ME Steel Viaduct Kitbash

[bogp40]

I am ready to take on a scenery/ bridge project for my club layout. The area is an inside turn connecting two peninsulas of the layout. The lower double track mainline in the forground w/ a single (mountain div.) elevated 10" and behind close to the curved backdrop. This area is to have a small gorge/ valley w/ a ballasted deck stone viaduct in the foreground on the main and the ME steel viaduct for the curved single track elevated mountain div.. Right now the pine spline/ 1/4" pine roadbed exists (no flex track laid). The benchwork is 36-40" wide at this point.
I have already purchased the ME 150' kit and various 30 and 50' and add girder for the viaduct. the bridge will start approx 30-40 scale ft from a turnout and will ease into a 44" radius turn. My options are wide open at this point for the scenery, eleations , bridge length up to 180 scale ft, and abutment style and placement. I have only experience w/ smaller Central Valley and ME girder and plate bridges. This has not necessarily overwhelmed me, but I would like any input from those familiar with a kit bash of a curved ME bridge. Have read through the instructions and the tower assembly seems fairly straightforward.
Any help or advice on assemby of the bents and any tricks to the curved girder assy. would be appreciated. Thankfully ME offers a 36" flex track w/ bridge ties, guard rails etc. Origionally I was planning to epoxy or Pliobond wood bridge ties and hand lay the track and guard rail.
Thanks in advance for any help or comments,
Bob K.

[Sperandeo]

Hello Bob,

Jim Kelly built a tall steel viaduct for our MR&T club layout using Micro Enginering kits. If you have a spline in place where you want the bridge, you can bend a piece of flextrack to lie over that, trace the curve of the rails onto a sheet of tracing paper, and use the tracing as a template to assemble your bridge girders and locate the towers. When you have the girder assembly complete you can put that in place on the layout and install the towers underneath. Jim built up platforms from the benchwork to support the tower footings, then built scenery around the platforms.

Good luck,

Andy

[bogp40]

Thanks Andy,
Are any pictures available of Jim Kelly's viaduct? Website, etc.?
Bob K.

[davekelly]

I think RMC had an article on doing up trestles within the past few months.

[WickhamMan]

Gents,

I saw this thread and thought I might pop in a question here. I am considering buying an ME City Viaduct kit and was wondering what kind of experience anyone had with building these. Specifically, I have a few questions:

Are they difficult to assemble?
Can I place a curve within the viaduct setup?
Do they have a website (I can't seem to find it if they do and that worries me)?

Thanks in advance.

[bogp40]

QUOTE: Originally posted by WickhamMan

Gents,

I saw this thread and thought I might pop in a question here. I am considering buying an ME City Viaduct kit and was wondering what kind of experience anyone had with building these. Specifically, I have a few questions:

Are they difficult to assemble?
Can I place a curve within the viaduct setup?
Do they have a website (I can't seem to find it if they do and that worries me)?

Thanks in advance.

Since I posted this, I have learned a lot about ME assembly. All my evenings this past week were spent laying out the curved template, figureing what additional add on kits I need for the project and working on all the subassembies of the girders and towers. I am not familiar with the city viaduct, but ME assembly and construction would probably only vary for the supporting girders and bracing. ME offers many add on kits to supplement the base kits.
As for assembly difficulty, it is a highly detailed, quality kit that takes patience and time. I spent more time cleaning sprue nubs and flashing than actual assembly.
The directions are quite good and detailed pics w/ part/ sprue numbers are shown. A smooth flat working surface is a must, many sections of the girders are needed and squareing up is required constantly. I have been using 1x2 to 1x6 maple blocks to jig the assembly and to sandwich with weight to keep parts true while drying. One thing I did find useful is the use of Faller Expert styrene cement, the long needle applicator is perfect for running glue with a finger tip as a guide. Any stray cement can be removed immediately with no mar to the surface. It gives the most working time of any of the cements I have used. This is important in that adjustments can be made for some of the more complicated portions.
Curves down to 18" radius can be done, the instructions even have a chart to tell the tie min and max overhang per different radius/ and exactly how much to cut off the girders and where for each radius. ME has a 36" section of flex track w/ bridge ties in various rail sizes. I am using the code 83 w/ code 70 guard rails.
ME doesn't have a website that I know of and one isn't listed.
Their address is: Micro Engineering Inc.
1120 Eagle Road
Fenton, Mo 63026
Buy the base kit and also pick up one of the 30' or 50' deck girder bridges to get a feel for the assembly techniques and the instruction sequence.
Hope this helps and good luck with your project.
Bob K.