hon30critter Hi Rich, Looks good! Thanks for reminding me about using clamps when doing the initial assembly. I have a bunch of Micro Engineering bridges and bents to build for the club. Dave
Hi Rich,
Looks good!
Thanks for reminding me about using clamps when doing the initial assembly. I have a bunch of Micro Engineering bridges and bents to build for the club.
Dave
Rich
Alton Junction
mbinsewi Coming right along Rich! When I built my over head crane, I did the same, I used clamps and painters tap to temporarily put things together until I had most of the main parts made. Mike.
Coming right along Rich!
When I built my over head crane, I did the same, I used clamps and painters tap to temporarily put things together until I had most of the main parts made.
Mike.
Nice straight lines. Nice joints too.
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
A few more pics.
My You Tube
I finally got the second tower superstructure done. I still have lots of fitting and trimming and painting to do, but I consider the most difficult part now to be behind me. This has taken three weeks to build the two tower superstructures. It is painstaking to say the least.
For the moment, I still have the four sides of each tower held together with spring clamps. Until I can get the decks installed at the base of each tower, I will hold off on final gluing.
richhotrain The towers are massive and do seem to dwarf the prototype. The prototype towers being at a skew angle are the reason for that. Keep up the Good Work. Cheers, the Bear.
richhotrain The towers are massive and do seem to dwarf the prototype.
richhotrainThe towers are massive and do seem to dwarf the prototype.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
Here is a side-by-side comparison of my model and the prototype. The towers are massive and do seem to dwarf the prototype.
mbinsewi Lookin great Rich! Massive. It's going to be great! Nothing gets in the way of my PM naps, because after nap time, it's time, before diner. Mike.
Lookin great Rich! Massive. It's going to be great!
Nothing gets in the way of my PM naps, because after nap time, it's time, before diner.
Rich.
Track fiddler Fascinating Rich. She is a thing of beauty. Your efforts are all worthwhile. One of my bridges I built took me an excess of 90 hours. That bridge was not as complex as the one you are building. Keep up the great work TF
Fascinating Rich. She is a thing of beauty. Your efforts are all worthwhile.
One of my bridges I built took me an excess of 90 hours. That bridge was not as complex as the one you are building. Keep up the great work
TF
gmpullman richhotrain I have to say, I knew that this would be a difficult project, but this is proving even more difficult than I could have imagined. But the results are fantastic and you have a piece of artwork that is unique to your layout. You have captured the massiveness which is a hallmark of this type of structure. Excellent work, indeed! Regards, Ed
richhotrain I have to say, I knew that this would be a difficult project, but this is proving even more difficult than I could have imagined.
But the results are fantastic and you have a piece of artwork that is unique to your layout.
You have captured the massiveness which is a hallmark of this type of structure. Excellent work, indeed!
Regards, Ed
richhotrainI have to say, I knew that this would be a difficult project, but this is proving even more difficult than I could have imagined.
I have to say, I knew that this would be a difficult project, but this is proving even more difficult than I could have imagined. The parts are small and require a lot of gluing and fitting. There are a lot of angles and squaring is critical. I am finding out that I lack the proper tools in some instances.
I just finished the superstructure of the first tower, and it took 128 pieces of Central Valley Model Works Heavy Laced Beams, plus a whole bunch of Tichy Train Group Rivet Plates.
These photos are preliminary, and probably premature, but here is the first tower superstructure before adding the deck at the base and the sheave platform on top. I haven't glued the four sides together yet because I want to use these sections as templates for the second tower.
So, forgive me for using spring clamps in these photos. I also have a lot of finishing work to do including some putty for gaps and some final painting of missed spots.
zstripe Rich, I answered You and also showed a photo of the abutment arrangement I was talking about in my first PM.....should help You understand better........ Take Care! Frank
Rich,
I answered You and also showed a photo of the abutment arrangement I was talking about in my first PM.....should help You understand better........
Take Care!
Frank
Frank, check your PM's.
Thanks, guys, I appreciate the kind words.
Yeah, I was very pleased with the Coors Family Mansion. It was a true scratchbuild, and it was my first real effort at scratchbuilding.
I finished the second section of the first tower yesterday. It is a mirror image of the first section, and it will become the rear section of the tower from a viewer's perspective when it is on the layout. I plan to start the first of the two side sections next, and I will post some pics when I have something to show.
