Ballasting the track on bridges.

[lyle_styles]

I have one of the Lionel Bridges with the blinking light on top, (not sure of the product number) and am wondering how the railroads would have ballasted the track on the bridge?

Or would it be better for me to post a message at the Trains magazine forum?

Also I am interested on how others have done their trackwork on bridges.

At this time the cork roadbed and track are not fastened to the bridge deck in any way and I was thinking that I might not have to do any fastening due to it being only a couple lengths of track on the bridge.

Thank you kindly,
Lyle R Ehlers

[FJ and G]

Are U trying to be prototypical? A blinking light normally isn't on a small bridge. I've seen smaller bridges ballast but larger bridges in my former trespassing excursions, are not ballasted and if you cross one (which you certainly shouldn't), you shouldn't look down or you will see the raging river between the ties.

[Anonymous]

Bridges of iron construction ( I'm assuming from your discription that this is a truss style bridge) had open framework below the track, requiring no ballast. Ties rested only on steel girders that ran parallel to the rails. The only examples of bridges I know of that do use ballast are stone and concrete arch viaducts.

Bruce Webster

[gvdobler]

I think that the whole idea of ballast is to keep the track inplace. On a bridge you have something to achor the track to, therefore most bridges would have no ballast.

[mickey4479]

I have an early edition of a Lionel metal bridge with a light, but it does not blink. The Bridge is truss bridge but like many Lionel structures is not prototypical, in that the bottom of the bridge is solid metal with no openings. I have an atlas bridge which is more prototypical. The Atlas bridge has open framework on the deck like an actual bridge. I did put cork on my Lionel bridge deck not to provide a ballast but to deaden the sound when trains go over it. I cannot think of an actual truss bridge that would not have ballast to hold the tracks but who knows?

[Dr. John]

Most bridges do not have ballast. Exceptions are ballasted pile bridges and, as has been mentioned, some stone viaducts.

[CSX FAN]

Lyle

I would have to say if you have a solid base on the bridge and don't want to look at it go ahead and ballast it. I have a couple of over passes and I ballasted them. I based this on the Union Station over passes coming and going are ballasted. I would say that your bridge shouldn't of had a metal bottom. My Hell gate and Bascule are open bottomed.

jamie

[lyle_styles]

Hello and thanks for the replies. I am going to try and post a couple pictures to show kind of what I am doing. This is my first attempt at this picture thing. Oh boy, LOL

The bridge is the Lionel Truss Bridge with Flasher and Piers. (6-12772) I have not hooked up the light yet but it's advertised as Flashing top-mounted beacon in the 2005 Volume 2 catalog from Lionel.

The bridge does have a metal plate for a base.

Well here I go trying the picture thing.

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6df38b3127cce9695de78217c00000010101Act2bhw0Ysa

http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b6df38b3127cce9695df63e0cf00000010101Act2bhw0Ysa

Thank you,
Lyle R Ehlers

[lyle_styles]

Oh boy, how do you guys get your pictures on your posts without having it showing up as a link?

I'm sure this has been asked a ton here but I couldn't find the answer through CTT's help or FAQ area. Sorry,

Thanks,
Lyle R Ehlers

[Buckeye Riveter]

For photo posting instructions see this web page: http://www.cuppleshobby.com/photoposting_instruct/

[mickey4479]

It is up to you of course. As I said, previously, I just placed cork on the bridge base. From your pictures, that would do for me.

[gvdobler]

If you put the following in front of your link img (in brackets) and [/img] at the end they will show up in your post.

[gvdobler]

Like this

You might save the picture a little bigger first.

[lyle_styles]

Thanks to all for helping with the picture posting troubles. I had forgotten the .

Here are two pictures of the ballasting I am doing and another picture of the bridge. I saw a picture from a trains calender yesterday that showed a train coming off a truss bridge and it shows the track on wood ties only going over the bridge.





I believe I will leave the cork roadbed underneath the track for sound deadening purposes and then maybe I could fill in the gap to the outside of the base with some simulated planking for a walkway to cover-up the metal base.

I am not trying to be prototypical with the scenery but just want this layout to look like I know what the heck I am doing. LOL

During my last two years of High School, (30 years ago) I had completed the trackwork and wiring for a HO layout and could run up to four trains at once with the block wiring scheme but when it came time to do the scenery, I got bored and sold it all. Two reasons I believe for this was that the whole scenery project was way over my head and the drinking age was only 18 then. LOL

Again thanks to all for your super help and maybe I'll try my luck with posting some pictures on the Sunday Photo fun posts.

Have a great weekend all, [:)]
Lyle R Ehlers

[lyle_styles]

Here is a bit of irony.

I just received the March issue of CTT today and in the Photo Album section on page 14-15, there is a picture of a F3 crossing a gorge on a double track mainline with a truss bridge and another bridge without railings (not sure what it is named) next to it where both tracks are ballasted.

The ballast continues over the bridge without a railing but the F3 is blocking the track on the truss bridge. Still a super photo.

Lyle R Ehlers

[Buckeye Riveter]

This is a photo of a new bridge I worked on in Northern Ohio. It is ballasted. Not all bridges are ballasted.

[BR60103]

Locally, it appears that the girder bridges (concrete girders, but what the...) over streets are ballasted. The older bridges over rivers seem to have the track built in to them.
I have noticed that moving from ballasted track to a solid structure produces a bit of a bump in the ride.