TEMPLOT 3D PLUG TRACK - To get up to speed with this experimental project  click here.   Watch an introductory video about Plug Track at  Bexhill West.

  • The Plug Track functions are experimental and still being developed. Some of the earlier pages of this topic are now out-of-date.

    For an updated overview of this project see this topic.   For some practical modelling aspects of using Plug Track see Building 3D Track.

    The assumption is that you have your own machines on which to experiment, or helpful friends with machines. Please do not send Templot files to commercial laser cutting or 3D printing firms while this project is still experimental, because the results are unpredictable and possibly wasteful.

    Some pages of this and other topics include contributions from members who are creating and posting their own CAD designs for 3D printing and laser-cutting. Do not confuse them with Templot's own exported CAD files. All files derived from Templot are © Martin Wynne.
  • The Plug Track functions are experimental and still being developed.

    For an updated overview of this project see this topic.   For some practical modelling aspects of using Plug Track see Building 3D Track.

    The assumption is that you have your own machines on which to experiment, or helpful friends with machines. Please do not send Templot files to commercial laser cutting or 3D printing firms while this project is still experimental, because the results are unpredictable and possibly wasteful.

    Some pages of this and other topics include contributions from members who are creating and posting their own CAD designs for 3D printing and laser-cutting. Do not confuse them with Templot's own exported CAD files. All files derived from Templot are © Martin Wynne.

Experimental Plug Track: continued

Quick reply >
Hi there,
Has anybody heard how Martin is doing after his accident?
che
Phil,
I am still in hospital but hope to be home with new shoulder joint tomorrow. Typing on impossible phone
 
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I am still in hospital but hope to be home with new shoulder joint tomorrow. Typing on impossible phone

Hi Martin,

Have you been released yet, or are you having to make your own way home? If so, which hospital did they take you? I believe Redditch is not the easiest place to get back to Stourport, from.

Best wishes.
 
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message ref: 8936
hello everyone,

i am back home in the last hour, and just getting sorted. out

thank you everyone for the kind thoughts and get well messages, they were very much appreciated.

i tripped over in the kitchen and smashed my left shoulder very badly, damaging nerves in the process. worcestershire hospital trust have been amazing and can't be faulted, thank you so much to all the wonderful people who helped me, they all deserve medals. it happened on sunday morning and by monday afternoon i was in the operating theatre in worcester having my shoulder joint completely rebuilt. i was warned that i may never have much use in my arm again, but in the event the surgeon was brilliant and able to repair most of the damage. i now have use of my hand, wrist and elbow again, but not yet my upper arm. it may take a long time to recover, and it's possible i may never drive again. but that looks more promising now than it did on monday morning.

i'm finger typing this one-handed which means no upper case and it is slow, but that is way it is going to be for the immediate future, sorry.

there is zoom meeting tonight at 8pm. i will switch it on and start the recorder, but i won't be joining in myself this time. please feel free to discuss templot stuff if you wish, and i will respond to any points which crop up later.

many thanks again for all the good wishes,

martin.
 
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So pleased you are OK Martin, and back home.
Take it easy and please don't do too much.
It'll do us good to fend for ourselves for a bit, you look after yourself.

Wishing you a speedy recovery, let's us know if there is anything we can do to help. :)

James
 
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Hi Martin.
Glad to hear your both home and on the mend, having read what happed to you, all I can say is you most certainly don't to anything by half's do you :)
cheers
Phil
 
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message ref: 8942
hello everyone,

i am back home in the last hour, and just getting sorted. out

thank you everyone for the kind thoughts and get well messages, they were very much appreciated.

i tripped over in the kitchen and smashed my left shoulder very badly, damaging nerves in the process. worcestershire hospital trust have been amazing and can't be faulted, thank you so much to all the wonderful people who helped me, they all deserve medals. it happened on sunday morning and by monday afternoon i was in the operating theatre in worcester having my shoulder joint completely rebuilt. i was warned that i may never have much use in my arm again, but in the event the surgeon was brilliant and able to repair most of the damage. i now have use of my hand, wrist and elbow again, but not yet my upper arm. it may take a long time to recover, and it's possible i may never drive again. but that looks more promising now than it did on monday morning.

i'm finger typing this one-handed which means no upper case and it is slow, but that is way it is going to be for the immediate future, sorry.

there is zoom meeting tonight at 8pm. i will switch it on and start the recorder, but i won't be joining in myself this time. please feel free to discuss templot stuff if you wish, and i will respond to any points which crop up later.

many thanks again for all the good wishes,

martin.
Hi Martin, good to hear You are on the mend. Take care. P.S. maybe give one of the free speak-to-text software programs a go. I havent used them for years but with AI becoming mainstream nowadays I'm sure they must be quite good now?
 
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Hi all,

Wishing Martin well .......

A while ago Martin posted a prototype picture of the switch blades meeting the running rail and in particular how the running rail was shaped to accomodate the blade...

But I cannot find the picture - looked all over this site.....can anyone else remember it? - was I dreaming? - or did I see it somehere else?

Michael
@Michael Woods

hi michael,

thanks. did you mean this one:

2_250340_390000000.jpg


On the left, this photo from Mick Nicholson very clearly shows the set bend in the stock rail, and the matching planing angle on the undercut switch blade.

martin.
 
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Thank you Martin.....that is also very helpful.....making progress on my second point....in fact I have three in different state of preparation....hopefully this one will get finished this weekend..beautifully smooth run through the V....

Every part of this point (so far) has been fixed jaws....I have been able to slide in the rails without cutting any chairs or glue....everything very solid and true to gauge.....

