ever gets too big, heh heh.

[@bubbycraft66]

Such a good idea!!!! Thanks for the neat video!!

[@gorak9000]

I think if you had a slightly less "derpy" 3d printer, or made some adjustments to that one, you'd get much better results. Like most things, the price-performance curve has some sweet spots in it. It's good to be kind of at the end of the part of the curve where linear increases in cost get you linear increases in performance too. Then later there's the region where to get better performance, the cost increases exponentially. It's good to try to aim for just before where the cost starts getting exponential. I don't have a 3d printer yet, because I'm not allowing myself another project before my "derpy" milling machine is back together and working (and not eating up tons of floor space in my garage being useless), but when I eventually get one, I'm going to aim for the end of the linear price/performance region.

[@saveitforparts]

It would be cool to find one that works well and is consistent. I actually just got another cheap-o one that kind of sucks (Makerbot Mini), I'll be doing a video on that one at some point. So far I haven't found one that's reliable, but I've only tried the two so far.

[@DetroitMicroSound]

This is a fun one. But I just can't stop thinking about a row of wind turbines on top of the hill, over the tunnels, for electricity... Make a bunch of them, in a row, from 50 gallon plastic barrels cut in half, forming savonius scoops. Maybe use clothing washer or dryer brushless motors for the generation???

[@saveitforparts]

It's on my to-do list to make an improved wind turbine... but so are a lot of other things!

[@DetroitMicroSound]

@@saveitforparts I hear ya. wind-produced electricity would be really cool tho. that would make for an incredible project. If you make the DNA sequencer into a CNC plasma table, then you can use it to cut most of the framework for the savonius turbines. longer frame pieces, gussets, everything. Cut it all, so no welding is required to assemble it all, with bolt holes throughout. Just nut/bolt, for everything. I bet you could easily design the parts on computer, then have the CNC plasma table cut everything. Maybe even cut it all from scrapped aluminum road signs. I bet you can find cheap scrap sheet, of various kinds. Could also get creative with painting the scoops.... make it a cool visual experience to look at when everything is spinning, as well...

[@saveitforparts]

@@DetroitMicroSound I'll keep an eye out for plasma cutters! I'm not sure the DNA rig is big enough but that could be fun.

[@jackthediscoverer]

I could guess the Christmas version g scale could be actually gauge 1 1:32 scale. 1:05

[@saveitforparts]

It's possible, I assume these are knock-offs of some higher quality name-brand product, but I'm not sure. They work well enough when all you want is a disposable-ish toy train that can take some abuse. I'd never set up "good" trains like HO scale or Lego outside or underground!

[@devinpaul9026]

Those aren't actually CHEAP now, if they ever used to be. New Bright was a well known mid/high end toy company, and these trains (some of them are actually from the eighties and there are different versions), are actually pretty highly sought after now because they're BETTER than most of the ones we get now, plus people remember em.

[@saveitforparts]

They're cheap because everyone's grandma bought one for a christmas village and now they're $5 at every garage sale and thrift store. If people wanted quality trains they'd buy a name brand G-scale for the tree or an HO scale set :-)

[@Brian_rock_railfan]

Awesome 🚂 👍🚃

[@mike97525]

thanks😋😋

[@101stsurvivor]

I assume you're using a very old ramps board and a very old slicer to talk to it, I would HIGHLY recommend you buy a cheap motherboard that'll let you use marlin firmware so you can use more modern slicers, even that should dramatically improve your printing experience.

[@saveitforparts]

No idea what the board or slicer versions are. I just googled Printrbot software and downloaded something called Pronterface that seems to do all the slicing and control.

[@101stsurvivor]

@@saveitforparts yeah that's really old and it's the reason your benchy turned out so weird, both the slicer and your motherboard just don't understand some of the more modern gcode commands. You can get an skr pico motherboard for less than 30 dollars if you shop around, you'd likely need to crimp some new connectors on the printers motors and end stops but it'll allow you to use any of the modern slicing tools such as cura or prusaslicer (the latter being my recommendation) you'd be amazed how much of a difference software alone will make

[@msTam.VG7]

Could you show how to open and replace the train battery? I have a plastic dickensville train set.

[@cobraspottedwolf8791]

On the right track!!! Lol

[@troopergoodwin6530]

oooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh. genius. also new sand transport method?????!

[@saveitforparts]

We'll be installing the train in the Sand Bar eventually. It's too small to haul much sand though!

[@BIG_RED_PRODUCTIONS_official]

I do have a question would it be possible to make 3D printed track for the Rocky Mountain junior bump N go train

[@saveitforparts]

I'm not familiar with that one, you'd have to do some measuring and either design pieces or find similar ones on thingiverse that you can modify.

[@ryanfrogz]

Would you be interested in a proper 3D printer? I’ve got a “broken” one in my basement that I have no use for anymore and I’d rather rehome it than just throw it away. It’s perfectly fine aside from the fact that I can’t ever get it to print properly, most likely just needs some tweaking that I haven’t figured out but it’s taking up much needed space and I’ve already spent a bunch of time trying to fix it. It could be yours for the low, low price of free, if you’re interested.

[@saveitforparts]

I'd be interested! I currently have this Printerbot in pieces, and found a cheap Makerbot that seems to be mostly a Noisemakerbot, but another one to fix up would be fun! Are you in the MSP area? Maybe shoot me an email: gabe (at) saveitforparts.com

[@ryanfrogz]

@@saveitforparts Email sent!

[@Genuinespaceman]

Photosynthesis

[@saveitforparts]

?????

[@northeden8661]

Your wife is really gonna hate you for fricking around with baby trains. You better go get her some flowers and take her out for a steak dinner.

[@blintscav]

I wonder why they chose such an ungodly nonstandard scale?

[@gorak9000]

Just different enough to not be interoperable with other trains, but close enough to print "#-scale" on the box as a selling feature?

[@saveitforparts]

I'm sure it's a knock-off of a knock-off of something else, as most of these imported products are. I think they're sized to match those Christmas villages that everyone's Grandma had in the 80s.

[@saveitforparts]

It actually does inter-operate with other cheap crummy plastic trains, as I found when I got some "New York Subway" toys. Actually the track on these 90s trains is much better than the subway set.

[@sarkybugger5009]

Man, that printer is awful.