One of the items I'm finding is if I don't design constantly with Fusion 360, I start to forget the odd "foundation" items, and have to spend time relearning stuff.  I don't like doing that, so I've decided that I have to keep something "on the burner" when it comes to 3D design and printing. 

Two projects that I knocked off were water tower components, and engine terminal utility line trusses.  As usual, printer is my Prusa Mini FFF type printer.  Nozzle for all of the work was the 0.25mm, with a Z axis resolution of 0.05 mm.  I also cut the feed by 50%, and that virtually eliminates  high melt areas at the end of long runs (like on the "C" channels).  The water tower base was done with the standard 0.4mm nozzle, standard feed rate, and 0.15mm Z axis resolution.  I don't need precision for cast concrete blocks, and a base that is going to be covered up with scenery.

About 20 years ago, I finished my original roundhouse and engine terminal.  I built utility lines on the garden tracks based on a plan my friend gave me out of a South River Modelworks kit.  I did it all out of styrene, the SRM kit used etched parts for the top brace that held the lines, and wood for the structural members. 

I needed another four of these for my new engine terminal.  Designed them up, printed out and glued together a total of six parts for each assembly, two main structures glued back to back (mirror image), and four "C" channels that reinforce the structure.  I needed four, and my friend that gave me the original drawing from the SRM kit needed five too.  So, I printed and glued together 10 of them, just to have one extra.   

As part of the build of my second engine terminal, I also purchased and built one Tichy steel water tower, two Tichy steel tank kits, two Tichy water columns, and two Tichy oil columns.  There are extra parts in the Tichy kit, and another friend of mine that puts in a lot of horsepower-hours on my layout needs a small water tower for his engine terminal.  No problem, I had all these extra Tichy parts, consisting of the entire tank assembly, and he smaller columns, but I needed the center water column parts, and a base.  No problem, designed them up.  The completed Tichy column (still needs paint) is on the left.  The smaller tank, with the off-white 3D printed parts is on the right.  It won't take much to finish up the other kit, and I'll paint them both at the same time.

BTW, I did this water tank to work off horsepower hours that my friend Allen is putting in on my railroad.  He recently did this structure for me, consisting of a City Classic kit and a Walthers modular kit that he modified where needed, and added in details.  He is still working on a water tank to go on top of the Walthers kit. 

Looking forward to finishing up this scene.

Regards,

Jerry