The PRR-style stone bridge on my layout was inspired by many such bridges on the real Pennsy Middle Division. I had a nice color shot in the book Lewistown and the Pennsylvania Railroad that showed an I1s 2-10-0 crossing the 8-arch, 4 track Granville bridge over the Juniata River just below Lewistown, PA, that was my inspiration for coloring my own bridge. I couldn't really see the south (railroad west) abutment of the bridge, but just figured the bridge crossed the river and nothing else.
In order to fit the stone bridge into the MR (Lou Sassi) inspired trackplan, I had to have it cross a road as well as the river. I wasn't sure if this was prototypical, especially since I had the road make a sharp curve just before ducking under. Now, to be fair, I've seen many, many PRR single-span stone arch bridges crossing a road at a sharp turn, some even with a creek alongside the road (think Northern Central branch between York and Hannover Jct, Atglen & Susquehanna branch along Pennsy Road in Lancaster, and the Middle Division itself near Spruce Creek), but I wasn't aware of a multi-span stone arch crossing a curved road and river at the same time. But, I figured it wasn't that far out of the realm of possibility:
Well, last month chasing trains on the former Middle Division with Ed K and Sean McDonnell (Conrail Historical Society Spring Rail-B-Q), we actually drove under the Granville Bridge. Yep. On a sharply curved road, no less:
Sorry about the lighting; the weather was crappy all day. Blended in with the featureless sky is an Enola-bound intermodal train that snuck up on us, crossing both the road and the Juniata River. The concrete reinforcements were added some time after Conrail took over.
So there is a prototype after all. I love that feeling!
Modeling the Rio Grande Southern First District circa 1938-1946 in HOn3.
Nice. Pics like that of your layout always amaze me. It makes it look like part of a huge pike instead of a door sized layout.
Wait, there's a train in that picture? Surely Not..
-Morgan
Now, I really have to go and get a scanner in here and get some of my older pix done!--dang it, Dave!
There is something similar to that in Dundas ON where Highway 8 takes a sharp right --if you're North bound--and goes under a bridge that is the one for the doubletrack CN main that would be crawling up the side of the Niagara Escarpment. On the other side of Dundas, Sydenham St goes over that same line on a curved flying type bridge-----
Any argument carried far enough will end up in Semantics--Hartz's law of rhetoric Emerald. Leemer and Southern The route of the Sceptre Express Barry
I just started my blog site...more stuff to come...
http://modeltrainswithmusic.blogspot.ca/
loatharNice. Pics like that of your layout always amaze me. It makes it look like part of a huge pike instead of a door sized layout.
Hi Dave: For some strange reason, I really like that photo with the stone arch bridge.
Dave Vollmer,
I'm new to the forum, and a true beginner to model railroading, but I just wanted to say your layout is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Its truly an inspiration. Thanks so much for posting your videos of it on youtube! Keep up the excellent work!
rjake4454Dave Vollmer, I'm new to the forum, and a true beginner to model railroading, but I just wanted to say your layout is the most amazing thing I have ever seen. Its truly an inspiration. Thanks so much for posting your videos of it on youtube! Keep up the excellent work!
I was able to see Dave's layout at a recent NMRA train show in the area, and I can tell you it looks even better in person. Excellent job of detail and weathering. Having grown up in Pennsylvania, he has captured the look of the area very well.
Dave H.
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Hi Dave,
I thought you might like to see my version of a Pennsy bridge with highway crossing under.
Doc
Doc,
Very nice! That also reminds me a lot of Lewistown with the high-tension power lines.
I love that T1! Wish they made them in N. I got to see Max Magliaro's scratchbuilt N scale T1 in action on Todd Treater's NYS&A layout in Lewistown last year; a real work of art.
In 1980/81(?) I was at that very site with my friends John Lohr and Gary Smith. We were in John's 74 Duster, (ironically, Conrail Blue with a white vinyl top). There was a lot less foliage there, and as we came around that bend we caught a glimpse of a distant headlight. We pulled onto that grass patch in the foreground, and scrambled up the embankment just in time to see a westbound Trailvan overtaking a drag of empty hoppers, and then an eastbound came up on us for a three way meet. It was awesome, and inspired this little diorama, on which I used the same Atlas bridge kit you used, Dave....My original Laurel Valley paint scheme... black car body, red ends, and a yellow band with black press type lettering!I just sold that bridge on ebay about a year ago... It was a very good bridge!Lee
Route of the Alpha Jets www.wmrywesternlines.net
Lee,
Very cool! Love those CR units too.
It was a safe bet it existed somewhere, Dave. It looks very typical of a road sneaking beneath a northeastern stone arch span to me.
If you think your arrangement is odd, there's the Backwards Tunnel in Ogdensburg, NJ, so called because the single lane bore for the road is smaller than the one for the river. Even the photos look like a modeler's mistake. While it's not PRR, it shows there usually is a prototype for just about anything.
http://lostinjersey.wordpress.com/2009/03/22/ogdenburg-tunnel/
Nelson
Ex-Southern 385 Being Hoisted
Those were my ancient and venerable Bachmann Crap Masters... The staple of my fleet back when the choice was them or Mehano one truck drives... Have I mentioned that I built a shrine to the Atlas RS-3 back in 1988?
Lee
Dave and topcopdoc,
You two guys are a class act when it comes to a great looking PRR layout!
My hat is off to both of you!Ed
Here's a somewhat "naked" shot of the area back in the Spring of 2006. I built the layout in my garage so I could make a mess (evidenced by the condition of the floor below the layout). The bridge is held in place by a thin slurry of dyed plaster.
And a shot toward the other end...
Flashwave Wait, there's a train in that picture? Surely Not..
There was once a similar setup on the PRR's "Peter's Creek Branch" before it was abandoned in the 1960s. Not sure why, but the rail tunnel (locally known as Green Man's Tunnel, because it's supposedly haunted) seems to be a tight fit. But, the adjacent road/stream tunnel (known as Corvette Tunnel, again, supposely haunted...because of a drag racing accident years ago) is huge. Granted, the road tunnel is shared with the stream, but still.
http://pghbridges.com/glassport/0587-4458/pineyforkPRR_tun.htm
Haunted? Where ! I didn't get a look at the wen link. Appearnetly I got the stupid computer in the internet lab. I may have heard the drag race one before, but I don't know if it's the same one you're reffering too. There are so many like that out there, but I know I haven't heard to many that included a Corvette. Believe me, anytime THAT word is mentioned I am paying the UTMOST of attention. Utmost...I think I just created a new word.