I am modeling a large deck plate girder bridge on my HO scale layout based on a prototype located on the former C&O. The girders for this bridge are huge – probably 12-ft deep and have a span of somewhere in the 100-ft range. I haven't been able to find any kits in HO scale that are anywhere near this big, so I'm turning my thoughts toward scratchbuilding it.

That led me to wondering if I could start with O scale girders. I found these O scale resin girders from Scenery Express which seem to be a good fit dimensionally...

Progress is coming along on the Burbank Branch with a new scratch build, this time of the Oroweat Bakery that was once active in the San Fernando Valley. This build is my modern take on the actual buildings, and while I had previously built the same structures to be near identical to the prototype, I wanted something that filled out the space a bit better. Without further ado...

First, The Prototype (photos by Terry Guy on flickr)

I’ve been working on an approach for my backdrop and was planning to practice painting techniques for clouds and terrain. At the same time I’ve been working on a children’s book with a talented local illustrator over the last several months and she graciously offered her talent to create my backdrop. Incredible!