Shapeways is Dead (Bankrupt)

As too often happens, as private equity took control of Shapeways and it eventually became a publicly traded company, it got driven into the ground. It was a viable business at a certain scale but not with the objective of perpetual growth, which is what the objective became as investors took over the operation. I don't know if it will resurrect, but in the meantime there is no viable alternative. So, a whole lot of models are for now off the market. I don’t know what I’ll do with all my models, but I’ll be operating out of CGTrader for the time being. On the bright side though, Atlas is making an N scale U36B model due in 2025.

Modular Concrete Double Track Bridge with Catenary Option N Scale 1/160

A new set of N Scale modular bridge component files are available at CGTrader.

https://www.cgtrader.com/3d-print-models/miniatures/architecture/concrete-double-track-bridge-n-scale

The bridge is based on the Gunpowder and Bush River Amtrak catenary Bridges in Maryland. There are several modular parts to choose from to make the bridge the size you want. 

Shapeways New Gray Fine Detail Plastic

I had an N scale concrete bridge section printed out in Shapeways' new Gray Fine Detail Plastic to test it out. Overall, I like it better than the regular fine detail plastic. It still has layer lines, but they are fine and sandable. And there is a tiny bit of leftover support wax in some crevices that will make me give it a Bestine soak before painting. The pricing is similar to regular fine detail plastic, but depending on how much wax support a given print requires will determine if it costs more or less than regular. (Update August 2023, the gray has been replaced with a tan color. I liked the gray color better but tan is fine.)

Model Lightning Strikes

Check out the January 2023 issue of Model Railroader magazine to see how I model lightning strikes on my small Bone Valley layout.

Cheap Model Railroad Backdrops Using Zazzle?

I’ve been looking for cheap, affordable options for printing custom photo backdrops. There are plenty of expensive good options but not cheap. In the past, I printed my own backdrops using my own 13” wide inkjet printer. But maintaining inkjet printers is wasteful and annoying and the prints aren’t waterproof using normal ink. There were too many times I had to do a reprint due to an errant drop of water marking up my inkjet backdrops. Plus, my 13” wide inkjet printer stopped working properly recently giving me errors repeatedly. So I decided to stop using it and move on. For me, laser printers only for home printing from now on. After looking around at print options, I decided to give Zazzle a try.

Zazzle’s normal prices aren’t that great but they frequently have 50% off sales. I tried 3 of their products to test if any would work as backdrops: their Value Poster Paper (Matte), Indoor Vinyl Banner, and Matte Wrapping Paper.

Value Poster Paper (glare)

First I tried the Value Poster Paper (Matte). Value Poster Paper (Matte) is not matte at all; it is glossy. Value Poster Paper would work as a printed water surface but it just has too much glare to make for a good sky backdrop. The paper thickness is nonetheless decent. Zazzle has other poster paper options, but for the price none fit the bill as cheap and affordable for the scales needed for backdrops.

Indoor Vinyl Banner (edge)

Indoor Vinyl Banner (back texture)

Indoor Vinyl Banner (front)

Second I tried the Indoor Vinyl Banner. The Indoor Vinyl Banner is more of a satin finish than glossy but still not matte. The vinyl is a good thickness but flimsy; it can be easily mounted to a solid surface with spray adhesive though. The main flaw is that although the front of the vinyl is smooth, the back is textured with rectangles that measure around 1.5mm x 3mm. Those rectangles are visible on the front of the raw white vinyl; the rectangles disappear on areas printed in dark-colors but are visible up close on areas printed in light-colors. Also, the edges are folded and crimped after the banner is printed, which isn’t an exact science and leaves textured edges that can be a bit warped; to be safe, leave 4 inches of space (you could probably get away with 3 inches) from the edge around anything you want printed so it won’t be ruined by the folded and crimped edges. Then you can cut the folded, crimped edges off with an X-Acto knife and a straight edge. Overall, not a great backdrop material except for durability.

Matte Wrapping Paper Sheet (no glare)

Finally I tried the Matte Wrapping Paper. The Matte Wrapping Paper actually works well; it is just wrapping paper and so not very durable but it is sufficiently matte and the ink is waterproof. The lack of durability can be remedied by mounting it with spray adhesive to a hard, smooth surface. The wrapping paper comes in rolls as short as 30 inches by 6 feet and as long as 30 inches by 60 feet. The length relative to price per square foot would be an amazing option if the design wasn’t limited to 30 inches x 36 inches tiled and repeated. There is also a 19.5" x 28.5" 3 sheet option where each sheet can have a different design; the only difference between the sheets and the rolls, other than size, is that the sheets have a grid and Zazzle logo printed on the back making them unfit if you want to backlight the print, since the back printing would show though. Conversely, the rolls are blank white on the back. On sale, the Matte Wrapping Paper, despite its repeating pattern limitation, is a decent backdrop option. And it looks like it is what I’ll choose next time I need a backdrop.

I went ahead and created a clear sky backdrop design whiter near the horizon and deeper blue higher up that you can order from Zazzle if you wish. Look out for sales; 60% off is the most I’ve ever seen. And they have a yearly $9.99 Zazzle Black membership option which comes with free shipping. The Black membership is worth it if you make more than one order a year from Zazzle.

Here is a link to the sky backdrop wrapping paper. And I also made a sky that can be cut in half into two 15 inch high sky backdrops. Don’t want to wait for a sale? Use this referral link for a 30% discount on any stuff you order using Zazzle for the first time. 

The Holographic Future of Model Railroading

I have seen the future of model railroading and it is digital. The future isn’t quite here yet, but it is just a matter of holographic displays getting good enough and cheap enough. Once displays are good enough, then it will just be a matter of creating model railroading software to simulate model railroading virtually on a holographic display.

A virtual holographic model railroad is the only way to achieve my ideal model railroad in terms of space, money, and physics; like flowing water, changing weather, animated people, vehicles and animals, trains hundreds of cars long that won’t derail, and loading and unloading trains.

Virtual reality model railroading currently exists with the game Rolling Line. But my preference is for holographic model railroading and for realism more akin to Train Sim World.

The way I envision a holographic model railroad is one display per operator. I envision software that allows building a fully customizable layout (perhaps built using Unreal Engine and probably ideally open sourced so modelers aren’t at the mercy of a software company). The software must allow a layout to be divided into scenes since that is how they must be viewed on the holographic display to mimic a physical model railroad; like looking through the window of a shadowbox diorama. However, this shadow box will extend to the horizon in all directions. Different scenes could have different scales. The visceral experience will be indistinguishable from dealing with a physical model, except that the model will be behind glass and so untouchable.

Here are some videos of potential holographic display approaches.

https://youtu.be/mxhcPm6PwME

https://youtu.be/_TnNSkRUPLw

https://youtu.be/sddDhYmBuV8

Holographic model railroading is still in the future. In the meantime, I’ll continue to tinker with 3D printing as a means of modeling; especially since 3D printable models will also be usable with a virtual holographic layout. But I’m eager to skip the costly and time consuming aggravation of physicality and go fully digital as soon as possible.

Vistas from the new Bone Valley

Check out the December 2020 issue of Model Railroader magazine to see the latest version of my small Bone Valley layout. Here are a few images of scenes that didn't fit into the article. An article explaining how I produced the background lightning effect was supposed to appear in the magazine before the layout article, but that didn't happen. So I don't know when that article will ever appear.

Valrico Jct.