This is another one of my slightly off the wall ones for the forums. Has anyone seen or know where I might find a diagram/blueprint/dimensions for the wood supports for the two impressive bridges that still exist to this day on the Central Montana Railroad (ex CMStP&P Pacific Extension) line from Lewistown to Denton, MT (the Missouri Breaks area of Montana)? If I ever get to expand my layout, I would like to replicate those bridges. The bridge itself I think can do with Micro Enginnering bridge sections, but the support structure is causing me a little bit of confusion. I have some skewers that might be the right idea to start with but I don't know.
As usual, any ideas/suggestions/assistance the forums can provide would be most welcomed.
Are these the bridges?
Spring Creek Trestle photo http://bridgehunter.com/mt/fergus/bh56302/
Judith River Trestle photo http://bridgehunter.com/mt/fergus/bh56301/
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Can't help you with diagrams or dimensions, but I'd suggest building the first one using dimensional styrene "lumber" from Evergreen, along with a generous application of styrene nbw castings. This allows much faster construction and, properly finished, will look better than using real wood, the grain of which doesn't scale-down very realistically.I'd use the same for the approach of the second bridge, and do the balance with Micro Engineering parts. The concrete portion could be done in styrene, too, or cast in plaster.
Wayne
DSchmitt Are these the bridges? Spring Creek Trestle photo http://bridgehunter.com/mt/fergus/bh56302/ Judith River Trestle photo http://bridgehunter.com/mt/fergus/bh56301/
Unfortunately, those aren't the ones in question.
doctorwayne Can't help you with diagrams or dimensions, but I'd suggest building the first one using dimensional styrene "lumber" from Evergreen, along with a generous application of styrene nbw castings. This allows much faster construction and, properly finished, will look better than using real wood, the grain of which doesn't scale-down very realistically.I'd use the same for the approach of the second bridge, and do the balance with Micro Engineering parts. The concrete portion could be done in styrene, too, or cast in plaster. Wayne
The skewers are small enough that I don't see any of the grain and they remind me of the "log" look of the bridges as I remember them.
I like MILW. history, so I took a "trip" via Google maps, and followed the line from Denton down to Lewiston. There are couple of smaller trestles that might be wood, but the biggest and most impressive wood structure is the one that is on the the Bridgehunter web site that DSchmitt link to, at Spring Creek. The other trestles are all steel.
You can enlarge the Spring Creek trestle, which I did by following the link, and get a great up-close view of the structure.
The much smaller trestles were probably a "pile trestle", using timber poles driven into the ground. I just Googled "Milwaukee Road pile trestles" and came up with quite a few pictures. Some of which were on the Pacific Ext., in Montana.
Mike.
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mbinsewi I like MILW. history, so I took a "trip" via Google maps, and followed the line from Denton down to Lewiston. There are couple of smaller trestles that might be wood, but the biggest and most impressive wood structure is the one that is on the the Bridgehunter web site that DSchmitt link to, at Spring Creek. The other trestles are all steel. You can enlarge the Spring Creek trestle, which I did by following the link, and get a great up-close view of the structure. The much smaller trestles were probably a "pile trestle", using timber poles driven into the ground. I just Googled "Milwaukee Road pile trestles" and came up with quite a few pictures. Some of which were on the Pacific Ext., in Montana. Mike.
If you look at the photos on bridgehunter you can see that the approach span to the Judith River Trestle is wood.
On the line between Spring Creek Jct and the BNSF at Moccasin there is another large steel trestle across the Judith River, a very small wood trestle and another larger wood trestle which is much smaller than Spring Creek and the two trestles across Judith Creek,
It has been a number of years ago when I was on that line (circa 2007-08) and my memory is probably faulty. The idea I am going for is paying homage to the trestles. I remember figuring that the bridge when selectively compressed (5:1) would scale down to 210 ft. I remember the next day, as it was fairly late by the time I got back home, that I punched up Walthers' site and found a ME 210' bridge that reminded me exactly of the bridge that I remembered. Given I was only able to see the bridges at a distance, I may have been in error that the structure was wood.
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When asking a question of the forum, when you get a response, its always a good thing to say "thanks" to those who contributed in answering your question.
It's called good manners.
That is very interesting. I retired from the commercial/industrial concrete trade, and I love form work! I could look at old construction pics, that show the form work all day long. I have to check out the site you linked to.
Thanks Mike, I'm glad someone appreciated the effort.