rjstruble On another one of your tips, you suggest gluing the gears in place to avoid slippage. Did you just use the standard modeling glue used for the plastic structures? You say put it on the sides, I was wondering if putting it on the rod and then sliding the gear over wouldn't be better. I agree overall that potential gear slippage could be an issue.
On another one of your tips, you suggest gluing the gears in place to avoid slippage. Did you just use the standard modeling glue used for the plastic structures? You say put it on the sides, I was wondering if putting it on the rod and then sliding the gear over wouldn't be better. I agree overall that potential gear slippage could be an issue.
It is not that the gear slippage "could" be an issue. It "will" be an issue. I mentioned the review of the bascule bridge in the March 1999 issue of Model Railroader magazine. In that artilce, the author prominently mentions the gear issue. He experienced many of the same problems that I did.
Here is the problem. The rod is a soft metal, it easily bends, so you have to be careful. The gears are made of Delrin plastic. The hole in the center of the gear is too small to mount on the shaft simply by trying to insert it with your fingers. The author of the magazine review article drilled a hole in a block of wood slightly larger than the rod. Then, he placed the gear over the drilled hole on the wood and hammered the rod onto the gear. I hadn't read the article until after I completed the assembly of the bridge, but that is essentially what I did as well. But, not before doing a couple of stupid things like (1) placing a drop of oil on the shaft to lubricate it to make insertion of the gear easier and (2) trying to ream the gear hole a little bigger. Those two things made the gear go on, but it also caused the gear to slip.
What you want to do is what the author did initially, and what I did eventually. Carefully hammer the gear onto the rod over a hole in a block of wood just large enough to permit the rod to pass through the gear without bending the rod.
Because I caused the gear slippage with my foolish actions, I tried to glue the gear onto the metal rod. But nothing would hold, not CA adhesive, not Ambroid Pro Weld, nothing. So, I finally resorted to JB Pro Weld 2-part epoxy which I applied on both sides of the gear around the hole in the center of the gear. That worked. You could do that as a precautionary measure even if the gear doesn't slip.
Incidentally, we are talking about the large gear that goes on the long metal rod that protrudes through the walls of the machine shed and connects to the gear boxes on both sides of the A-frame. The smaller gears that mount on the motor shaft and the small shaft between the motor shaft and the gear box shaft fit on without a problem. It is only the large gear that is an issue.
One last thing. You asked whether it would make more sense to put adhesive on the rod and slide the gear over it. I actually tried that but to no avail. One the gear is slipping on the rod, you are in trouble and it seemed that only the 2-part epoxy would "lock" the gear in place. If you follow the hammer suggestion, you should be OK.
Rich
Alton Junction
So the reed switch is just off/on, no reverse in polarity? What a crap design. You're supposed to figure out the raise and lower part all by yourself. wow.
I used the hammer method so hopefully I am ok on te gears. I broke down and reassembled the gear house tonight, this time iwth proper clearances and amazingly enough it works. On to Step 3...
rjstruble So the reed switch is just off/on, no reverse in polarity? What a crap design. You're supposed to figure out the raise and lower part all by yourself. wow.
The problem with the reed switch that is included with the kit is that the reed is a flimsy piece of copper that does not perform reliably and consistently. The design is very poor.
Actually, the micro switches perform the same function as the reed switch, merely an On/Off function. It's just that the micro switch leaf design is more reliable than the reed design.
Either way, though, you need to wire up a DPDT switch to receive and tranfer power and to reverse the polarity. It is surprising though that the instructions don't comment on the need for a DPDT switch. I re-read the instructions before posting this reply, and there is no mention of how to power the motor or how to reverse polarity.
Got it. Pretty amazing actually. So you went with DigitalGriffin's circuit design? Any pictures or helpful hints? Thx.
rjstruble Got it. Pretty amazing actually. So you went with DigitalGriffin's circuit design? Any pictures or helpful hints? Thx.
Right now, I am in the process of landscaping (river, ground cover, ballast, bridge track, etc.) the lift out section that the bascule bridge will sit on. Then, I will post some photos of the final scene.
Once that is done, I have to complete the final, permanent wiring. I do intend to incorporate Digital Griffin's dual micro switch design. Then, I will post a video of the bridge in operation.
Great, thx, good luck, can't wait to see it.
I have finally completed the lift out section for the bascule bridge including the river bed, abutments, ballasting and landscaping, and the installation of bridge track. There are a few flaws yet to fix, but basically the project is done except for final wiring.
