Edit post

Edit your reply below.

Post Body
Enter your post below.
You said you need to span over a yard next to your steel mill and then clear a three feet walkway and that you believe the overall length will need to be about six feet. I am curious how high this track will be over the steel mill complex? To make it cheap, I would want to make it appear to be a steel plate (deck) girder viaduct, but that won't get you over the steel mill unless my mental picture of your mill is mixed up. "ndbprr" alluded to my recommendation. I would rip both sides off a 2x4 making a piece of wood a little less than 2.75 inches wide. Then you need to paint it flat black. After that, get some 50' girder four packs sold by MEI. Glue the bottom flange cover plates on the girders and paint them the color of your typical RR girder bridge (I use an aluminum color). Next, glue these girders to both sides of the 2x2.75 so the top flange is just barely above the top surface of the wood. Then get some Plastruct sheet and cut strips the same width as the top flange from the sheet (about sixteen scale inches wide). Cut these strips to match the length of the girder flange (about fifty scale feet) and paint them the same color as the girders. Glue these strips to the top of the wood about 3/4 inch from each outside face of your wood (about 1.25 inches apart centered along the wood) These strips represent the top flange of the other girders paired with the two outside girders. Beneath the bottom, you will need to mimic the bottom flange as well, if this side is visible. Now, I would buy MEI bridge flextrack [code 83] (but it isn' t cheap) and lay that over the flanges as the double track. Buy some Code 70 or code 55 rail and lay that inside as guardrail. Then build the refuges about every two or three feet on both sides. This is a cheap way to construct a fairly long steel plate girder viaduct for HO Scale. Instead of the MEI flextrack, you may want to scratchbuild the track along the bridge because I think track in this circumstance is constructed of a single tie under all rails. To get over the steel mill area, you may want to consider either a single span deck truss or thru truss depending on the clearence from the bridge track to the ground beneath. I would scratch build a truss for this using Plastruct shapes. I also want to recommend you inquire about some products available from a company called Three Brothers Manufacturing, Inc. They offer something called Bridgemaster Series Rivit Detail Sheet #4000. My address for this company is 3555 E. Layton Ave. Cudahy, WI 53110 -or- www.threebrothersmfg.com Good Luck. - Ed
Tags (Optional)
Tags are keywords that get attached to your post. They are used to categorize your submission and make it easier to search for. To add tags to your post type a tag into the box below and click the "Add Tag" button.
Add Tag

Update Reply

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Model Railroader Newsletter See all

Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!

Subscriber & Member Login

Edit post

Post Body

Tags (Optional)

Subscriber & Member Login

Users Online

Search the Community