009 Sheep Wagon

I have seen many of these sheep wagons on layouts but could not find out who made them to suit 009. As it is one of those type of wagons you may have quite a few of on a typical layout, it seemed like a good idea to 3D print a version.

I initially intended to produce a six plank wagon, like the Welshpool & Llanfair sheep wagon, but with the restrictions on the section sizes I could print, this looked too high and heavy, so I settled for a four plank version. I followed the same layout as the W&L wagon, with the ramp on one side. My idea with the ramp was to make it so I could remove it and refit in the open position for static displays of loading wagons. This was achieved by printing the ramp on small spurs that you can cut through with ease. My first idea for this wagon was to mount it on a Peco 9’ wagon chassis (ref NR119) and change the couplings to the Greenwich type.

 Available from: http://www.parksidedundas.co.uk/acatalog/GREENWICH.html

I printed a flat based version in Frosted Ultra Detail plastic which had nice detail and worked well on the Peco chassis. After this first prototype I thought of printing with the chassis attached. The main thing with this idea is getting the wheel centres right, and getting enough flex in the material to get the wheels in place. Two prototypes later, and I had a working chassis in Strong White and Flexible plastic with free running wheels. It was then a simple job to add this to the wagon.

I found that if printed in Frosted Ultra Detail I had to make a small ‘V’ in the bottom of the axel box to get the wheels in without breaking the plastic; but if I used Strong White and Flexible Polished, the level of detail was still good when painted and weathered and it gave the flexibility needed to ease the wheels in place.

I found that the best wheels with good running characteristics were the Parkside Dundas 6.2mm Metal Wheels with 7 Curved Spoke. http://www.parksidedundas.co.uk/acatalog/N_G_WHEELS.html

If you would like to obtain a copy of the 3D print it is available at. https://www.shapeways.com/product/JZ3ZC7FG8/009-sheep-wagon-a?li=shop-results&optionId=57977869