Brian’s been back in touch with the latest on his 3d model train boat house print:
“Hi Alastair, as promised an article on the 3D printed boat house under the bridge.
I saw this picture of a boat house and deck on the internet and thought to myself, that would fit nicely under the newly installed 3D printed bridge on the module.
I asked a friend if he could print this for me to go under the bridge that he printed for me previously.
Evidence of that is shown here in the following photos.
Here it is straight off the friend’s 3D printer.
Another photo of it off the printer.
Below is the deck with the boat house on it to see if it would suit the area. I did not like the printed version of the roof, so I made my own from some surplus wood clapboard siding.
Here the deck has been “roughed “ up to represent a well worn wood deck.
Test fitted the placement of figures and all sorts of stuff ready for collection or shipment. The boat on the side was supposed to be used as a canopy over the doorway but did not use/like it.
Here the boat house has been weathered and temporarily positioned on the deck.
Same again in this photo. It can be seen very clearly that the figures needed to be toned down a bit. (using a black wash)
This photo was taken before I gave the figures a light black wash to get rid if the new clean look to them.
Behind the boat house attached, is another small deck where shipments brought in by boat are stored until ready to be taken to the upper level boat rental business.
Here is the boat rental business on the upper level. The stairs and railings on the right go down to the deck on the water level.
Unfortunately my measurements for the staircase were not the greatest (guess work) and the print ended up being too low.
3d model train boat house print:
Here it is, the correct height re-printed and test fitted. It may not look as though it is at the right height at the top but that is because of the angle that the photo was taken.
Supports were fitted under the intermediate deck and everything fitted perfectly.
A view from under the bridge making sure that the staircase looked like it should.
Another 3D printed deck (a bit narrower) where stock could be temporarily stored before taking it up to the businesses above. An officer in the boat checking to see if all is in order on the deck.
A new boat used as a ferry to fetch and carry passengers from across the water to here. Note the fisherman on right hand side middle in his small boat hoping to catch his next meal.
The finished bridge module showing the boat house, deck and the boat in position under the bridge. The fisherman’s shack on the right hand side was scratch built using wood. The boat captain will have to get a move on because there is a storm brewing in the background. I created the photo backdrop using AI (artificial intelligence) and had it printed at a local printshop. It is 1 meter long by 300mm high.
Once again Alastair – thank you for all the work that you do for the modelling fraternity.
That’s all for now.
Kind regards.
Brian – the HOn3 guy in Knysna.”
A huge big thanks to Brian for sharing his 3d model train boat house print.
He really is the gift that keeps giving (you can see his last post here, and more in the Hall of Fame).
And now, another gift.
Here’s the latest in the printable buildings (You can see more in the store).
For the moment, this one is completely free, no strings attached.
So if you like it, download it now, before it disappears.
That’s all for this time folks.
Please do keep ’em coming.
And if Brian has made you feel like leaving the comfort of your armchair and having some fun, the Beginner’s Guide is here.
Best
Al
PS More HO scale train layouts here if that’s your thing.
Need buildings for your layout? Have a look at the store.
They are great fun to make and great value too.




















Beautiful details tell a great story!
Super cool!
Now THAT is just beautiful modeling. Well done. The stairs took a minute! Really inspiring.
Thanks to Al for bringing us these great ideas of how to have fun.
Nancy from Gig Harbor
Some great modeling skills and techniques going on here. The details are amazing. You should be very proud of your efforts to bring such realism to these scenes.
Jim AZ
I love the look of the water
Brilliant! Excellent imagining, design, execution, touch up, photographing, and telling the tale! I would like to obtain one. How?
always like a layout with a water front rails and shipping go together .
He put a lot of time in that little piece of scenery and the effort showed. A great job!