{"id":31825,"date":"2017-06-05T09:33:16","date_gmt":"2017-06-05T13:33:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/?p=31825"},"modified":"2017-06-09T12:54:05","modified_gmt":"2017-06-09T16:54:05","slug":"damin-keenan-makes-chicago-commuter-railroad-trains-steeplecabs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/damin-keenan-makes-chicago-commuter-railroad-trains-steeplecabs","title":{"rendered":"Damin Keenan’s Chicago Commuter Railroad Trains and Steeplecabs"},"content":{"rendered":"

Damin Keenan lives near Chicago, and \u201cthat is why so many of my designs are Chicago-based,\u201d he says. Damin has designed trains from the CTA<\/a>, Metra<\/a>, and its predecessor along the Milwaukee Road<\/a>. Here, he\u00a0talks about the project where he cut his teeth and how 3D printing opened up small scales for him.<\/em><\/p>\n

How long have you been working with model trains?<\/em><\/strong>
\nI’ve been fascinated with trains (both full size and miniature) for my entire life. I’ve been involved in model railroading as long as I can remember. I started building (and modifying) models as soon as I was old enough to handle a hobby knife.<\/p>\n

How did you learn to make 3D models?<\/em><\/strong>
\nI studied 3D graphics in college. My major was electronic visualization, which emphasized virtual reality and real-time 3D programming. The technologies that I learned included Maya<\/a>, VRML<\/a>, and OpenGL<\/a>.<\/p>\n

<\/a>

O Scale Derails (Flip-Type) by Damin Keenan, shown in the open position<\/p><\/div>\n

How did you buy or make trains before you discovered Shapeways?<\/em><\/strong>
\nModel trains have been produced commercially for decades. And anything that isn’t commercially available could always be kit-bashed or scratch-built. However, those approaches are limited by one’s skills.<\/p>\n

What I really like about 3D printing is that I can produce a design on the computer that is much <\/em>finer and more accurate that I can reproduce with my hands. Especially in smaller scales like N scale, where my fat fingers always seem to get in the way of themselves.<\/p>\n

What has 3D printing added to your appreciation of model trains?<\/em><\/strong>
\nFreedom. 3D printing allows me to create models of unique and unusual types of equipment. My first 3D printing project was an N scale version of the EMD F40PHM-2<\/a>, a locomotive built for commuter service in the Chicago area. Only 30 of them were ever built; and only one transit agency operates them.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>

N Scale EMD F40PHM-2 (Metra) by Damin Keenan<\/p><\/div>\n

This type of ultra-niche equipment will never be done by the traditional model manufacturers. But thanks to 3D printing, not only can I have one of them, I can have an entire fleet of them; and at a level of detail and cost that is comparable to a high end commercial model.<\/p>\n

How long does it take you to design one of the 3D printed models? How long to paint one?<\/em><\/strong>
\nA typical project will take about 40 or so hours of work to get to the point where I consider the design to be finished. I work on my 3D projects in my spare time. So the design work on a new 3D model can span several months.<\/p>\n

<\/a>

N Scale EMD F40C (Milwaukee Road) by Damin Keenan. Built, painted, and photographed by Jeff King of MilwaukeeRoadTrainShop.com<\/a><\/p><\/div>\n

The time required to assemble and paint the finished models depends on the design. Some models have simpler paint schemes than others. I use an airbrush to paint most of my models. I like to paint my models in batches, where I can apply one color to a group of models and then move on to the next color and group while the first group dries.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s your best design?<\/em><\/strong>
\nI like to think that I set high standards for myself and will not open a design to the public until I am satisfied that it is the best that it can be. So, as a result, I really don’t have a single model that I single out as the best.<\/p>\n

If I had to choose, I’d probably pick my first project, the N scale EMD F40PHM-2<\/a>, as that was the one that I “cut my teeth” on. It really cemented all of the possibilities that 3D printing has for me.<\/p>\n

If I had to choose a second, it would be the N scale Baldwin-Westinghouse Steeplecab<\/a> because it shows how a design can be a part of communal process. It all started out as a conversation<\/a> on a model railroading forum about electric railroads. And one point the topic drifted over to “why doesn’t somebody do a steeplecab in 3D<\/a>?” Which at that point I figured, why not me?<\/p>\n

<\/a>

N Scale Baldwin-Westinghouse Steeplecab by Damin Keenan<\/p><\/div>\n

So I started working on the design and would post my progress online for the others to give me their feedback. The model turned out really nice and was very popular when I made it available for ordering. I’m still working on finishing painted examples. I’ll post them on the product page<\/a> as soon as they’re ready.
\n<\/em><\/p>\n

Visit Damin Keenan’s Shapeways shop<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Damin Keenan lives near Chicago, and \u201cthat is why so many of my designs are Chicago-based,\u201d he says. Damin has…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":111,"featured_media":31831,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[489],"tags":[1850,495,1530,1214],"class_list":["post-31825","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-products-and-design","tag-chicago","tag-19-designer-spotlight","tag-model-trains","tag-scale-models"],"thumbnail":"https:\/\/www.shapeways.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/Metra-damin-keenan.png","yoast_head":"\nDamin Keenan's Chicago Commuter Railroad Trains and Steeplecabs - Shapeways Blog<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"3D printing lets Damin design trains that are finer and more accurate than he can with his hands. 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