Good morning
I resumed work on the bridge yesterday. I did a lot of experiments between now and where we left off. It took a while to come up with something that wouldn't be too time-consuming.
The styrene for the arch stones wasn't exactly what I was looking for. It also came in white instead of tan like the rest of the styrene was.
At that point I knew the arch was going to be a slightly different color but as the old saying goes "contrast is good" so I went with it. Looking through pictures of Viaduct bridges on the internet I noticed many of them had an accented color for the arch, different stone types.
Plastruct doesn't make any stone trim pieces as they should so there's not a lot of choices out there. Availability is another issue so I chose 91535 wood planking. A piece of tape was used on the ruler because it likes to slip all over the place while cutting.
The styrene is not resilient enough to flex a sharp curve so I put slits on every course, 44 per stick for a total of 704 cuts.
Next they were given a couple of coats of black India ink diluted with alcohol.
Then a couple of washes of khaki/water mixture.
I saved the mortar color from before for the joints. A splat with a skewer and then schmoozed in the joints with my fingers.
The pieces were taped on foam and given two coats of clear matte finish prior to the mortar coat, otherwise the paint starts coming off. This picture was taken before the mortar was schmoozed into the joints.
I seldom throw any modeling stuff away so I had this cut out to make a jig to mark the center where the keystones go.
The strips were carefully doped up with E6000 and glued into place.
The thing I like about E6000 is if you get a little slop, it comes off with a little finesse without damaging anything.
The seam shrunk from before above the arch. If anyone knows of anything I could use to get a good Ivy or Vine effect to cover up that seam, please give me a shout as I would really appreciate it.
Immediately I did not like the keystone results. They were cut out of the styrene stock that was used to make the bridge. Being too much of a different color than the arch stones, I thaught they looked like crap. I knew right away this was not going to fly. I pried them off to go make some scratch ones.
I doubled up two pieces of railroad board and glued them together so it was twice the thickness of styrene. I cut eight wedge-shaped pieces like Illustrated above so I could slide them into place and mark them.
I taped a piece of tape down with the sticky side up so these fine young morsels would behave themselves while I was working on them. I put fast setting drywall compound on the top to mimic a rock surface.
India ink coat.
Basically all the steps done before.
These silly little keystones took over 2 hours
I think those keystone's look better.
Now I just need to add the styrene on the inner guard walls and cap it off.
Thanks for looking and have a great day gentleman
TF
Looking really good, TF. Well done.
David
To the world you are someone. To someone you are the world
I cannot afford the luxury of a negative thought
Good evening
I would like to thank each and everyone of you for all the compliments. You put a great big smile on this old carpenters face
I would like to add I very much appreciate all the suggestions and advice as well. A lot of food for thought to think about.
A trim job can make or break end results cosmetically. I humbly say I'm a great trim carpenter but it ain't like I can go out to my ice-cold truck and grab my power miter box on this one
Some great ideas guys. I think I'm going to do some experiments with these Ideas before I proceed
Thanks again
Track fiddlerNext I have to come up with some kind of trim to hide the seams.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Great-looking results, TF!
If you're worried about the joints between the arches and the face of the viaduct, you might try Bondo Glazing and Spot Putty. It comes in a tube, and when you open it, there's usually a lot of liquid (thinner) at the top. The info on the tube suggests kneading the capped tube to mix the contents, but I've had good results simply by dipping a small screwdriver into the tube, and withdrawing a clump of the filler, along with some of the thinner. I mix it a bit on a scrap of sheet aluminum, then apply it using either the screwdriver or a suitable X-Acto blade (the chisel type is quite useful). The stuff I use is red, but it may come in other colours.
It dries quite quickly, is easy to sand, and can be scribed with mortar lines, too. It's also a lot cheaper than the usual body-filler stuff meant for model-making.
Wayne
I'd say 'rusticated trim' which is using thicker stones, dressed with a rougher outer surface, along the edges -- they would need to be thick enough to hide the physical brick arch edges, probably a few courses deep...
so thicker pieces of stone arranged around the opening as suggested, sized so their 'seams' line up with the exterior brickwork. You would not need a 'keystone' feature at the arch top because the stone isn't structural in a meaningful sense -- but you could sure put one there if you like the appearance!
Looks great TF. I'm trying to think what you could use for a trim on the arches.
Cut out individual stones from the same material, and stack them around the arch, with a big keystone at the top?
Mike.
My You Tube
I agree with ED - Great progress and tutitorial! Looking forward to seeing more of your excellent work.
DEW
That is some excellent progress, TF! Bravo
The PRR was a big user of this type of stone arch bridge. Of course, lots of railroads chose this type of construction.
Excellent work, my friend nice tutorial photos, too!
Cheers, Ed
Made some progress on the interior arch pannels.
I Scotch taped the stensils to the styrene to be able to cut them out with a scissors. The exacto took way to long the last time.
After cutting them out, the four seams where fused together with styrene solvent. Half inch strips of 3M packing tape we're put on the back of the seams after cleaning with alcohol.
I had to finesse the styrene panels to loosen up the retention so they would bend easier into the arches. The panels were glued with E6000 to the styrene ribs. I found out the hard way E6000 melts foam. That is why styrene strips were glued onto the face of the foam ribs with 2 in 1 poly seam seal. The eight corner strips were not done yet in this picture.
After the arch pannels were installed I used a wallpaper knife to trim the edges and a light sand.
Are you seeing what I'm seeing? Skateboard Park! The professional skateboarders skate to the left
Next I have to come up with some kind of trim to hide the seams. I have plenty of prefinished styrene left over but it's going to be tricky.
