rail for bridge

[joe-daddy]

I wish i would have seen these pictures a long time ago, Mr. Beasley.  ingenious solution, much easier than bridge track and as   you show, it works on curves.  I'll be sharing these pictures with my club soon.  Thanks again!  Joe Baldwin

 

 

 

[wickman]

Thanks Jabear I worked nites last nite so didn't get a chance to view the ppt until now. Although I'm not a prototypical modeler the  ppt does give me a much better birds eye view.

["JaBear"]

NP2626

What is PPT?

I had to look it up; a Microsoft acronym for Power Point Presentation.

Cheers, the Bear.

[NP2626]

What is PPT?

["JaBear"]

Gidday Lynn. I have found this PPT and will use the terminology contained there to try to stop any confusion.

 

www.ctre.iastate.edu/educweb/ce515/09_structures_Alex.pptx

 

The ties and bents will naturally have a greater distance between them on the outside of the curve, but the stringers between the bents are actually straight. There is a good diagram showing this in the PPT.

Bridge builders/ designers would have given primary consideration to the distance between the bents on the out side of the curve.

Hope this helps,

Cheers, the Bear.

[wickman]

I’ve blown up this photo as it shows Peco Code 100 flex track laid straight on to a scratch built trestle by my late friend Hans Hubner. It may be hard to see but he used track nails on about every 11^th sleeper but I’m not sure if he used any adhesive as well. BTW, this trestle curve would be about an eighteen inch radius.

Cheers, the Bear.

 

Ok I have a  question before  I mess  up this  trestle build. You can see in Jabears trestle how it is curved , now would the out side rail of the trestle at the bents  have a wider gap then  the  inside rail bent end? Think of it like a pie sliced up  how the outside edge of  a  piece of pie is wide and  the very inside  is narrow. Hoppe this makes scence.So as the bents are being glued down to the stringers and you get into the sharpness of the  curve would the outside edge  gap between bents be wider  than the inside gap?

[wickman]

Thanks Marlon for the  pics, I could be wrong but I thought the guard rails go down the very centre and connect in a V at there ends?

[Medina1128]

wickman

 

 

Medina1128

I hand made a trestle that spanned about 25". Micro Engineering makes flex-track especially made for bridges.

Micro Engineering bridge flex-track

 

 

 

 

Thanks Marlon I looked through your photo album but couldn't find it.I see they have code 83 where as I'm using 100.

 

Wickman, I was in the process of redoing the guardrails when I submitted to your thread. Here are the before and after pics.

Before

After

[wickman]

I got the ME 83 bridge flex track ordered as well as the spikes so I can go either way.

[wickman]

Thanks  Chuck

[wickman]

Thanks Mister Beasley for the pics, they look great.

[tomikawaTT]

One way to get flex track with bridge ties (longer, and of larger cross-section, than ordinary ties) might be to purchase Code 100 On30 track and compress the ties as Mr Beasley did.  It's easier to cut off a long tie than it is to stretch a short one.

Looking at a prototype photo of my prototype, the guard rails look like mine car rails, possibly code 40 for code 100 running rails - and they're only spiked every fifth tie!  More usual American practice would use code 70 or code 83 rails for guard rails.

Chuck (Modeling Central Japan in September, 1964)

[zstripe]

Wickman,

1/4 inch spikes should be fine....they do have longer.

Take Care! 

Frank

[NP2626]

wickman

 

NP2626

 

 

wickman

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

 

 

 

If your using Code 100, I would use spikes for Code 100.

 

 

 

 

And what length would I be asking for when I order over the phone?

 

I have only seen spikes for Code 100 and Code 70, so I don't think there would be much confusion.  Tell them Code 100 and that should do it. 

[wickman]

NP2626

 

 

wickman

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

 

 

 

If your using Code 100, I would use spikes for Code 100.

 

And what length would I be asking for when I order over the phone?

[NP2626]

wickman

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

 

If your using Code 100, I would use spikes for Code 100.

[MisterBeasley]

I use Atlas flex track for trestles, simply by cutting out the spacers and pushing the ties closer together.  I find it works better if I pull the ties all the way off, because otherwise I nick the underside of the rails and it's hard to slide the ties.

This one is Code 83:

This is Code 100:

This is Code 100 on a bridge:

At one point, I was looking for rail to put on my car float in place of the plastic rail that came with the kit.  My LHS guy said the best thing to do was just buy Atlas flex track and remove the ties.  Of course, that was before the price of flex track went up after the Great Track Shortage.

