BNSF coal gon or engine length?

[ChadLRyan]

I am glad that it may have helped, I have a Diesel Spotters Guide (2008) I will have to try a few more, as I look at it so much, I will eventually rub & smudge off some of the important text!

I hope your bridge project goes well, & again, please put up updates! Would love to see it! 

[NTheBasement]

Chad, from the lengths you gave I arrive at upright-to-upright distances of 34.75 feet from the SD70MAC and 35.5 feet from the GE ES44.  I am very happy because on my drawing the bridge uprights are 35.5 feet OC.

So... I have two N-scale coal gon models with 14 panels, a DeLuxe Innovations J/A Coalporter and a Microtrains Johnstown Coalporter.  I assume they model they same thing although the Microtrains is a bit longer than the DeLuxe.  My best guess on the apparent discrepency is somebody else manufactures 14 panel bathtub coal gons?

Thanks everyone for the help!  I hope to have the bridge completed long before spring.

[NTheBasement]

The "estimate" on Mr. Week's site matches the ruler on Google Earth, which has an amazingly detailed view of the bridge.  But... I have reason to believe it may not be correct.

A little history of my efforts to date:

• I am looking for a bridge to span my layout's duck under.  I chose this one by length and because it is relatively new, which means no lattice work.  I don't think I can model lattice.
• From Google Earth's ruler I got all the horizontal dimensions that I needed.
• From a photo showing a water height gage on the bridge's pier I got a vertical dimension.
• With a calculator and lots of measurements from printed web photos, I calculated the rest of the vertical dimensions.
• I drew a measured drawing in N-scale.
• Note the picture at the top of my post is a rare (and very valuable to me) straight on shot, not angled like most.  I grabbed a coal gon and laid it on the drawing.  The coal gon does not extend as far on my drawing as it does in the photo.  Oops. I am 5% too big on my dimensions, and the bridge is more like 400 feet long, not 425.

My N-scale gon has 14 panels just like the one in the photo, but it could be there are two models out there with different lengths.  Hence the post.

[doctorwayne]

I found the info you were seeking with a simple google search:

 

Missouri River railroad bridge at Sioux City, Iowa.

 

Wayne

[ChadLRyan]

Hello, & welcome to the forums!

In this case & in my (semi-novice) eye I would say that the units are;

Lead:  an EMD SD70MAC with a coupler to coupler length of 74 feet

2nd:    a GE ES44xx, almost all the North American ES44's are 73'2" centered on couplers.

I could not make out the engine numbers on the units to reverse reference them, so I used grille placement & dimentions, & other features to 'estimate' what they are. I cannot begin to identify the hoppers.

If anyone has any other suggestions please advise.  Thanks!

Please post your progress on your bridge project, mine in here a few weeks back, good luck! 

[NTheBasement]

Is there an expert out there who can identify these engines or these coal gons and tell me the length?  I want to model the bridge and if I know the length I can figure out the dimensions of the bridge.

http://www.pbase.com/sanoyes/image/74720179

I need the length between two features that are identifiable in the photo, like front to back bulkheads on the gondolas or two points on the engines.