Trains.com

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Bridge Track vs Trestle track

938 views
4 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • 2,751 posts
Bridge Track vs Trestle track
Posted by Allegheny2-6-6-6 on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 11:26 AM

A friend of mine at work is building JV Model's 36" curved trestle bridge, better him then me.....lol after spending hours looking at Alan Kelleher's videos of Greatest Model train layouts. I noticed every bridge or trestle had what I've always known as bridge track. You know the inner safety rails. So he tells me that Walthers list Bridge track and Trestle track separately. Can anyone tell me the difference?

 

Thanks

 

Just my 2 cents worth, I spent the rest on trains. If you choked a Smurf what color would he turn?
  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Tacoma, WA
  • 847 posts
Posted by ShadowNix on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 11:47 AM

Depending on the railroad, some companies only placed guard rail on certain types of bridges, certain bridges, certain bridges with a certain degree of curve and some even only on "high speed" bridges... it just depended.  Add into this that each companies internal guidelines for this changed during WWII (due to steel shortages) and it REALLY gets interesting... RMC has a great article on this (I think April '07).

Brian

"That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"
  • Member since
    March 2007
  • 2,751 posts
Posted by Allegheny2-6-6-6 on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 11:52 AM
Thanks for the replay so I guess in his case being as he's not modeling a prototypical railroad it really doesn't matter what he does. 
Just my 2 cents worth, I spent the rest on trains. If you choked a Smurf what color would he turn?
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,352 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 12:05 PM
I saw a picture once of a curved trestle and instead of the saftey tracks being placed in the middle, there was a extra rail placed on the outside of each rail of the track. I don't know why they did it tis way.

Brent

"All of the world's problems are the result of the difference between how we think and how the world works."

  • Member since
    August 2005
  • From: Tacoma, WA
  • 847 posts
Posted by ShadowNix on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 12:17 PM

Some bridges actually had RE-RAILERS and other contraptions on them... was very interesting around the 1900-1930's what all went on bridges.  The railroads were trying to prevent one care from derailing and taking the whole BRIDGE with it.... trains were CHEAP compared to the cost of trashing a bridge, even if only the decking/rail, which could put it out of commision for weeks to months!

Brian

P.S.  Check out some of the cyclopedia books from 1900-1930...crazy stuff on bridge railing, guard timbers, re-railers, etc.

"That which doesn't kill you makes you stronger!"

Subscriber & Member Login

Login, or register today to interact in our online community, comment on articles, receive our newsletter, manage your account online and more!

Users Online

There are no community member online

Search the Community

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
Model Railroader Newsletter See all
Sign up for our FREE e-newsletter and get model railroad news in your inbox!