MAGNETIC MINI CHRISTMAS TRAIN (Patreon)

IMPORTANT UPDATE 2025-12-02: For reasons beyond my control, the project, having been created with an older version of Bambu Studio, opens with numerous errors in the latest version of Bambu Studio. I therefore reworked the entire project in the latest version of Bambu Studio, reconfiguring all color changes and applying the settings. Everything should be in order now. ALSO: Once again, for some unknown reason, the snow was missing from the Box Car in the project published yesterday. I have redone the STL file and updated the Box Car project; the snow should be there this time. Sorry about all this, everyone! I hope it didn't cause you too much trouble. Thank you for your understanding!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hello everyone! I hope you're all doing well!

A quick little model for you tonight to tide you over until the release of the more elaborate models!

I've been asked several times if it's possible to have a small Christmas train. A small one, that doesn't take long to print and that could be placed in an office, on a small mantelpiece, a windowsill, or any other small space.

Well, here it is! Unlike the Gingerbread Train, this one is tiny, simple to make, and can be placed virtually anywhere.

You can also make it any length you like. The cars are attached to each other magnetically. Small magnets hold the cars in place, so you can change the train's configuration as you wish! Add more cars, change the order, and still have some articulation between them.

You can scale the project to a bigger size if you want without problem. Just keep in mind the size of the magnets will be different. But the couplers are super simple, and its easy to make some modifications using modifiers inside your slicer to accomodate your larger magnets.

The project obviously prints without supports, and I've tried to keep the number of parts to a minimum. There is, however, some assembly required, as with 90% of my projects.

The red trims are just a tiny bit tricky to put in place for one reason; they go inside a small tapered cavity. But because the thing is so small, the tapered edges are very tiny. So take your time and center the part correctly. Again; Dry fit checks (without glue) are your best friends when assembling my projects!

In the near future, I will try to provide those who enjoy painting with a version that requires little to no assembly. However, I want to work through a few updates on other projects first. I will need to test the model train afterward to ensure everything is working correctly, so I want to proceed with the updates first.

The rest is very similar to all my projects.

The STL files are all oriented correctly for printing, Bambu Lab project files are included for each element, and the color changes are already set up within the project files.

It's important to remember that the color changes are by layers and not painted into the Bambu Lab files. Therefore, you must slice the plate first to see the color changes in the preview window.

That being said, I believe the only truly important piece of advice I need to give you is this: Pay attention to the polarity of your magnets, their orientation, and the orientation of the couplers. Some couplers face up, others down.

For your assembly, you will need small 4x2mm magnets like these:

https://a.co/d/jlTOwh5

The number of magnets will depend on the number of train cars you are going to print.

Since the magnets are not all exactly identical, some of your wheels might not touch the ground by a fraction of millimeter or so. This isn't a big deal and is barely noticeable, especially if you place your train on a soft surface like in my photos. So don't get too hung up on this detail! ;) In my case, only one wheel was pulled upwards by the magnets, but it was very, very barely visible. I would say 1mm. What is really important is to glue the couplers straight.

So I'll leave you with this mini-project while I finish the others that require more work!

Other small projects, like ornaments, are also coming soon! In a day or two.

Have fun in the meantime, friends, but above all, take care of yourselves!!!

I'll be back very soon!

Pascal