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Progress report on Micro Engineering bridge project.....finally some scenery too Journals/Blogs
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MRH Author 5,522 posts Michael Tondee MRH Author 5,522 posts
Michael Tondee

It's not much scenery, just stark white plaster, but since scenery is my favorite part of the hobby, anything is better than nothing. I finally made enough progress on my 210 ft. ME Tall Steel Viaduct that I feel I can post some shots. Took me forever to get this far.....

idge%202.jpg 

 

idge%201.jpg 

The 210 ft. bridge kit is actually not designed to be built with a radius as tight as my curves are which is 22 inches  but I overcame that by making the first couple of sections on the left straight and that shortened the span through the curve. The footings are homemade. I cast them with plaster using a mold made from a plastic sign after getting much help and suggestions from forum members here. Thanks again guys! I considered individual footing for each leg but decided to make some like the ones pictured on the front of the kit box. I have no idea what the prototype might be for them and I don't really care. They are what I like best and they are now the type MY railroad uses. BTW, scenery is good old fashioned plaster of paris  with a little bit of lemon juice ( for the citric acid) used as a retarder. The support method is combination of blue foam in some areas around and under the towers and cardboard webbing held together with hot glue most everywhere else. There is also wadded newspaper employed in a few areas. I like to use a variety of techniques.

There is still much work to be done including bridge track installation, weathering and lots of rock molds on the near vertical gorge wall  behind the bridge. The area below the bridge is intended to be a river. The bridge track is next in line though and it will not be long before my GP-7 is dragging coal hoppers across "McClanahan Gorge"! Thanks for looking at my blog folks and happy modeling....

Regards,

Michael

Michael, A.R.S. W4HIJ

 Model Rail, electronics experimenter and "mad scientist" for over 50 years.

Member of  "The Amigos" and staunch disciple of the "Wizard of Monterey"

My Pike: The Blackwater Island Logging&Mining Co.
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IrishRover Prolific poster 1,660 posts
IrishRover

NICE!!

That is some bridge!  I look forward to seeing it as things progress!
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dwtc55 New member 9 posts
dwtc55

Looks great

Off to a great start. Liked the comment on "MY" railroad. Your exactly right build what "YOU" want that is the most important part Dusty Tyler Rock Island
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MRL Trains New member 20 posts
MRL Trains

Excellent

Looks great! Keep up the great work!

I feel your pain regarding the radius.  I will be building a similar but  longer curved trestle using the ME kits.  Using Autocad I determined a minimum radius of 35" for  my version of the Austin Creek trestle on the Mullan pass. I was hoping for 32" but that won't allow the the ties to fit between the raised edges on the ballasted deck.  

Did you put any type of reinforcement inside between the girder that spans from end to end? Similar to a strip of road bed?  Because mine will be 13 sections with 6 towers, I was thinking of building on a sheet metal strip below the ballasted deck to help hold it all together. Any thoughts on that since you already build  yours?

Thanks,

Chris Heili

 
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Michael Tondee MRH Author 5,522 posts
Michael Tondee

No reinforcement

Quote:

Did you put any type of reinforcement inside between the girder that spans from end to end? Similar to a strip of road bed?  Because mine will be 13 sections with 6 towers, I was thinking of building on a sheet metal strip below the ballasted deck to help hold it all together. Any thoughts on that since you already build  yours?

No I built mine straight from the kit as per the directions. When you are putting them together at first, things feel a bit flimsy and the  plastic bracing that goes between the plate girders seems especially fragile. You have to be careful. The tower plastic seems tougher and the towers go together nicely. Once the whole thing is together and in place on the layout, it feels nice and sturdy. I don't think it would survive a "judo chop" down on the middle of it but it seems strong enough.  I do plan to attach a small fairly narrow shelf protruding from the fascia just under the gorge area. It will  be a place to put things down while operating but will also act as a buffer and not allow me to step too close into the  bridge.

When I was in N scale, I used a metal yardstick for the basis of a long span of plate girders.  I just CAe'd ME plate girders to the sides of the yardstick and it worked quite well for that style of bridge. There was also an article in MR awhile back where Tony Koester used a piece of aluminum channel to make a long straight girder bridge on his layout. I know that probably was quite sturdy. For something as long as you are planning, some type of extra support might not be a bad idea IMO.  Building it curved will be the catch because you will have to figure and cut the angles on whatever you use as support. I've never been very good at doing that.  I actually figured the amount I had to cut my plastic girders by eye by laying them on the existing track and roadbed. It was only after I had the girders cut and the sections assembled and was sure they followed the curve radius that I cut the existing track and plywood sub roadbed away.

Michael

Michael, A.R.S. W4HIJ

 Model Rail, electronics experimenter and "mad scientist" for over 50 years.

Member of  "The Amigos" and staunch disciple of the "Wizard of Monterey"

My Pike: The Blackwater Island Logging&Mining Co.
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Andrewc New member 5 posts
Andrewc

Thanks

Thanks for sharing this Michael. I've just completed the same kit and will shortly be installing onto a portable module. Looking forward to seeing the scenery progress.
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Michael Tondee MRH Author 5,522 posts
Michael Tondee

Pics please!

Quote:

Thanks for sharing this Michael. I've just completed the same kit and will shortly be installing onto a portable module. Looking forward to seeing the scenery progress.

 Great! Please be sure and let us see some pics of your progress as well!

Michael

Michael, A.R.S. W4HIJ

 Model Rail, electronics experimenter and "mad scientist" for over 50 years.

Member of  "The Amigos" and staunch disciple of the "Wizard of Monterey"

My Pike: The Blackwater Island Logging&Mining Co.
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