May 27, 2026
Description
Tipper trolley <== you are here
Box top
This is an upscaled version of Evgeniy's Tipper Wagon for use on G gauge (LGB/Bachmann/Playmobil/…) track, with a couple of improvements.
I wanted to use the wagon on LGB track, but I also wanted to reduce/simplify the assembly and avoid, where possible, printed supports and gluing.
The tipper trolley frame can now be printed in one piece, no assembly required, and without supports. There are 6 versions of this frame:
frameTipper - the normal tipper trolley frame
frameTipperBreak - tipper trolley with platform for break man
frameTipperLong - tipper trolley with 2 platforms
frameSimple - a simple trolley frame without the tipper setup
frameSimpleBreak - simple trolley with platform for break man
frameSimpleLong - simple trolley with 2 platforms
I personally don't like verticalle printed axles. That is why I initially wanted to use old LGB plastic wheels. After changing a lot of LGB wagons to metal wheels I have lots of plastic wheels left.
I made the axle boxes deeper to fit the longer (70mm) LGB axle. But then it turns out that the LGB wheels are too large, it looks odd when they are put on the frame.
So I modified the printed wheels so that they can be put into the 3mm steel core of the LGB axle.
In case someone does not have a surplus of LGB (or similar) axles, a 3mm diameter carbon rod can be used instead.
In the print files there is a cutting guide for the carbon rods to cut perfect 70mm pieces. After cutting, use a pencil sharpener to bevel the ends for easier insertion into the wheels.
There is also a gauge guide that helps when putting the wheels onto the steel/carbon axle.
There is also a (horizontal) printed axle, it has stoppers for the perfect gauge. There are versions for both 45mm and 32mm gauge. Disadvantage is that they are way more flexible than the steel or carbon axles.
When I modified the wheels, I made versions with 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 3.4 and 3.5mm axle hole. They can be told apart by the number of small indents on the backside: 0 indents -> 3.0mm, 1 indent -> 3.1mm, and so on.
I use the 3.1mm version, but your print settings, printer and filament may require you to use a different version.
The underside of the frames have a cutout that allows a LGB hook to couple directly to the frame.
There is also an optional spring-loaded coupling hook that can be installed on the underside of the frame. It comes in 2 variants: hook and hook-with-lever.
The lever is meant to work like the LGB version, to uncouple when push from below. But the spring is so strong that the whole trolley may be lifted off the tracks.
A printed coupling pin can be installed at the ends of the trolley. They can be purely ornamental, but when combined with the printed chain, they actually work to couple the trolleys together.
Only the first trolley then needs a coupling hook to couple to a locomotive, or none at all if the locomotive itself has hook.
The V-tub is printed upside down, the handles need support. There are 2 versions: normal and with a flat bottom. The normal version also needs support for the bottom, the flat version does not.
There is also a box tub, this is printed in normal orientation. The handles need support, and also the rounding of the bottom (maybe except if you have a very well tuned printer and very good filament). There are 2 versions: riveted and welded (with or without rivets).
The railing comes in 3 versions:
railing - simple railing, no break pads are used on the frame
breakRailing - railing with imitation break mechanism, needs breakCrank and breakPads
breakRailingA/B - same as breakRailing, but the break mechanism is printed separately (for different colors)
The break pads are friction fitted into slots, but a small drop of glue might be a good idea anyway.
The break man's platform sits on pegs that lock it's position, but they cannot hold it in place, so a drop of glue is needed.
I assembled part sets of all the small parts that are needed in addition to the frame and tub. Their names correspond to the names of the frames for which they are made:
frameTipper / frameSimple -> parts(NH)
frameTipperBreak / frameSimpleBreak -> partsBreak(NH)
frameTipperLong / frameSimpleLong -> partsLong(NH)
partsBreak(NH) and partsLong(NH) contain the railings and break pads in addition to the parts in parts(NH). If you want to print the railings in a different color, then just use parts(NH) for the remaining small parts (except breakPads and breakCrank).
All part sets come in 2 variants: "NH" = No coupling Hook, no suffix = with coupling hook.
The part sets use the wheel with the 3.1mm axle hole. If you need a different wheel, then you need to define you own part sets.
All parts are already oriented for printing.
I used PETG via 0.4mm nozzle at 0.2mm layer height with default settings in Prusaslicer. The frames were printed with 100% infill for a bit more weight, but that is optional.
No supports are needed, except for the tipper tubs. They use paint-on support as follows (view from below):
(vTubFlat does not need the support on the inside)
Glue is only needed for the break man's platform. The break pads can also be glued in, but that is optional.
Assembly guide (using the version with one break platform as example):
First test run:
A simple tipper trolley (no platforms) requires ca. 100g PETG. Depending on filament quality and whether you use carbon rod axles or not, this comes to about 2€ to 3€ per trolley.
The simple tipper trolley is comparable to the LGB 4043/4243 tipper wagon. That costs at least 30€ (or at least 15€ for second hand). For that amount you can print a train of 10 or more trolleys.
In case you want to use the carbon rod axles, then I recommend that you buy them in lengths that are just slightly more then a multiple of 70mm to avoid wasting carbon and money. For example 150mm, 300mm and 500mm work OK, but 200mm creates a lot of waste.
License:
Creative Commons — Attribution — Noncommercial — Share Alike
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