Here are some final photos of the bascule bridge on the lift out section.
Very nice Rich! I enjoyed your description of the construction and the attended problems and solutions. Looking forward to the video.
Joe
Rich, Great job!!!! Again you have been busy. Been away for awhile. I too look forward to the video.
Take care Frank.
Rich,
Forgot to mention!!! I also like the tug boat... And I think you are correct on the size I have a ho scaletug and it looks too big.
Frank
Rich, simply fantastic. Love the paint scheme and the fit into the overall layout. Please keep me informed when you have switching/wiring complete. Detailed descriptions/how to's/photos on the electrical aspects would be great. I aim to shamelessly stand on your shoulders...
Bob
Very nicely done scene, Rich, and not merely the bridge itself. The approaches, abutments, the trackwork, the boat, and the water all turned out really well, too, and the whole scene fits perfectly with the rest of the layout which is visible in the background.
Wayne
A really great job, Rich. That's a great way to scenik a lift-out! My hat is off to you! This has been a great thread to follow!
Jerry
Real Nice!! Could I ask to see more pics of your layout? Thanks Chris
Nice job, Rich. It looks great! So, are you ready to tackle a double-track kit-bash one?
Don
HobbyDr's Workbench
Thanks, everone, for your comments and compliments.
Obviously, I am pretty pleased with the results.
My biggest concern now is to permanently secure the bridge to the lift out in such a way that it will remain in place if the lift out is bumped or jarred. Of course, the other issue is the process of removing the lift out with the bridge in place. I have designed the lift out in such a way that I can remove and replace it without having to connect or disconnect any wires. Still, picking up the lift out and/or putting it back in place with the bascule bridge on it requires extreme care. I have already had two near death experiences with it. I have also treated the lift out as a duckunder from time to time but, as you can imagine, any false move or premature standing up could spell its doom. Don't ask me how I know.
Hey rich, which color paints did you use for what? I love the color scheme. We were not thinking we would paint ours, but your pics have caused me to reevaluate.
rjstruble Hey rich, which color paints did you use for what? I love the color scheme. We were not thinking we would paint ours, but your pics have caused me to reevaluate.
The bridge is painted with Polly Scale SP Lark Dark Gray.
The lift out section is painted with an Ace Hardware Royal Interior Flat Latex color called Green Forest.
I had looked at satellite photos of the Chicago River at 16th Street where the prototype of the Walthers Cornerstone Bascule Bridge is located and tried to match the color of the water as closely as possible. I was pretty pleased with the results.
Incidentally, the water is Woodland Scenics Realistic Water poured over the painted base of Woodland Scenics Plaster Cloth laid on top of the plywood surface.
The water is absolutely gorgeous. Did you paint all the structures as well?
I am 72 and have been a model builder and model railroader since the early 1950s. Over the years I have built many hundreds of plastic and high-end craftsman kits. I recently obtained a Cornerstone Bascule Bridge. It appears to be a revised version as it has the two micro switches. I must say that this is the most difficult and frustrating kit that I have ever attempted to build. The instructions are abysmal, and seriously in need of a thorough proof-reading and re-edit. The plastic used is supposed to be styrene but is very difficult to cement. I have used Plastruct, Testors, Ambroid, and GC Electronics cements for styrene as well as multi-medium (styrene, abs, butyrate, acrylic) cements all with poor results. Most create weak joints that separate easily or they vigorously attack the plastic causing distortion and "melting". The overall design results in an impressive looking bridge, but the tooling is sloppy. Parts do not always align correctly, locating pins often do not line up with respective holes, and flash and mold marks are everywhere. The motor/gear drive assembly is difficult to assemble due to almost no decent assembly instructions. Once completed, it actually works as it should, however! I have serious doubts about how many operations can be performed before gear failure.The two gear boxes and traveling arms are especially poorly designed and difficult to cement. I have serious doubts that they will hold up long. I will say that the problems with the soft metal rod have been corrected as the rod in this kit was substantial and not easily bent. I am approximately 2/3 finished with this project and should have a decent looking bridge when completed. The tremendous amount of work, aggravation, and frustration are beyond belief. Generally, Cornerstone kits are great and relatively easy to build. This kit definitely falls far short of the Cornerstone reputation. China appears to have been a poor choice for the manufacture of this kit. Quality control was obviously very poor.
