One of our favorite things about 3D printing is the way that it connects people. Greg King, a model train maker from Australia was so impressed by his visit to the Japanese streetcar manufacturer Kagoshima that he used Shapeways to help make him a replica of one of their historic cars.
“I just got back from Japan. I had made a model of a Kagoshima streetcar for the manager of the streetcar operation there. He had shown me a great time, and accorded me a great honour, so when I got home I built a model from scratch.”
“When finished, I could not trust it to the mail service, so it was an excuse to go back (we had frequent flyer points to pay for the flight), see some more of that wonderful country and measure some streetcars for future 3D work.”
“My friend made an appointment with the manager (who knew nothing about the model but was just happy to see me again) and we met at their new car house and head office complex. We went into a room that they have made into a museum collection of parts, history and photos with a small N scale diorama of the old car house.”
“I then presented the model to him. He was amazed to say the least, BUT he thought I had made it for the museum until he read the plaque I had put on it; he almost cried and just about snapped in half with the bowing. Shortly after I was allowed to run one of their streetcars!”
We love to hear stories about how the Shapeways Community uses 3D printing to brighten another’s day. Have you given the gift of 3D printing? Let us know in the comments below. For more model train parts check out our marketplace here.