Homestake Models

02/17/2024

Website has been down for a while and I'm working on getting it fixed.

05/20/2023

Free File Friday is back! You can download this week's files from my Thingiverse page here: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:6035461, and you can also visit my blog/website linked below if you'd like.
I'm working through a backlog of post ideas, but I wanted to make sure that I started putting out downloadable files again. This week the subject isn't quite what I had scheduled, but I think a lot of people will like these anyway. As some may know, I've been building an On30 diorama of a depot kitbashed from Lionel's Rico depot kit. To populate the diorama with details, I'm 3D printing my own files for the majority of the pieces.
This week I've got 13 files to make 11 different detail parts:
Telegraph
Telegraph sounder
Telephone (with speaker/earpiece)
10 foot ticket desk (L shape)
8 foot wall desk
60 inch office desk (repeat from last month)
Desk lamp (nano LED can be inserted through the base)
Pot-bellied stove (nano LED can be inserted through the base)
Open ledger book
Wall clock
36 inch door (doesn't open, you glue it to the wall instead)
All files are made to "real life" size, meaning that they must be scaled down before printing. For instance, O scale is 2.08%. I've got a growing body of information which you can read about on my blog:
https://homestakemodels.com/?p=785

05/09/2023

I had to take some time away from the site the last few days to attend a train show and to move out of my old apartment into my new one. So I still have a backlog of posts to make, including some "Free File Friday" posts. This week it will be a triple-whammy!

05/04/2023

Originally supposed to be published last Monday, I've finally gotten around to my weekly project update on my M&StL caboose project which will eventually be for sale exclusively through the South Dakota State Railroad Museum in Hill City, SD.

Anyway, here is a link to the post for those interested in eventually getting one of a limited set of unique cabooses made with a combination of 3D printing and hand-crafting:

Update 4/24/23 Leave a Comment / Caboose 1208, Updates / By JamesWillmus “The Peoria Gateway” and the “Tootin’ Louie” were common nicknames for a smallish midwestern railroad whose flag fell in 1960 when the Chicago and North Western bought it out. I’m describing, of course, the Minneapo...

05/04/2023

Playing catch-up after an eventful week out of town. Also in the process of moving in my semi-annual migration to a place just east of town for the summer. Stay tuned!

04/27/2023

A couple posts on the blog have been delayed due to additional time demands from my day job. Expect a product update, "Mid-Week Modeling", and Free File Friday between Thursday night and Friday night. A guide is being made as well, so stay tuned for that.

04/24/2023

"Free File Friday" was a little late this week, but for good reason! The files I was designing were a bit more detailed than in previous weeks, so they needed some extra work. Anyways, I've got four files today that can be used to make an 8x12 shed or a 12x20 bunkhouse on the 3D printer. All that is lacking are roofs, which can be easily scratchbuilt with minimal materials.

Go ahead and download the files off my thingiverse page and, if you have time, feel free to stop by the website to have a look through my blog post (and the rest of the site).

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5988130

https://homestakemodels.com/?p=571

Structures should be printable from HO to O scale without many issues, though N scale will likely need some extra attention. Also, these files are "life sized", meaning that they need to be resized in the slicer program before printing. For O scale (1:48th), a size of 2.08% is ideal.

04/17/2023

For Monday's product update, we're looking at a truly unique 3D printable product. A set of tiny modules that works with Kato's
"Pocket Line" N scale track which can be 3D printed at home! There will be about 12-13 files in the initial product package which can be downloaded and printed at home, at school, at a library, or at a friend's house with a filament 3D printer. My testing has proved that basic PLA filament is plenty strong and durable enough for extended use.

Check out the post below:

https://homestakemodels.com/?p=565

04/15/2023

For "Free File Friday" I've been working with the theme of "street details". Of course, model roads have all kinds of details to be added, and so I went with four of the most common objects I've seen while navigating residential and suburban streets. These are fire hydrants, USPS boxes, drains, and manholes. There's all kinds of electrical and telephone stuff too but those can wait for a future date.

Head on over to my thingiverse page to get this week's files: https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:5971297

Also, a quick note. These files are made to roughly prototype dimensions, and therefore need to be reduced to your modeling scale for printing. So if you have 1:48th scale, like me, that would be 2.08% (1 / 48 * 100).

04/10/2023

Did you know that Rapid City, S.D., has a train club? If not, then this post is for you as we take a look at the Black Hills Railway Society, located in the basement of the Stockgrower's Building.

https://homestakemodels.com/?p=440

04/10/2023

Friday has come and gone, but these free files have not! Every week I'll be uploading free 3D and 2D files that anyone can download and use for their own personal needs. These files will tend to follow a theme. This week I went with "depot details", with five files to create four different detail pieces. These include a desk, a milk can, a barrel, and a chest that can be printed and opened. Many of these files are simple (not detailed) and are meant to be played around with.

But tune in every week expecting to see several free files for "Free File Friday"!

Free Files 4/7/23 Leave a Comment / Free File Friday / By JamesWillmus I’m sticking to some of the basics for the first Free File Friday. The files included in these posts may or may not be tested, however they are free, small models that will supplement a model railroad or diorama. If I have prin...

04/10/2023

Want to know what's coming up in April? Go ahead and check out my post from the 6th outlining what is to come in the next few weeks.

April 2023 Leave a Comment / Monthly "New"s / By JamesWillmus Montana Rail Link mixed freight headed west-bound near Garrison, MT in April 2021. Spring is here! This is the season of the “new”. New births, new starts, and new life. It seems fitting then to be starting Homestake Models in earnest...