Yep, I like following his build. That Coors house was cool too!
And besides, from this current bridge stuff, I learned what the Alton Junction thing is all about.
As a native Chicagoan (Lane Tech - '62), I've followed this project with interest since the beginning. Rich has done an outstanding job on this very unusual, complicated, difficult and time consuming project. This is what serious modeling is about, and I applaud him for his efforts!
ENJOY !
Mobilman44
Living in southeast Texas, formerly modeling the "postwar" Santa Fe and Illinois Central
zstripe Rich, What I am trying to say........If You do not add any footings to the towers and have the tower track deck set inside and the towers setting directly on the ground, the bridge main span will not go high enough to give clearance to river traffic and in effect the mainspan will be too low to the river.
What I am trying to say........If You do not add any footings to the towers and have the tower track deck set inside and the towers setting directly on the ground, the bridge main span will not go high enough to give clearance to river traffic and in effect the mainspan will be too low to the river.
The bridge that I built is designed so that the bridge track rests on a system of girders, floor beams and stringers. I am thinking that I will build this same system at the base of the towers. The four legs of each tower will sit on bridge shoes, or something similar.
gmpullman By keeping the span shorter considerable weight can be saved.
By keeping the span shorter considerable weight can be saved.
Here's a good example of the reasoning behind the skew:
Calumet-skew by Edmund, on Flickr
By keeping the span shorter considerable weight can be saved. Thus counterweights, lifting machinery and steel members are kept to a minimum when a waterway must be crossed at an angle.
For anyone interested, here is a very interesting history of the details on these Calumet River spans:
https://cdn.loc.gov/master/pnp/habshaer/il/il0800/il0836/data/il0836data.pdf
Cheers, Ed
Look at this pic' and think of the Homasote the bridge is on as the water and where the towers and approach track deck is as the ground. The principal is the same with the square or boxed towers. On the photos that Ed posted show an abutment built into the ground side and concrete extensions a little further from the abutments so the closest tower footings rest on them. The CMR bridge was based on a wider river, where there was no need to go bank to bank with a Canal type river bridge like the Chgo bridge is used for. They set up the CMR mainspan at the deepest center of the river.
There is also a lot more weight having to be supported on both tower ends so the deck beams and everything else would be larger in size than the mainspan deck. Like the size of the deck girders under the tower that ED is referring to.
Pic' can be clicked on for a larger view........
Think of the towers in the pic' as being vertical/square where the sloped one is and move the end/deck footings where the speaker is on the right, directly under the tower end.
gmpullman richhotrain Ed, which "beefy gusset plates" are you referring to? Looking at the "freeze frame" of the Youtube video above, I was refering to the eight gussets that support the roller guides. richhotrain which beams are you referring to that "support the track above the concrete"? The approach to the movable span looks like it is supported on girders that are similar to those you would find on a deck-type box-beam bridge.
richhotrain Ed, which "beefy gusset plates" are you referring to?
Looking at the "freeze frame" of the Youtube video above, I was refering to the eight gussets that support the roller guides.
richhotrain which beams are you referring to that "support the track above the concrete"?
The approach to the movable span looks like it is supported on girders that are similar to those you would find on a deck-type box-beam bridge.
richhotrainEd, which "beefy gusset plates" are you referring to?
PRR Guide Roller by Edmund, on Flickr Nathan Holth Photo
It looks like there is a part on that Walthers sprue that would probably work for these.
richhotrainwhich beams are you referring to that "support the track above the concrete"?
Calumet_lift-crop-beam by Edmund, on Flickr
Micro Engineering and Central Valley both have bridge beams that could be used here.
gmpullman Here's a typical, shaky, Youtube video of 21st. Street but there are a few "glimpses" between the chain-link fence of the landing feet and the beefy gusset plates located at the bottom of the movable span and the tower. Note that there are beams similar to a deck girder bridge that supports the track above the concrete. Probably a good detail to try to incorporate into your design.
Here's a typical, shaky, Youtube video of 21st. Street but there are a few "glimpses" between the chain-link fence of the landing feet and the beefy gusset plates located at the bottom of the movable span and the tower.
Note that there are beams similar to a deck girder bridge that supports the track above the concrete. Probably a good detail to try to incorporate into your design.
Ed, which "beefy gusset plates" are you referring to? And, which beams are you referring to that "support the track above the concrete"? Sorry if I am confused, but I need a little more help here.