Link to my pictures of my new scratch built bridge.

[Anonymous]

http://www.trains.com/community/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=32725

[csxt30]

Sure enjoyed seeing your bridge! A real nice layout you are building & hope to see more pics. as you progess! Will help my buddy & I with our layouts. Thanks, John

[Anonymous]

Hey,

Very Nice. You have a gift for bridge building. I always thought I did too, because when I was little, I looked at a book on bridgs, and to compliment my wooden Thomas the Tank Engine Trains, I built a suspension bridge out of blocks, string, and tape.

I might rebuild the bridge for my layout soon to be built, but this time with nails and wire and real wood. Some toothpicks might do, and some long matchticks.

But, Really Really GREAT bridge,

Bert and Mary Poppins aka Nick

[FJ and G]

crossracer,

What did you use to attach the bents together?

Also, what did you use for the wood.

brief explanations will help others! Thanks

[Anonymous]

Ok, the bents are 1/'4 inch dowels. I used a piece of scrap insulation foam, 2", woodland scenics T pins, and elmers white glue. I had enlarged up some ho sized drawings, and then pinned it to the foam. THen it was a matter of laying out the dowels (a little exttra on each end), and using about 4 pins per dowel to hold it in place. After all six were in place, i followed the drawing underneith for attaching the outer wood pieces that bind it all together (1/16 X 3/16) ALl of this is bass wood.
I would use a pencil and carefully mark the bottom of each brace, then add a drop of glue to each dowel, then set thie brace on top and use more T pins to hold it down till it dried. Then i flipped it and did it again.
Now i have a rough bent, i used a new zona saw to square off the bottom and the top to the required height, then capped it with a horizonal brace. Again, elmers white glue did it all.
I stained them with miniwax ebony, loet that dry a day or so, then used a yankee drill to drill all the wholes for the castings from granditline. The castings were prepainted weathered black.
The big steel girders are from a atlas pratt truss bridge add on kit. They were sanded smooth at the ends,a nd still have the metal strenghting bars running thru them.
The track is atlas, with the plastic ties removed. I use a couple of the pieces of the plastic track to hold the tracks shape upsidedown, tne use gap filling superglue by zap to glue on the ties. Once done, i flip it, and cut all the ends to the same lenght. THe glue is great, however i perfer to add the extra security of spiking it down also. This i predrill the holes,a nd use a pair of needle nose pliers to set in the lifelike spikes.
Then i measures, glued the bents into place first with white glue, then the girders went on with superglue. THen i instlled my premade track, using both white glue where it is wood on wood,and superglue 5 minute glue where it was wood on plastic.
Trimmed up the ends, fit in my atlas bridge, and done. Now i can start detailing the area under it with roads and such.

Hope this helps. BIll

[FJ and G]

thanks; great work!