Small bridges for many applications

This is a more or less direct pick up from the original archived post but it might be new to some.

Please excuse my less than fantastic computer drawing capabilities from a few years ago:


These plaster cast, highly detailed model railroad tunnel portals can make for some great looking bridges, viaducts and culverts in 1/35th scale! (These are VERY available in most ALL the popular scales.)

One note concerning the use of stone arches for railway bridges:
Stone arches for railway bridges (viaducts actually) usually will employ the semi-circular (half round) arches rather than these extended “oval” arches as shown above.

The half-round archways will support more weight and serve better to transfer the downward loads through the masonry to the support columns. (As seen in the photos immediately below.)


Photo Credit: Woodland Scenics Hobby Products

Here I have done considerable digital retouch editing to this image which started out as just the single tunnel porthole casting as shown just above it.
This is intended to show how a lengthily stone viaduct might be built for your model railroad.
Cut one or both ends off the tunnel portal casting and build an extended RR viaduct.


A sketch I did a few years back for a possible long roadway viaduct using six of the above castings as a building module. All that is needed is to sand the ends of these hydrical moldings square and smooth in order to butt any number of them together to make for a longer bridge.


Spielberg’s “Alamo Bridge” under construction for the movie “Saving Private Ryan”. (This modular, temporary bridge structure was manufactured by the same British firm who now owns, rents and sells the modern version of the “Bailey Bridge”.)


And finally a similar stone arch bridge from a popular video game.


A tiny tunnel portal in N Scale being used in S scale as a culvert under the tracks.
I still have a couple of stone angled wing walls yet to add. (If I can find what I did with them!)
(Sorry ~ Not some of my best work but it illustrates the point.)

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Another direct pickup from the much earlier archived post:


Small scale bridge trusses, Repurposed as roof trusses in the large scales:*

Something I also wanted to mention would be that the smaller scale RR truss bridges, such as the N Scale Warren Truss Bridges would make for excellent roof support trusses when building factory, industrial or motor pool diorama structures in 1/35th or larger scales.

Here is a model system using laser cut wood or heavy card stock that I recently found on eBay. While this particular building system may not be the best on realism, it does provide a good illustration for what I had in mind.

I am considering doing such a dio with my M4 High Speed Tractor to which I have added considerable engine detail. This cut-away motor pool setting would allow me to realistically set the ammo storage box to the side and expose the added detail of the engine.


I plan to pose the ammo storage locker of my HST as being off-set onto turret stands while work progresses on the M4’s engine.


Nice little A-frame, chain hoist, gantry crane I can model as well.


Another “Motor Pool” shop example. (Photo found on line ~ author/modeler unknown.)

Beautiful work seen here! Kudos.

Wartime photo I tried to find earlier:

This shows another possible Military Scale (1/35th) usage for my recent HO reenforced center bridge pier.

Made using two TYCO stock HO bridge piers combined by using some Evergreen strip!

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Mike, great examples and sources. Thanks for finding that photo. I’ve tried to find it too.

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Done.

Thanks

Some useful/helpful information over here for the Military Scale (1/35th) modeler:

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Just today I encountered what must be Atlas’ latest revision and I will say I was quite pleasantly surprised.

Atlas has now included a rather nicely done new bridge deck molded in a deep brown wood color. They now offer this deck with a choice of either Code 83 or Code 100 rail (Caution: as these come in entirely separate boxes.) AND now with very nicely molded in bridge track guard rails as well.

Atlas looses Brownie points for not leaving open voids between each bridge tie, and also for skipping that very nice open floor X truss molding that some of their competitors offer.


Contents of Box:

  • Instructions
  • Two Side Truss Moldings
  • One Deck Molding
  • Eight Gusset Plates
  • Two pieces of rail (Either Code 83 or Code 100) Selection is marked on outside of box.
  • Two Rail Joiners
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I did find a photo online of what the earlier Atlas bridge deck looked like.

The new bridge deck IS an improvement over the old one.

I was mistaken: ~ Stuff happens.

I have of late, been making some critical statements that compared what I thought was Atlas’ older style Warren Thru Truss Bridge with Atlas’ latest revised offering.
I was mistaken in that I had been INCORRECTLY comparing the newest Atlas product with the much older TYCO product.

I was comparing Apples to Oranges ~ my bad ~ and for that I apologize!

.
However, I still maintain that the much older TYCO offering is considerably more realistic and visually interesting than the new ATLAS boxing.
.


Here shown below is a completed TYCO thru truss bridge model with its’ much more realistic and correct open “see through” style of model construction.

The one possible acceptation I could see is when such a bridge crosses over a frequently used public road.
The construction crews MIGHT add a layer of sheet metal directly under the ties to keep rocks and oil from falling onto the cars below.

This massive RJ Corman RR girder bridge (Ex-C&O) crosses over a busy State Highway and the design engineers still saw no need to add a solid floor here.

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Now I see exactly what you were describing in the above post with that new purchased kit. :+1:t3:

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. . . and yet another Bridge Project Rises from the ole’ LHS Junk Bin:

To start - the very available Lionel “Blinking Light” truss bridge in HO.
Only problems are: it’s warped, broken in a few places and missing its’ end gussets and the entire bottom track deck is nowhere to be found.

Alas, but enter a lone deck plate from an old Tyco thru truss bridge with no other parts to call its’ own.

It is Kismet, Love at first sight!


OK, well maybe not Kismet, but with a little patching, a little shimming, a little twisting and clamping and things are starting to look up. I figure I can scratch build the simple end gussets and the Atlas deck can be made to work with the Lionel box truss.

So . . . here we go!

Interesting and brief guide to basic bridge construction terms from the Arizona Department of Transportation:

Repairs complete, painting and weathering complete.

I still have to build those simple end gussets and then on to final assembly.

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Another Bridge Project in the Making:
One of my now typical thru truss bridges but this time with an Atlas stone bridge pier first cut down shorter and then cut in half to form two stone retaining walls at each end of a small steel bridge.

(Some serious weathering is in the future for those two stone retaining walls!)

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This is the bridge section of the NOCH Victoria Mine. Laser-cut cardstock.







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From “Grand Central Gems:” - Pre-built, all wood. trestle bents ~ All Scales:

Seen just yesterday at the local hobbyshop! ~ these would have uses for modeling military subjects as well. Small walking bridges, the large O scale items might make for small, one lane vehicle bridges as well.

Modeler’s Note: Gems should also offer bags of matching stained wood cross timbers as well.


***Link to Gems Website:

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Michael, thanks for showing us these. These look really sharp.

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I recall the road that goes under bridge, an old car is stuck in a tree over the bank. Still there?

You may be confusing High Bridge on the Norfolk Southern with Tyrone High Bridge, seen here. Both are in this same area. However I am not familiar with the story of a car going over the edge.

This is an image of “High Bridge” on the Norfolk Southern just South of Lexington, KY.

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