In today’s “how did I ever live without a 3D printer” news, I’ve saved a decades-old toy train from the trash heap by printing a new valve gear for its left side of its wheels. The train is a 1986 model New Bright toy train, and it was destined to encircle our Christmas tree, but a missing piece was causing the front left wheel to get lifted off the track by a dragging piston rod. It took about half an hour to design a replacement in OpenSCAD and an hour to print. Its value is immeasurable.
Here’s the component by itself.
And here it is in place:
You might not be able to pinpoint it, since it fits so perfectly that it’s undetectable as an aftermarket add-on. Here’s a closeup:
The OpenSCAD script and STL file are available on GitHub.