Dear list,

The photo of an experiment using a expensive 3-D printer to create a SP F-50-1,2, or 3 flat car frame in HO is in the photo section at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/STMFC/photos/recent/1993113691/view

My very good friend, Bruce Barney, made me a just enough of these, some were passed on to a few other friends of ours who might wish to comment. But they are not available, not being produced, just an experiment. No, please don't ask:)

Printed was the entire one piece frame including stake pockets, and in later versions, pads for the under body brake details, the hanger for the bottom of the brake wheel shaft. Plus all the holes for the A-Line steps, hand grabs, and brake wheel shaft were "pre-drilled" during the printing process. The rivets got a little smaller and my decaling skills improved. Trucks, couplers, Tichy brakes, a wood deck, paint, and decals were the only other separate parts needed.

The purchase price of the printer, capable of very fine detail, was approximately $75,000.00 but I believe Bruce said it has been outdated by newer machines and is closer now to $10,000 on the used market. Ongoing maintenance costs also factor in. As with some other things, prices go down and quality gets better so there is hope.

Larry Castle