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!

Engineering Marvels. (Your Favourite?)

5716 views
17 replies
1 rating 2 rating 3 rating 4 rating 5 rating
  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,285 posts
Engineering Marvels. (Your Favourite?)
Posted by BATMAN on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 11:40 AM

 Bridges, tunnels, viaducts, blasted cliff sides, industry, unique buildings that accommodate a railroad, or anything else. What is your favorite example of railroad engineering? And to bring us all into reality. If you had all the space you needed to build a scale replica of your favourite bit of railroad engineering, how much space would you need?Shock You may use Google Earth if you have to. But no calculators!Laugh

Post pics of the prototype and/or your model if ya got' em.

 

                                                                         Brent

Brent

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

  • Member since
    November 2008
  • From: Freelance, USA
  • 490 posts
Posted by nik .n on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 11:58 AM

 Well, for starters...

 

 

 

And to give you an idea of how big this bridge is: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvgBEy_z7CA&feature=related

I do so believe that those passenger cars are 65 footers, but that is a rough guesstimate.  

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Vancouver Island, BC
  • 23,330 posts
Posted by selector on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 1:55 PM

My favourite example of railroad engineering is this (model):

First, the mighty, and comparatively small Y6b -

But my favourite prototype example of engineering is the famous Stoney Creek Bridge, to which I can only provide a link...no personal image:

http://www.railpictures.net/viewphoto.php?id=154783&nseq=3 

-Crandell

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • 284 posts
Posted by m horton on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 2:08 PM

Two from the New Haven,, the Hells Gate and Poughkeepsie Railroad bridges. Both too large to model, mike h.

  • Member since
    January 2010
  • From: North East Florida
  • 327 posts
Posted by the North East Rail Modeler on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 2:13 PM

How about this hole-in-the-wall (not the station, just the wall with the new windowLaugh)

I found this on darkroastedblend.com

But seriously, I have (for what ever strange reason) wanted to model a scene where a locomotive ran off the end of the tracks and crashes into an abandoned fish cannery. I guess it's my sence of humor.

  • Member since
    June 2006
  • From: Maryville IL
  • 9,577 posts
Posted by cudaken on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 2:16 PM

  Crandell my friend you took the words pout of my mouth! Next would be this monster. I was able to visit a real one. When you are modeling trains it is easy to forget how big they really are! I am 6 foot 3 and the drivers come to the top of my head!

 If I had the spaces, funds and time? May be something like Rod Stewart's layout out. His city just blew me away. 

   Ken

I hate Rust

  • Member since
    June 2004
  • From: From Golden, CO living in Puyallup (Seattle), WA
  • 750 posts
Posted by Renegade1c on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 4:49 PM

 I think my favorite railroad engineering project was the Hanging bridge in the Royal Gorge near Canon City, Colorado.

Below are some photos I took of that particular bridge a couple years ago.

 

 


Colorado Front Range Railroad: 
http://www.coloradofrontrangerr.com/

flag

  • Member since
    January 2005
  • From: Winnipeg Canada
  • 1,637 posts
Posted by Blind Bruce on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 4:58 PM

Great examples of bridge engineering folks, but my favorite and arguably the most difficult would be the narrow gauge White Pass and Yukon methods of creating a right of way on the side of a mountain in 40 below weather. Brrrr

73

Bruce in the Peg

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 5:26 PM

 This is my favorite railway structure:

It was built 1846 to 1851 out of a little over 26 million bricks. Its length is 576 m. its height 78 m, making this bridge the world´s largest bridge built solely from bricks.

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,285 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 5:52 PM

 Wow Ulrich! That is impressive indeed. And it's only a seven metre straight shot across your train roomLaugh

                                                         Brent

Brent

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

  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 5:57 PM

 Like this?

 

  • Member since
    July 2006
  • From: 4610 Metre's North of the Fortyninth on the left coast of Canada
  • 9,285 posts
Posted by BATMAN on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 6:22 PM

 I knew you were holding out on us!

Sir Madog

 Like this?

  


Brent

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

  • Member since
    June 2003
  • From: Culpeper, Va
  • 8,202 posts
Posted by IRONROOSTER on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 6:27 PM

Starrucca Viaduct.  At 1064 feet long, there is no way I'll model it in S.  It would be almost 17 ft plus approaches. 

Enjoy

Paul

If you're having fun, you're doing it the right way.
  • Member since
    April 2003
  • 305,205 posts
Posted by Anonymous on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 6:35 PM

BATMAN

 I knew you were holding out on us!

 

.. only slightly beyond my means Smile,Wink, & Grin

  • Member since
    February 2005
  • From: Southwest US
  • 12,914 posts
Posted by tomikawaTT on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 6:44 PM

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to locate either a link to a photo or my own shots of the bridge on the abandoned line to the Okutama Dam at the far end of JR-East's O-me Sen:

The railroad, on a steady 2% (I think - might be steeper) exited one tunnel, crossed over a narrow road (basically a ledge carved into the side of the canyon,) leaped the gorge on a beautiful concrete spandrel arch, crossed a goat track at grade and immediately entered another tunnel.  The whole business was on a quite sharp curve.

In 1:80 scale the entire scene could be modeled un-compressed in one tatami (approximately 3 x 6 feet) at the end of an aisleway.  Of course, for a belt-high bridge, the white water cascade underneath it would come in somewhere below the knees.

That's just one of the things that got selectively compressed out of my current track plan...

Chuck (Modeling the vertical scenery of Central Japan in September, 1964)

  • Member since
    January 2004
  • From: Canada, eh?
  • 13,375 posts
Posted by doctorwayne on Tuesday, May 4, 2010 10:36 PM

A couple that spring to mind for me:

The Quebec Bridge

The Nicholson Viaduct

The Firth of Forth Bridge

Wayne

  • Member since
    March 2007
  • From: On the Banks of the Great Choptank
  • 2,916 posts
Posted by wm3798 on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 7:45 AM

 The Carrollton Viaduct isn't remarkable for it's size, but it is the oldest stone arch railway bridge in the United States, built originally in 1829 to carry light carriages pulled by horses, and still in service today under SD80 MAC's, Gevo's, and whatever else CSX can throw at it!

 Lee

 

Route of the Alpha Jets  www.wmrywesternlines.net

  • Member since
    August 2004
  • From: Amish country Tenn.
  • 10,027 posts
Posted by loathar on Wednesday, May 5, 2010 9:07 AM

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

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!