[wickman]

Thanks np2626 for the info.

Guys can you s tell me what length of spikes I would need for hand laying the rails into wooden ties?

Thanks

Lynn

[wickman]

Medina1128

 

 

wickman

Thanks for the link, its a very interesting read, has anyone been able to find Pliobond?

 

 

Pliobond

 

 

Thanks

[Medina1128]

wickman

Thanks for the link, its a very interesting read, has anyone been able to find Pliobond?

Pliobond

 

[NP2626]

wickman

 

 

 

wickman

So are you telling me the track is actually Peco flex track off  the shelf and not individually placed wooded ties then single rails spiked down to the ties?

 

 

Yes, sorry Lynn I should have made myself clearer. It is Peco SL-100, Code 100 flex track straight from the packet. 

A link to NP2626 Deep Gulch trestle thread.....

http://cs.trains.com/mrr/f/11/t/202778.aspx

Cheers, the Bear.

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the link, its a very interesting read, has anyone been able to find Pliobond?

 

I've only seen Pliobond available from Micro Engineering.  I didn't use Pliobond on my trestle (the one in the article).  Instead I used "Zap" and "Zap a Gap" CA.

[wickman]

 

doctorwayne

 

wp8thsub

...Even on a 3-foot long bridge, you won't need a whole lot of spikes.

 

 

Hey, Rob, let's not promote slap-dash construction.  We'll expect to see at least four spikes per tie, and that's just for the running rails, and let's not forget the tieplates, either. 

 

As you can see, the standards for guard rails are somewhat more relaxed.

 

Wayne 

 

The weathering looks excellent

[doctorwayne]

wp8thsub

...Even on a 3-foot long bridge, you won't need a whole lot of spikes.

Hey, Rob, let's not promote slap-dash construction.  We'll expect to see at least four spikes per tie, and that's just for the running rails, and let's not forget the tieplates, either. 

 

As you can see, the standards for guard rails are somewhat more relaxed.

 

Wayne 

[wp8thsub]

wickman

...if I took a 3 foot atlas flex track apart I would still have to order spikes which I'm sure are not your standard nails?

Standard track nails aren't useful for handlaying rail.  They're far too long and the heads aren't an appropriate shape. You can attach rail using contact cement, flexible CA like Poly Zap or Microbond, or home-made spikes cut from ordinary staples.  Even on a 3-foot long bridge, you won't need a whole lot of spikes.

[wickman]

Still undecided Rob, I'm going to contactthe two hobby shops that I know of in toronto to see if they carry the single rails, even if I took a 3 foot atlas flex track apart I would still have to order spikes which I'm sure are not your standard nails?

[wp8thsub]

wickman

I've  done this a few years back  ...worked fine on a straight bridge but I have my doubts it would  work so well on a 22 Radius  curve.

Not to worry.  It will hold up EXACTLY the same.  Sharpness of the curve makes no difference.

[NP2626]

There are also transition track sections that go from Code 100 to Code 83;

https://www.walthers.com/exec/productinfo/948-898  You can also modify Code 100 rail joiners to do this.

I painted my bridge track the same way and color as I painted my other track work.  However, bridge track might be better taken care of, to simulate this, I used a black wash on my bridge ties.

[wickman]

wp8thsub

 

wickman

ob I'm  not quite sure what your suggesting here but I am interested to better understand. I do have a few new atlas code 100 flex tracks available if you  have an idea? 

 

 

I'm just suggesting you could pull the rail from some Atlas flex track and lay that on your bridge.  One rail should slide right out, while the other may need to be broken out of the ties.

 

Ah ok I see what you mean, I've  done this a few years back  by simply as you say remove a rail and or its under  plastic joint and sandwich them together, worked fine on a straight bridge but I have my doubts it would  work so well on a 22 Radius  curve. I remember reading  some time ago of how campbell trestle or maybe bridge kits had the maker use there flex track with plastic ties removed and nail the rails to the campbell  kit wood ties.

And yes I  do have great trepitation about handlaying rail. Probably part of the issue is its easier for me to order the ME  bridge track then it is to find the rails and nails here in canada. I might add my fat fingers and bad eyes don't help any.lol

[wp8thsub]

wickman

ob I'm  not quite sure what your suggesting here but I am interested to better understand. I do have a few new atlas code 100 flex tracks available if you  have an idea? 

I'm just suggesting you could pull the rail from some Atlas flex track and lay that on your bridge.  One rail should slide right out, while the other may need to be broken out of the ties.