Meet Bernard Kempinski
Born in Brooklyn,
N.Y., Bernard
Kempinski cur-
rently resides in
Alexandria, Va.,
with his wife,
Alicia. After serv-
ing in the U.S.
Army, Bernard
retired from a 35-year career as an
engineer in defense analysis. He
now runs Alkem Scale Models, and
works on his model railroad when
he isn’t accompanying his wife on
the golf course.42 http://www.ModelRailroader.com
3-D printing and spin casting
The laser-cut trucks with working
brakes proved time consuming to build.
Eric Cox of Panamint Models helped me
develop a 3-D printed truck ❾. With
products available through Shapeways
(www.shapeways.com), Panamint offers
an extensive line of 3-D printed N and
HO scale parts for early steam-era mod-
elers. I provided Eric with an O scale
wheelset, and he modified his drawings
to accommodate them.
I used the plastic 3-D printed parts to
make molds for my spin caster. This
device uses rubber molds in a centrifuge
to cast molten metal parts. I purchased
an entry-level spin caster ❿ from
Conley Casting Inc. that I use to produce
white metal parts for the kits I sell.
The 3-D printed trucks could be used
without going through the effort of spin
casting. However, I find that the heavier
metal trucks ⓫ track better.
Three-dimensional printing is
becoming an important tool for short-run prototype modeling. There’s a steep
learning curve when getting started,
but the potential is enormous. Although
I used a commercial service to print my
truck masters, home 3-D printers are
becoming more affordable. Several of
my friends that model the Civil War in
HO scale make nearly complete locomo-
tive models using parts printed from
consumer-grade machines.Arduino telegraphy
I wanted a working telegraph system
on the Aquia Line for operators to report
departures at every station, as outlined
in the USMRR rule book. Even though
the military at the time used the dot
code, a simplified version of Morse Code
that new recruits could quickly learn,
I didn’t expect my operating crew to
have to become proficient telegraphers.
Instead I designed a specification for an
Arduino microcontroller-based tele-
graph system that would automatically
generate the proper code.cannon detail parts. One drawback to
photo-etching is that the process is
somewhat expensive, and each revision
requires a new tool with its associated
fee. For small part runs, the process isn’t
that cost effective.