Thanks for looking.
Thank you DEW
I anticipate I will get back to it when Judy goes back to w**k. When she isn't at home anymore, that's when I usually pick my projects back up again
TF - I just found your thread and am enjoying it very much. I'm considering building a viaduct bridge and your experiences and techniques are very helpful and informative. Please keep posting.
Track fiddlerDo you see it. # 1 especially, #2 don't look so good either ... They have opposing angles on the bridge and the geometry does what it wants. I just learned bricklayers would fudge their mortar joints just a little bit so everything would come out in the end. I've heard of this before but I've never seen it. Now I have! I don't have the luxury of fudging joints with pre-made styrene sheets.
But it's good off topic Mike And not too off topic with the CN train schedules in Wisconsin and all. Maybe not so far off topic after all. A modeler could use some R&R and time to think for inspiration for his modeling project
I'll probably need it. This hasn't been the easiest build. Perhaps this afternoon when I get up off the couch I can get the arch panels installed to re-rail things a bit
Thanks Mike
PLUS! CN runs a daily train on the tracks just a stones throw south of this place. It's L584, runs from Bradly to Prentice and sometimes up to Park Falls.
WB train through where your going to be is somewhere around 9:00 and 10:00 am , the EB about 2:00 pm, unless it goes to Park Falls, it would be a little later.
Hope it all works out!
I think I took your thread Oh well, you'll have that!
Well
Judy just got done thoroughly looking over the site. It isn't too far from her sister's and my brother-in-law's place. Now she's excited! She's going to get on the phone tomorrow to try and arrange everything to put this thing together.
Cha-ching cha-ching cha-ching! I don't really care how much it costs. I'm very hopeful she can put it all together because I would love a vacation with family There has never been a time we didn't all have a great time together
You really stirred the pot over here Mike
You know, I just have to say it's nice to know I have friends that I have never even met looking out for me more than some of the friends that I do know in my every day life.
Thanks again Mike
When I seen it pop up on my Face Book, I immediately thought of you and Judy, looking for a get-away.
Mike
I thank you for the compliment and the information on the get-away in Wisconsin. I am sitting down with Judy right now going over it.
She is all excited and I'm saying hold on Nellie, we will check this out
Energizer.
Your advice had been given to me in the past. Interesting you brought this up. On my grain elevator project someone advised me to do gray washes to get rid of the sheen and extreme vibrancy of green. And it did work.
I will be doing experiments with your suggestion
Thanks
Mark.
Thanks for letting me know they have cameras smaller than a golf ball. Now that you made me aware of that I will not be buying one of those
I would hate to take pictures of defective modeling tactics. I will always know they are there but no one else needs to.
Looking good TF.
You were looking for a place to get away for a while. I found this on my face book this morning, looks pretty cool, and does the social distance thing with individual cabins.
http://palmquistfarm.com/index.html
I remember you said your PM doesn't work, so that's why I posted this here. This place is just up the road from a CN branch line.
I could be wrong. How about a black wash to look like soot. would that get the shine off? Just thinking.
Track fiddlerUnless any of you have a head the size of a golf ball to look, nobody will ever see it
Just sayin
Mark P.
Website: http://www.thecbandqinwyoming.comVideos: https://www.youtube.com/user/mabrunton
And I also have a little Sheen problem.. Do you see the glare in the camera pictures.
I would not recommend Krylon matte clear finish to anyone. They might as well have called it gloss.
When I'm finished I will spray the bridge with testors dullcote. Unless any of you have a better product suggestion.
Well, I have mentioned it here before and I'm sure some of you remember common sense is not one of my strongest suits.
It dawned on me I could split the stencils down the center instead of the styrene. I guess I do have enough material here after all.
The Crooked lines on the end of the brick patterns will be hidden under the top center of the arches.
Unless any of you have a head the size of a golf ball to look, nobody will ever see it
Happy
Thanks Mike Thanks David
I seem to be having a serious geometrical discrepancy. I don't think I've ever said anything like that before in my life
Do you see it. # 1 especially, #2 don't look so good either. #3 & 4 are longer than the width of the sheet so they have to be split. That ain't the problem. It's number 1 & 2 that are the problem. They have opposing angles on the bridge and the geometry does what it wants.
I just learned bricklayers would fudge their mortar joints just a little bit so everything would come out in the end. I've heard of this before but I've never seen it. Now I have! I don't have the luxury of fudging joints with pre-made styrene sheets.
I don't have enough material here and will have to order some more.
Number one and two will have to be split in the center the same as number 3 and 4 so you don't see the discrepancy of the crooked brick line.
Hope my product for a color match holds out that long until the delivery gets here
Great idea with the stencils.
Good afternoon
Thanks for all the support
Started the stencils for my inner arch panels this morning. Regular paper was way too flimsy. I had to call Judy at work to find out where the construction paper was.
Years ago she worked as a team leader at Saint Michael's Church at the daycare. I volunteered my time to go in every Friday for a couple hours as the art teacher. The kids loved it and so did I. I knew I had some of that construction paper left over from then.
Sometimes geometry is really a trip. I was surprised to see the S curve when I took the stencil off the bridge. Hope that doesn't derail any of my trains
Now I just need to remove them and trace them on to the brick styrene sheets.
Thanks for looking
I agree with Mike. Keep us posted TF.
I was on a Forum in the UK and like you I wasn't getting any response when I posted. I stopped posting and a couple of months later I found out that people were asking of me.
There are people on here admiring your work and want to see more.