I mentioned before my son and I decided to build a modest sized model railroad. We needed a bridge for one location and I (being cheap) felt the commercially available bridges were too expensive. So, with about 8 bucks in Balsa wood and some glue I put together my version of a King Post bridge. I found some good photos of both real and models and freelanced my own version. I'm sure an engineer would look at mine and say "that wouldn't hold up a person in real life" but who cares! I'm happy with the results. Here's the beginning stages:
If you ever built balsa planes as a kid, you'll remember how fragile this stuff is!
Further progress:
Here is the finished bridge. The support wires are single strands of copper electrical wire. The "anchors" are pins cut down to about 3/16". It was a biatch doing this part! The weathering was achieved by diluting black and tan acrylic paint (from the dollar store!) with water. The photo's were taken on my deck. The weathering matches pretty well! We are modelling the "transitional era" of both CP and CN. Here's my SW1500 locomotive in early CN livery testing out the bridge!
This was my first attempt at scratch building a bridge. Nothing fancy but I am happy with the results. Total build time with painting was about 2.5 hours.
I'm looking forward to when I get to the point I can build a new car dealership!
Nice Job!! And it was inexpensive, always a good thing!!!
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1960 Pontiac Strato Chief Safari 1960 Laurentian Safari 1960 Laurentian 4door(scrapped) 2001 Grand Am Traded on a '96 Suburban 2WD 2002 Hyundai Accent(SOLD) 1968 Grand Parisienne Scrapped and SOLD
I'm looking forward to when I get to the point I can build a new car dealership!
Todd
Looks awesome Todd! Got that era correct feel to it to match that old switcher!! While I never did that kind of bridge building, mine were less involved and usually covered. I like the car dealer idea, but an OLD car dealer would be a much nicer touch!!! The one thing I ran into mine is that as I expanded and got different rolling stock, I had to "blast" out more of the bridge or tunnel because the stock got higher and wider. Example would be my car haulers. They are really high and in the pics below you can see how much of a difference they are with both a switcher and an SD-45. But if you are using the switcher, it must be off the main line and regular rolling stock looks like it won't be an issue!!!
Just wanted to add a touch of GM in here as well!!!
-- Edited by 67Poncho on Monday 18th of May 2009 02:31:14 PM
Great stuff Vincent. I'm modeling the late 50's so there will be the odd obsolete steamer. With this era most of my rolling stock will be 40 footers. There's a couple of good looking used car lot kits that I may end up going that route then I can have a mix of cars. My next job will be creating the river that the bridge goes over. I'm using pink foam insulation as my base instead of plywood. It's great to work with as you can carve out the river, ditches etc.
Very cool stuff guys. I never got into railroads or racetracks as heavily. I did do model kits though, got a bunch at my dad's that need to be built. I haven't done one in years.
Very cool stuff guys. I never got into railroads or racetracks as heavily. I did do model kits though, got a bunch at my dad's that need to be built. I haven't done one in years.
Same here, never into the trains and race cars, Plastic was where it was at....Or maybe it was the smell of the Glue?????
-- Edited by sixtywagon on Thursday 21st of May 2009 10:28:44 PM
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1960 Pontiac Strato Chief Safari 1960 Laurentian Safari 1960 Laurentian 4door(scrapped) 2001 Grand Am Traded on a '96 Suburban 2WD 2002 Hyundai Accent(SOLD) 1968 Grand Parisienne Scrapped and SOLD
Very cool stuff guys. I never got into railroads or racetracks as heavily. I did do model kits though, got a bunch at my dad's that need to be built. I haven't done one in years.
Same here, never into the trains and race cars, Plastic was where it was at....Or maybe it was the smell of the Glue?????
-- Edited by sixtywagon on Thursday 21st of May 2009 10:28:44 PM
I worked for the railroad for 36 years and never got into trains. But lots of guys at work did. Same as you plastic kits.
Collected these to build when I retire, no excuse now.
That should keep you busy. I kind of laugh at our shuttle drivers at work. They are retired and "bored" so they come in and get stressed out driving customers home in rush hour traffic. I am sure that if I ever manage to retire I'll find lots to keep me busy!
I will be semi- retired in three yrs and i know i have alot to keep me busy also. I might do a body off resto and i love doing models also, but i'll have to get you guys to send them down to me or bring them when you vacation at my place in mexico!! Now if i could build a train set that would go into the fridge and bring me a beer i'd be all over that!! hmmm, my father in law could probally figure it out, i'll have to run that by him.
Cool! HO I assume? We are into N scale, get lots more in limited space (no basements in Florida).
Here's the layout I built:
It's in a coffee table (glass top), can run 2 trains simultaneously over 8 track blocks, eleven powered switches including one 3-way, a reversing loop, a town with a Florida home (orange trees and swimming pool), train stations, farm, a bit of industry, lower right is a pine tree forest with a bunch of deer (no hunter yet, though, so the venison will have to wait), and for Carl, in the upper right is a junk yard.
Also (can't see in the pictures) a hobo under the viaduct with a campfire. I suppose I should refer to him as a homeless person but hobo says a bit more, I think, you can picture him enjoying his riding the rails ..
Spend more time in the garage nowadays though ..
Dave
-- Edited by davelacourse on Friday 22nd of May 2009 11:16:46 AM
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1956 Pontiac Pathfinder 2dr sedan, 496 - dyno'd 545 hp, stick shift, 4.11 posi - Hot Rod
That's great Dave. I have a just-about-new Atlas N scale loco with about 9 cars (inc caboose) for sale. If you are interested just PM me.
Actually we are thinning our collection, at last count we still had just over 1,000 cars and locos, have to make room for more car parts, so no, thanks!
Dave
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1956 Pontiac Pathfinder 2dr sedan, 496 - dyno'd 545 hp, stick shift, 4.11 posi - Hot Rod
Ian is that an original mid 60's MPC "Hemi Under Glass" or a repro?
I've got an original unbuilt IMC "Little Red Wagon", also have the Lindberg one to build. Got some Johan models too, not originals though.
Its the repro and they made a huge mistake with the box. Picture shows a 69 but the kit is a 66. I bought the amt 69 Muscle kit just for the body, incase I want to do the 69 version. Good to keep that IMC kit unbuilt and boxed, build the Lindberg kit.
Yeah the nice thing is Lindberg got the tooling for the original at least. What are you going to do with the 66? Do they even make a kit to build it on now? I'm hoping to find an old Revell 82 Trans Am that's the T top car, or the MPC kit that has the t tops, not the Knight Rider one. I do have an 83 Monogram car, and the Knight Rider car just needs the stock bumpers and interior.
Yeah the nice thing is Lindberg got the tooling for the original at least. What are you going to do with the 66? Do they even make a kit to build it on now? I'm hoping to find an old Revell 82 Trans Am that's the T top car, or the MPC kit that has the t tops, not the Knight Rider one. I do have an 83 Monogram car, and the Knight Rider car just needs the stock bumpers and interior.
Not a T top but Model Express has a MPC 82 Firebird. Check the site out, they stock old and new kits good prices in Canadian funds . They are in BC.
1956 Pontiac Pathfinder 2dr sedan, 496 - dyno'd 545 hp, stick shift, 4.11 posi - Hot Rod