1699706139243.png
 
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@drduncan

Hi Duncan,

Unfortunately it's not that simple. :(

You need to specify whether you want solid or loose outer jaws.

And also what rail section you are using (and preferably dimensions from the batch of rail you are using). The default settings in Templot match some 10-year-old C&L nickel-silver code 75 bullhead rail which I have here. It might or might not match your rail. Indications from others are that the chairs are a fraction loose on the current C&L rail. There are also indications for the Mars printers that the rail fit for solid jaws varies according to the orientation of the chair raft on the build plate.

At present plug track is available only for chaired bullhead rail using REA chairs, i.e. the 1925 designs.

GWR broad gauge bridge rail is well down the list! :)

p.s. I'm still far from convinced that a resin-printed one-piece timbers+chairs base is a sensible way to go. There are shrinkage and warping considerations, and the home printer build plates are so small. The last thing I need at present is yet another viable option to take into consideration in the code and user interface.

My working default position is that the vast majority of users will want to go for FDM-printed bases:

index.php


cheers,

Martin.
@drduncan

Hi Duncan,

Unfortunately it's not that simple. :(

You need to specify whether you want solid or loose outer jaws.

And also what rail section you are using (and preferably dimensions from the batch of rail you are using). The default settings in Templot match some 10-year-old C&L nickel-silver code 75 bullhead rail which I have here. It might or might not match your rail. Indications from others are that the chairs are a fraction loose on the current C&L rail. There are also indications for the Mars printers that the rail fit for solid jaws varies according to the orientation of the chair raft on the build plate.

At present plug track is available only for chaired bullhead rail using REA chairs, i.e. the 1925 designs.

GWR broad gauge bridge rail is well down the list! :)

p.s. I'm still far from convinced that a resin-printed one-piece timbers+chairs base is a sensible way to go. There are shrinkage and warping considerations, and the home printer build plates are so small. The last thing I need at present is yet another viable option to take into consideration in the code and user interface.

My working default position is that the vast majority of users will want to go for FDM-printed bases:

index.php


cheers,

Martin.
Martin,

My apologies for the extremely slow reply and lack of clarity in my original post.

I was and am offering to print out some test samples in the photon monoX2 using different resins settings to see what might be best. I realise that the BG won’t be prototypical but it will allow me to test the track with stock. So I’m happy to have a panel with solid jaws and a panel with loose as different settings/resin may have differ success rates with loose/solid options
@drduncan

Hi Duncan,

Unfortunately it's not that simple. :(

You need to specify whether you want solid or loose outer jaws.

And also what rail section you are using (and preferably dimensions from the batch of rail you are using). The default settings in Templot match some 10-year-old C&L nickel-silver code 75 bullhead rail which I have here. It might or might not match your rail. Indications from others are that the chairs are a fraction loose on the current C&L rail. There are also indications for the Mars printers that the rail fit for solid jaws varies according to the orientation of the chair raft on the build plate.

At present plug track is available only for chaired bullhead rail using REA chairs, i.e. the 1925 designs.

GWR broad gauge bridge rail is well down the list! :)

p.s. I'm still far from convinced that a resin-printed one-piece timbers+chairs base is a sensible way to go. There are shrinkage and warping considerations, and the home printer build plates are so small. The last thing I need at present is yet another viable option to take into consideration in the code and user interface.

My working default position is that the vast majority of users will want to go for FDM-printed bases:

index.php


cheers,

Martin

Martin,

My apologies for the extremely slow reply and lack of clarity in my post.

What I meant was that, prototypical not withstanding I’d be happy to print out some panels (perhaps one of loose and one if solid jaws) in EM and BG to test resins and settings using the MonoX2. Having BG and EM will allow me to see how stock behaves too.

Regarding track I have some old Exactoscale code 75 hi-ni is stock and I’ll post measurements when I get a moment.

Regards,

Duncan
 
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I have been busy with domestic matters today so little done since first thing.

On a positive note my glass bed arrived a week earlier than stated

On a negative still cannot download 3D builder, have asked my son in law to look in to how we can overcome this issue which seems a common problem

Having a bit of brain fog and could not replicate, or rather produce a file for the other half of the A6 turnout, have to have another zoom chat

Somehow I found/stumbled on a Vee filing jig and made a file but as I have not got 3D builder I cannot go further, when someone has a spare moment please can you put it through 3D build

Thanks

John
 

Attachments

  • 1_in_6_vee_filing_jig.stl
    219.6 KB · Views: 14
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message ref: 9057
I have been busy with domestic matters today so little done since first thing.

On a positive note my glass bed arrived a week earlier than stated

On a negative still cannot download 3D builder, have asked my son in law to look in to how we can overcome this issue which seems a common problem

Having a bit of brain fog and could not replicate, or rather produce a file for the other half of the A6 turnout, have to have another zoom chat

Somehow I found/stumbled on a Vee filing jig and made a file but as I have not got 3D builder I cannot go further, when someone has a spare moment please can you put it through 3D build

Thanks

John
@Hayfield

hi john,

here is your filing jig fixed ready for use.

however if you print it using the same settings as for the timbering bases it would take 8 and a half hours.

i don't use those settings for the filing jigs, i use a different set of settings which take only 5 hours.

or you can print the north and south parts separatey which would take only 2 and a half hours each

you can make them faster if necessary by making the jig a bit thinner.

if you would like to have another zoom session this evening to get started with the jigs, i will switch it on at 9.30pm, join when you are ready, or anyone else.

cheers,

martin.
 

Attachments

  • 1_in_6_vee_filing_jig_fixed.stl
    155.7 KB · Views: 18
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