Bridges, Rail/Road sharing


M

maczimb

Member
Hi Guys.
Just had a thought!!!!
I have a curved approach to a truss bridge on my layout. Because of the curve, any carriages with a long overhang hit the side of the bridge. No problem? I can widen the bridge by gluing a sliver of wood, about 1/4" wide X 1/16" thick between the floor of the bridge and the side structure.
Then I thought? why not widen it enough to accommodate a single lane highway parallel to the track??
The only bridge that I am aware of that serves the two purposes is the Victoria Falls bridge that spans the Zambezi river between what is now Zambia and Zimbabwe. That was originally built for rail traffic only and was converted almost 100 years ago.
I'm pretty sure there are a bunch more?? Anyone know of any others??
Mac
 
There's actually quite a few bridges that carry both car and rail traffic.
I was on one in BC but can't remember the name.
It was on the BC Rail system and had traffic lights to warn cars of the approaching trains.
Anyone know the name?
 
There's this causeway connecting Cape Breton Island to the mainland of Nova Scotia:

http://www.cansocauseway.ca/photogallery.html

Or the swing bridge onto Manitoulin Island at Little Current, ON.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Little_Current_Swing_Bridge

This was built as a railway bridge by the Algoma Eastern Railway, and was later decked for road traffic as well. This was shared for years by cars and trains but CP has long abandoned the line that used to cross the bridge, so now it strictly handles automobile traffic.
 
Are you married to the idea of a through truss? How about a nice deck girder instead? Or maybe a combination of a through truss on the straightaway with deck girder approaches on the curved side.
 
Sharing a bridge

Hi guys.
Thanks for the feedback, lots of interesting stuff.
I have forged ahead with my idea. I widened the bridge by 2 3/4", and erected a safety barrier between the track and the roadway.
I will post some pic's when I have a bit more progress on the approach.
A side note: To remove the bridge I had to lift a section of Flex Trak. When I replaced the modified bridge and track, The adjacent snap switch/ turnout quit working, after some choice words and throwing of stuff, I got it all going again. The biggest problem is my eye sight, not what it was a few years back.
Thanks again for your interest.
Mac.
 
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