Winona Windsplitter nearly completed

I am still waiting for my test prints of the Fort- Wayne - Lima Lightweight Combine, Shapeways is a little bit behind its schedules ...

I use the waiting time to complete the Windsplitter. Now it has a pilot, roofwalks, and the typical small circular toilet windows of Jewett cars.

Only the underfloor equipment is not yet ready, I need to do some final research within the old photos.

Searching the right tan (The true colors of Indiana Service Corp)

"Bambou Tan" of  1965 Datsun cars

There is still a big mystery around the "tan" color scheme of the Indiana Service Corporation. The color was described as Pratt and Lambert's Vitralite "light tan", but it is not easy to recover what this color really was.

The roofs were green and doors and windows red, the striping also green. What could be the nearest color matching ISC "light tan"?

"Deck Tan" Floquil

It is told that eye witnesses compared ISC tan to a tan color of 1965 Datsun cars. I made some renderings, one with a simulation of Datsun "Bamboo tan", and some others with various Floquil tan colors.

What is the best? 

"Early Tan" Floquil

"Sand Tan" Floquil

"Tan Special" Floquil

Indiana Service Corp. Lightweight Interurban Combine

(Update with a new render view, 2014, 01 20)

About 1928, Master Mechanic Arthur Reddersson from Indiana Service Corporation transformed the four ISC Lightweight Combines to one man operation by reversing the car, the former rear end becoming the front end. A folding passenger door was installed on the right, and a drivers cab window on the left. 

This 3D printed model is ready to receive a Bowser Drive with 28" wheels.
Before the first test print, some last details will be fixed.

The colors shown here are probably not prototypical and are subject of further research. Under Indiana Railroad management the cars were "painted traction orange" and altered again a little, dashlights were added, the air horn and the front light modified.

SEPTA Kawasaki Single End LRV from IHP

Mike Bartel (Imperial Hobby Productions) launched this fine H0 model of a SEPTA Kawasaki single end LRV.

The plastic model is very well detailed and painted. And it reminds us again that this degree of detail is not (yet) possible in 3D printing, at least for a reasonable price ...

It is still a display model (made for SEPTA), but it is not destined to remain in this condition. Trolleys are made for rolling ...

Back to the boxcars (4) - couplers and draft gears in action

An interurban freight trailer need to be pulled (or pushed) through severe curves. Here you can see how it works with printed radial drawbars and Roco couplers (type 40270)

(Roco 40270)

Back to the boxcars (3): CERA trailer painted

The rounded end CERA interurban box car painted

Back to the boxcars (2)

I got a first CERA trailer printed. Unpainted, in its white translucent "Frosted Detail" material it is hard to photograph. But it seems well proportioned. The brake wheel (above, on the right) is printed one piece with the body, just slightly over-dimensioned to meet the minimum wall thickness.

"Back to the boxcars 1", see here: 

http://interurban.blogspot.fr/2013/10/back-to-boxcars.html

The frame was printed in "BSF" (Black, Strong, Flexible), including the truss rods, in one single part. This is the first time I printed truss rods. They are a little thicker than prototypical, but this seems acceptable for me. 

The frame is equipped with functional radial coupler bars, printed in BSF also. I clipped european Roco HO couplers (Roco 40270) into the normalized bars, and I obtained a very functional trolley coupler, but not prototypical. With this coupler, I can push the trailer through tight curves, S-curves, turnouts, even with overspeed. Coupled, they form a rigid bar between the two vehicles. Roco couplers are easy to uncouple, to connect they must be well aligned.