Unibody Tank Car for your Garden Railroad - 1:29 Scale

Tank car for my 1:29 Scale Garden railroad.

End cap is a customized version of https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:953781

You will need:

3" (3.5" OD) Schedule 40 PVC pipe

or

4" OD Aluminum "Air Intake" pipe (Print 4in alternative parts)

or

4" (4.2"OD) PVC Sewer pipe (Print sewer parts)

14 Gauge bare wire (30” If you make no mistakes in bending)

17 Gauge bare wire for grab irons and brake lines.

2mm (12 Gauge) rod (I used carbon fiber because, well just because I had it)

6mm rod for truck pins (I suppose you could print this but I wanted a strong part so I cut small bits of 6mm ABS)

CA adhesive (super glue)

Wheels/Trucks (I use Bachmann Metal 31mm wheels and Modern Bettendorf trucks from Al Kramer)

Couplers (The hole pattern is for 1906 Kadee #1 as that is what I use)

(4) Screws 1/8” x 1” and nuts for attaching the bolsters

(4) Screws 1/8”x1/2 screws for jig

Post-Printing =============

TIP: To get the tank ends smooth, I spray 3 coats of Rust-oleum Gray Filler Primer. Sanding between each coat.

Revisions

12Dec18 added Air Brake control valve.

22Dec18 modified A and B ends to receive 17Ga wire grab irons, modified Air reservoir and Valve for 17Ga wire "pipes", added Tank end support.

7Jan19 added placards and pockets to ends to hold them.

13Jan19 added parts for use with 4in OD Aluminum "Air Intake" pipe.

9Dec19 added Vent, platform for vent and Unloading valve.

6Jan20 added v2 Stronger A and B ends. The ends are now a bit thicker in places and the steps are separate so they print stronger. Glue them on with a bit of super glue gel.

6Jan20 added bolsters resized for use with 4" Sewer Main PVC pipe.

 22 April 2026 added a gauge to aid in alignment of the top details.

Category: Models