I need a bridge where the branch line crosses the main:
...so I made this:
This is obviously some kind of homage to John Allen who loved complicated bridges and I always wanted to something similar. This is by far not as magnificent as any of John's big bridges but it's the best I can do in the space I have.
I've been asked to demonstrate again how I make my cardboard bridge abutments look like concrete so I will show that process step by step.
Michael
The Breitenbach - Rosenheim Railroad V3
Hey Michael-
I've said it before and I'll say it again: Great work!
But I gotta ask and I'm not sure how to word it . . . are there a bunch of elves who come in at night helping you?
Robert
LINK to SNSR Blog
ROBERT PETRICKBut I gotta ask and I'm not sure how to word it . . . are there a bunch of elves who come in at night helping you?
Nope, just me !
First step to making cardboard look like concrete:
I paint everything with a light grey acrylic paint thinned with water. It's supposed to be uneven and blotchy. Looks terrible but that's what I'm after:
Second step: a coat with diluted Woodland Scenics Top Coat Concrete (ST1454):
Third step: a thin, uneven coat of spackling (I use the DRYDEX brand):
This has to completely dry over night before the 4. and last step in the process.
While I was painting the bridge & abutments I cut out a piece of the roadbed where the bridge will go:
The final step: a wash with an alcohol/india ink mix:
Thanks for the tutorial Michael. The results look very convincing.
Joe
Plenty of hot glue mounts the bridge:
I thought having a week off would allow me to get a lot done but my wife had other plans...
Anyway, I managed to lay track across the new bridge today:
Michael:
What are the radii for the loops in the last picture?
Thanks,
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
The curves inside the tunnel are 15" for the branch line and 20" for the main line. Visible curves are 32" or bigger for the branch line and 39" or bigger for the main line.
I finished laying track on the branch line as far as the roadbed goes right now and started laying track at the small main line station:
I've laid all the track I can right now:
That means that I now have to clean up the area against the back wall of the room so that I can continue:
It's all been cleaned. Turned out to be a lot easier than I thought. Now I have to get more plywood again...
I just couldn't wait until tomorrow morning...
michaelrose55 fender777 This layout is so long I would need Binoculars to follow those little N gauge trains around. To give you an idea, a freight train will take about one hour for a complete trip around the main line 1 hour ' that is amazing. My Ho will take about 3 min. If I did not have so much money and all my kits and people ect in HO ' I would have loved to done N scale. But one has to be happy with what they got.
fender777 This layout is so long I would need Binoculars to follow those little N gauge trains around.
To give you an idea, a freight train will take about one hour for a complete trip around the main line
1 hour ' that is amazing. My Ho will take about 3 min. If I did not have so much money and all my kits and people ect in HO ' I would have loved to done N scale. But one has to be happy with what they got.
I'm laying out the roadbed along the back wall of the room:
I added more roadbed along the back wall of the layout room. I really love those long straight runs of the mainline!
I didn't have much time for the railroad the last two days, but I accomplished at least a little bit. I added roadbed for the part of the branch line that runs in the background in this area:
I numbered all roadbed pieces:
I started cutting supports:
Hey Michael
You accomplish more when you don't have time than I do when I do.
I removed all the roadbed pieces (about 100), copied the numbers to the plywood, took the plywood sheets outside and started cutting...
There were several missing pieces of subroadbed in this corner that I cut out today:
Hi Michael:
How thick is your subroadbed? I assume it is plywood.
Thanks
hon30critter Hi Michael: How thick is your subroadbed? I assume it is plywood. Thanks Dave
Dave, it's 1/2" birch plywood that I buy from Lowe's: https://www.lowes.com/pd/Top-Choice-Blondewood-1-2-in-Birch-Plywood-Application-as-4-x-8/50121137
It's always fun if you have to work underneath existing track work... I needed a return loop for the mainline and the only logical place was beneath the return loop of the east staging yard. It will be even more fun laying track here!
Why not put the track on the wood first, then slide the wood into place?
SouthPenn Why not put the track on the wood first, then slide the wood into place?
That would be too easy !
I have connected to the west staging yard. This will be the longest tunnel of the whole layout.