John Hall Design
Welcome to John Hall Design. I designed these HOn3 models for use on my 1886 South Pacific Coast model railroad. Click on each image to take you to Shapeways where you can purchase that model. The models are available with no markup, only the Shapeways cost to print it. I do not give refunds as I do not receive any money from a purchase. Any concerns about the print quality should be directed to Shapeways.
These models are recommended only for experienced modelers. They are NOT complete model kits. The buyer must supply: wheelsets; couplers; screws; brakewheels; truss, grab, and end rail wire; glue; paint; decals; etc.
The printing plastic that is used creates highly detailed models. The plastic is very fragile and must be handled with care. In addition, the models need to be kept from ultraviolet light until they are painted. This includes sunlight and florescent light. However, I have kept unpainted models on my layout lit by LED strip lighting for over five years without any significant harm.
The parts require cleaning before the model is painted and assembled. First remove any visible wax left over from the printing process. Then clean out any of the holes for hand grabs, truss rods, end railing etc. using a 0.015" drill bit. My favorite cleaning method is a heated ultrasonic cleaner large enough to hold a car body. Parts are cleaned in a 12/1 mixture of hot water and Dawn detergent for 15 to 20 minutes of ultrasonic agitation at 75°C (165°F). Repeat if necessary. Rinse in plain warm water and thoroughly dry. A tutorial from Shapeways on Cleaning and Painting the plastic describes a simpler and slower cleaning process.
South Pacific Coast Railroad Equipment
Baggage_Cars / Parlor_Cars / Coaches & Combines / Passenger_Car_Truck_Frames / Freight_Cars / SPC_Locomotive_Stack / Handcar / Misc._Equipment
All the models are HOn3 scale/gauge except for the Smoke Stacks and Handcars.
Passenger Cars
All Passenger cars, unless noted, are models of Carter Brothers products. The roof snaps on and off the body. They come with the appropriate truck frames and brake beams. The buyer needs to supply: the wheelsets; 0.015" wire for truss rods and end railing; brake wheels; couplers; and 00-90-⅛" roundhead truck screws. The truck frames use Precision Scale 26 inch wheelsets HO-3240. The cars are designed for MicroTrains N scale 1025(001 02 011) couplers.
Baggage Cars
Parlor Cars
Coaches & Combines
Carter Bros. Passenger Car Truck Frames
The above coach kits include the truck frames and brake beams to assemble one pair of trucks. Individual trucks may be purchased from the links below. The buyer must supply the wheelsets. The trucks are designed for Precision Scale 26 inch wheelsets HO-3240. Assembly is simple. Place an end beam in position and glue only one end. This allows movement to briefly widen the truck side to snap in the wheel set. Be gentle the plastic is fragile.
The Original truck frames were used on the South Pacific Coast Railroad passenger coaches 1 thru 55, 62 ,63, and all baggage cars. The Patent truck frames were used on the South Pacific Coast Railroad passenger coaches 56 thru 61 and 64 thru 78. These kits included the truck frames and brake beams to assemble one pair of trucks.
Freight Cars
All freight cars are models of Carter Brothers products. The cars were designed to use Rio Grande Models #3211 Carter Bros Trucks, not included. The buyer must also supply the 0.015" wire for truss rods, brake wheel, couplers, 00-90-⅛" roundhead truck screws, and wood for the deck for the flat car. The cars are designed for MicroTrains N scale 1025(001 02 011) couplers.
The Ventilated Boxcar requires some careful cleaning and construction of the ventilated doors. The door frames are supplied with holes for buyer supplied 0.015" diameter rods to be inserted to represent the iron bars on the prototype door. The holes must be cleaned of the wax used during the printing process. Then after the model is cleaned the 0.015" rods must be carefully inserted. This is a very delicate operation and should only be performed by a modeler experienced working with very small parts.
SPC Locomotive Stack
The smoke stack was designed by SPC Master Mechanic Evan L. Reese in 1881-1882 to minimize the risk of grain field fires that were being caused by the original Radley-Hunter stacks. Locomotives 1 thru 13 were converted to this stack. Locomotives 14-17 had these stacks included in the Baldwin Locomotive Works order. The stacks are offered in multiple scales.
