Printins Direct

Printins Direct: 3D printing from Crewe with a sideline in model railway gauges

Printins Direct is a Cheshire-based business working in two connected areas: made-to-order 3D printed products and professional 3D printing services. Its own presentation places the company in Crewe, Cheshire, and frames the service around turning customer ideas into printed objects, whether chosen from an existing range or developed as a custom piece.

The most developed part of its catalogue is a family of track alignment tools for 00/H0 scale model railways, sold under the Printins Rail Store name. These are precision gauges rather than rolling stock, aimed at anyone laying flexi-track or fixed track who needs consistent curves, parallel spacing and reliable pinning points.

The Radius Curve system for 00/H0 track

The core product is a modular set of radius gauges measured from the centre of the track. The full set covers the first four radii — 371 mm, 438 mm, 505 mm and 571.5 mm — and is supplied with a 250 mm straight gauge plus spacing gauges for 67 mm track centres in two-way, three-way and four-way versions. An extension pack adds the fifth to eighth radii at 638 mm, 705 mm, 771.5 mm and 838.5 mm, again with a straight gauge and the same three spacing gauges. A Mega Pack bundles all eight radii with the straight and spacing gauges.

Individual components are also listed separately, including the 250 mm straight gauge and the 1st radius curve gauge at 371 mm. The straight gauge is described as accommodating spacing at both 67 mm and 51 mm distances.

How the gauges are designed

Three design elements recur across the range. Each gauge has a sloped end with an integrated locating slot between the rails, so it seats quickly on the track and holds position while alignment, marking and pinning are carried out. The underside carries a rail channel that grips both rails of flexi or fixed track, letting the gauge slide along the track to find pinning points while limiting lateral movement. On top, a rail interface accepts the separate spacing gauges, which is how parallel multi-track layouts at standard 67 mm centres are set out.

The company states that the gauges have been tested for compatibility with Hornby Setrack, Hornby Streamline and Peco Code 100 track, and that the system is intended to work for both simple curves and more complex multi-track arrangements.

Custom radii and bespoke gauge sets

Beyond the standard radii, Printins Direct offers custom radius and track gauges produced to a customer's own layout requirements, and invites enquiries for bespoke track alignment solutions. This custom work sits alongside the broader 3D printing service advertised on the site, which covers both the company's own printed products and printing carried out on behalf of customers.

Prices and availability at the time of writing

The catalogue indicated the following prices when this profile was drafted: the full radius curve set at £19.99, the extension pack at £19.99, the Mega Pack at a sale price of £35.00 against an original £37.99, the straight gauge at £5.99 and the 1st radius curve gauge at a sale price of £5.99 against £7.99. The product listings shown were marked as sold out.

The company notes that the Radius Curve and its design are copyright protected and remain the property of Printins Direct.