H0 scale Smeatons-Tower lighthouse

Purpose

The lighthouse is designed for 1:87 scale model railway layouts.

 Prototype

Smeaton’s Tower stands on Plymouth Hoe (Devon county, South West England) as a memorial to its creator, John Smeaton. Engineer John Smeaton’s design was based on the shape of an oak tree and built out of Cornish granite and Portland stone. Smeaton’s design inspired the blueprints for many lighthouses.

 The Kit

There are three STL files: one for the white components, one for the red components and one transparent Fresnel lens that is not part of the prototype. The kit includes a jig to help glue the 120-degree window joints.

 Print Settings

·        Quality -> Wall Generator: Arachne (essential for printing thin lines and fine details)

·        Quality -> Seam position: Random (to avoid vertical lines on the cilinders)

·        Supports & AMS: No supports or AMS are required for any of the components.

 Dimensions

• Height: 300 mm

• Bottom Diameter: 94 mm

 Assembly Instructions

1.        Paint and Prep: Once all parts are printed, you can paint them before final assembly, if desired.

 2.        Fit Openings: Insert the windows and doors. They should fit snugly into place, though minor fitting or cleanup of the openings may occasionally be required.

 3.        Assemble Windows: Glue the six large windows together using the 120-degree gluing jig for alignment.

 4.        Rails: Glue together the two ends of the railings running around the terrace. (Requires patience)

 5.        Construct Walls: Build up the walls. There is an insert to center the terrace and the lantern room. Another six-sided polygon insert helps keep the windows centered. Align the walls properly so that the 3 windows above each-other are in one vertical line.

 6.        Final Details: Glue the railings, roof, the entrance ladder and the remaining components in placein place.

 Note: All components are human-created, though the thumbnails and some of the images are AI-generated.