Does either the 2005 or the 2016 edition of Jeff Wilson's book, "Structure Modeling" or "Basic Structure Modeling" have a chapter on scratch building from wood HO scale foot bridges, railway bridges, culverts and/or trestles? I'm especially interested in foot bridges. Both are sold on Amazon, but there is no "look inside" option for either.
If not,what other tome - if any - is out there with detailed instructions? I'm looking on Amazon, but it's a slow process slogging through 100 or more pages!
Kerry
I have both and neither has a section on what you're looking for. They're more on building basic structure kits and how to detail them. One has sections on wood kits and scratchbuilding, but it doesn't cover the items you mentioned. It's more about making actual buildings and the basic skills and tools needed.
That said, I LOVE both of these books. They have a ton of ideas and useful information for finishing structures. They cover just about all the basics of building structure kits in general and then go on to include how to do more advanced detailing.
Jim
Hello all,
Take a look at the book Model Railroad Bridges & Trestles; Bob Hayden, Kalmbach Publishing, Seventh Printing 2006.
This book has many illustrations and a few blueprints for different bridge types.
You might be able to adapt some of the designs to your needs.
It is apparently out of print but can be found on Amazon. At about $25.00 for a used one in good condition this would be a great addition to your modeling library.
Hope this helps.
"Uhh...I didn’t know it was 'impossible' I just made it work...sorry"
Jim,
I agree with your assessment. I bought "Bridges, Tunnels and Trestles" yesterday because it contains some generic bridge information that may be good to know.
Northeastern Scale Lumber referred me to this fairly new outfit, which I plan to explore:
https://www.scalemodelplans.com/index.html
I may well also purchase Bob Hayden's "Bridges and Trestles," into which Amazon allows a peek.
J.J.,
I'll put that one on my shopping list, since it looks to be a bit more detailed than Jeff Wilson's books, though currently I'm focused on a foot bridge. Thanks for the tip!
Thank you for the kind responses!
There are three in the Kalmbach "Bridge" series. The one I noted, I believe, is the first in the series.
I have all three and each has it's merits and shortcomings.
Realizing that you are focused on foot bridges the book I noted has detailed plans for a wood king-post truss highway bridge, a bridge for a country road and a covered bridge- -none of which are intended for rail traffic.
As I posted earlier, these could be modified to fit your needs.
What type of foot bridge are you looking to model?
Knowing that might help others in the forum narrow down your search.
Good luck!!
I hope this helps.
J.J., Here's the link to the HO scale bridge I have in mind:
https://www.walthers.com/foot-bridge-laser-cut-kit-2-3-8-x-7-8-x-1-2-quot-6-x-2-2-x-1-3cm
Are you recommending Hayden's book published in 2006 for those non-railroad bridges or do both the 1992 and 2006 editions have identical content?
HOmainlineHere's the link to the HO scale bridge I have in mind:
Looking at your example reminds me of some of the foot bridges I've made using Central Valley 1601 fencing. The board fence for the deck and the hand rail.
You can beef up the stringers if necessary with styrene strips.
https://www.modeltrainstuff.com/Central-Valley-Model-Work-HO-Fences-Railings-Set-p/cvm-1601.htm
Quick and easy!
Ed
All,
I know the scale length dimensions for this or a similar foot bridge. I'm just trying to pin down what HO scale widths and thicknesses I need for the various pieces of stripwood or basswood with which to build it. It's the Goldilocks plan: not too big...not too small...but just right!
HOmainlineAre you recommending Hayden's book published in 2006 for those non-railroad bridges or do both the 1992 and 2006 editions have identical content?
Hayden's book definitely has different content than the other two. It goes into more detail with blueprints and drawings for 31 different bridges.
I found this book, out of the three, more detailed and more helpful.
On the contents page it states:
"The material in this book first appeared as articles in Model Railroder magazine from 1962-1981."
The bridge you pictured could be easily scratch built from wooden stir sticks, craft sticks (popsicle sticks) and Basswood strip.
To replicate the look of Creosote or dark-stained wood I use a mixture of one part Minwax Ebony stain (#2718) and three parts Red Mahogany (#225).
Next, I place the individual wooden pieces in a gallon zip-top freezer bag. I pour in about one ounce of the mixed stain.
Then I shake the bag, being sure to coat each individual piece.
With a gloved hand; I use Nitrile as they are chemical resistant, remove the pieces to a few layers of newspaper to absorb any excess stain.
Be aware the stain might soak through the newspaper so don't do this on the dining room table.
This method gives a pretty saturated look.
For a lighter stain remove the pieces to a few sheets of paper towel and blot the excess stain until you get the look you desire.
Then transfer to newspaper and allow to fully dry.
Like any scratch built project the cost of the materials might exceed the cost of a single Walthers kit.
If you are planning on making several bridges of the same type then the cost will decrease with each unit you scratch build.
It’s the out-of-print 2006 book that I sent a link to on Amazon. It has the tan cover showing a silver bridge with four Western Pacific locos coming out of a tunel.
Looking at the picture of the bridge you are considering you could use prefabricated wooden fenceing for the deck and add the handrails made from basswood.
The Bar Mills Insta Fence kit might fit the bill. It's also on sale at Walthers.
Keep us informed on how your project works out.
Love to see photos if possible.
J.J.
I purchased the 2006 edition of Hayden's book yesterday and will begin foot bridge construction once I've bought the basswood strips. Updates will have to be in text form only since I don't "do" the digital device thing. Film camera only for me and used only on bicycle trips - my primary passion - in the U.S. and abroad.
Thanks again for your recommendations.
I wanted to add a mirror to one corner of my layout but needed a way to hide the edges of the mirror. A nearby prototype concrete pedestrian bridge gave me the idea to use such a bridge to frame the mirror and hide its edges. Although not an exact copy, I based the design of my bridge on the basic design of the prototype bridge. Seeing as today's "Nanny State" did not yet exist in the 50's era of my layout, I decided to omit the fenced in top of the prototype bridge. This mirror works so well that layout visitors keep trying to find the "next room" into which the trains exit my layout. Kind of funny to watch their expressions when they finally realize they've been fooled by a mirror.
Hornblower