Sorry to hear that you are having problems with the bridge. I should probably re-post some photos since my originals disappeared from this thread. After I started this thread back in 2011, I later added a second bascule bridge to replicate the B&OCT on the St. Charles Air Line in downtown Chicago.
I had no trouble building the bridges. My problem was getting the bridges to consistently operate. There are many problems in this regard, but the biggest problem is that the gear arm assembly is plastic. It should be metal. The failure rate proved to be nearly astronomical so I finally resorted to keeping the bridges in a fixed down position.
Great bridges to behold if you keep them in a fixed position. But the construction is not suited for operating the bridge over an extended period.
Thanks for the reply. I agree that the gear arm assemblies should have been metal construction, even though that may raise the cost of the kit considerably. I have already resigned myself to the fact that this may, indeed, have to remain a static bridge. I am curious as to why I have had so much trouble with cementing the black plastic parts. The cream colored parts did not present such issues.
I used Testors Model Master Liquid Cement For Plastics. This is the black plastic bottle with a needle nose applicator. I use that for all of my plastic structures. It is excellent.
https://www.amazon.com/Liquid-Cement-Plastics-1-oz/dp/B0006N6ODS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1489263132&sr=8-1&keywords=testors+model+master+liquid+cement
Here is a photo of my double bascule bridge.
Yes, that Testors was among the many that I tried. {I have used Plastruct, Testors, Ambroid, and GC Electronics cements for styrene as well as multi-medium (styrene, abs, butyrate, acrylic) cements all with poor results.} I have never encountered a similar issue in the hundreds of kits that I have built since the early 1950s. I never saw a plastic quite like the black kind used in my version of this kit. Very "greasy" feeling (I even tried washing and rinsing all sprues!) and slippery. Some new Chinese invention??? The Ambroid multi-medium worked the best, but still not good. The photo of your double bridge is most impressive!
Thanks for your kind words, tomtanguay.
One thing that I did as i built the bridges was to use small clamps to hold the glued pieces until the glue dried.
TOMTANGUAY Yes, that Testors was among the many that I tried. {I have used Plastruct, Testors, Ambroid, and GC Electronics cements for styrene as well as multi-medium (styrene, abs, butyrate, acrylic) cements all with poor results.} I have never encountered a similar issue in the hundreds of kits that I have built since the early 1950s. I never saw a plastic quite like the black kind used in my version of this kit. Very "greasy" feeling (I even tried washing and rinsing all sprues!) and slippery. Some new Chinese invention??? The Ambroid multi-medium worked the best, but still not good. The photo of your double bridge is most impressive!
Sounds like you are trying to glue Delrin. You might want to try Loctite G02 or Loctite Epoxy.
Nice bridge!
SouthPenn Sounds like you are trying to glue Delrin.
Sounds like you are trying to glue Delrin.
I have been biting My tongue. As You know or maybe remember...I too built that bridge, back when they first came out and I must say, I did not have all the problem's that I am reading about. Just the one known fact that the electrical part of it was junk and I used a DPDT switch for that from the get-go. The adhesive I used at the time was Ambroid Pro-Weld, which is no longer made....the key to getting a strong bond in just about every styrene, ABS, type plastic is to lightly sand the area's that need to be bonded, with about a 300 grit sandpaper, is what I use, to roughen up the area where You want the bond, that way the adhesive does not have to meld/weld the slippery surface and almost dry before doing so, which will give a weak bond that will come apart. You can even tack two pieces together, by putting a dab on each piece, put together and then brush on a bead in the seam and capillary action does the rest and flow immediately to the sanded parts. As far as the lifts beams go..they are Not supposed to bear all the weight of the bridge...that is what the counter-weight does, helps to lift the bridge, that is one of the main reasons why it is even there. Sort of like a kids play ground teeter totter. That's why the instructions recommend using sand in the counter weight, to adjust amount. The axles I got with mine were hard metal rod.....I chamfered the end of the rod with a file before attempting to hit it in the gear holes...makes going in easier, instead of the rod dragging to the sides of the hole going in. Like putting drive gears on half axles, the half axles are chamfered where they go into the gear. My kit was made in Denmark, like most of the cornerstone structures were when they came out, states that right on the box. I have bought more than a couple of cornerstone kits over the yrs. and a lot of them being the same kit, but at different times/yrs. One in particular being the Transload structure, made in Denmark, Germany and Taiwan, in each case the kits were the same, but the plastic colors were a different shade of basically the same color. Different plastic pellets obviously.
Take Care!